Trends in Rural Hospital Financial Viability, Community Essentiality, and Patient Outmigration
Following a 2019 Navigant study,1 we reanalyzed the correlation of financial viability and essentiality of rural hospitals across the country.
According to the analysis:
Additional analysis of migration patterns of patients who live in rural counties in six states shows:
These rural hospital and community struggles have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as they are with any downturn in the economy, both in the short- and long-term. Scroll down for state-based results and download the full analysis.
1David Mosley and Daniel DeBehnke, MD, “New Analysis Shows Worsening Situation for Rural Hospitals, Residents,” February 2019, https://guidehouse.com/-/media/www/site/insights/healthcare/2019/navigant-rural-hospital-analysis-22019.pdf