Healthcare

Here’s a potentially disturbing statement: “Rural healthcare needs healthcare – not buildings.”

I’ve been watching rural hospitals closely as they cope with the changing healthcare landscape, and I’ve come to believe this statement is true. You might find it disturbing because of its implications – if rural hospitals don’t need buildings, what happens to their staffs, their service, their presence in the community and their stakeholders? And most of all, without a physical presence in a community, what happens to urgent care and its lifesaving role in rural areas? 

Many rural hospitals are struggling in the new health care marketplace. Reimbursement from government and (soon) private payors is now more dependent on providing a collaborative and leaner process that rewards reducing variations in patient care and treatment in the appropriate setting. Additionally, hospitals in states that have opted out of receiving Affordable Care Act (ACA) funding face increased costs with no funding to cover them.