Analysis of the Medicare provider analysis record (MEDPAR) data during fiscal years 1984 through 1989 indicates that the proportion of rural Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized in urban hospitals has remained constant during the prospective payment system (PPS). Much of the use of urban hospitals by rural beneficiaries during this period was to obtain specialized care or surgery, as suggested b...

BACKGROUND The potential impact of shortages of the surgical workforce on both urban and rural hospitals is undefined. There is a predicted shortage of 30,000 surgeons by 2030 and the need to train and hire more than 100,000 surgeons. The aim of this study is to estimate the average recruitment needs in our nation's hospitals for 7 surgical specialties to ensure adequate access to surgical care...

Objective. To assess whether acute stroke patients in rural hospitals receive less occupational therapy and physiotherapy than those in metropolitan hospitals. Design. Retrospective case-control study of health data in patients ≤10 days after stroke. Setting. Occupational therapy and physiotherapy services in four rural hospitals and one metropolitan hospital. Participants. Acute stroke patient...

Health care disparities in rural areas remain significant in the U.S. health care industry. Uncompensated care makes health care disparities in rural areas worse, and rural hospitals are unfavorably positioned to compete with urban hospitals in the economic-downturn marketplace. How uncompensated care affects quality care among rural hospitals has been lightly investigated. Given that many rura...

Rural hospitals play a crucial role in providing health care to rural Americans, a vulnerable and underserved population; however, rural hospitals have faced threats to their financial viability and many have closed as a result. This paper examines the hospital characteristics that are associated with patients choosing rural hospitals, and sheds light on the types of patients who depend on rura...

Rural hospitals play a crucial role in providing healthcare to rural Americans, a vulnerable and underserved population; however, rural hospitals have faced threats to their financial viability and many have closed as a result. This paper examines the hospital characteristics that are associated with patients choosing rural hospitals, and sheds light on the types of patients who depend on rural...

Background: Given relatively less favorable health outcomes in rural Alabama, electronic health records (EHRs) have an even greater potential to improve quality and alleviate disparities if meaningfully used. Objectives: We examined rural-urban differences as it pertained to perceived barriers, benefits, and motivating factors of EHR implementation. Methods: We used multivariate logistic models...

When the Health Care Financing Administration implemented the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS), the payment rates for inpatient hospital operating costs were derived on an urban and rural basis within each region. The rates were also adjusted for area wage levels and other factors affecting hospital costs. The effect of PPS on rural hospitals is of widespread interest. This article pro...

OBJECTIVE Little is known about availability of resources for managing intimate partner violence (IPV) at rural hospitals. We assessed differences in availability of resources for IPV screening and management between rural and urban emergency departments (EDs) in Oregon. METHODS We conducted a standardized telephone interview of Oregon ED directors and nurse managers on six IPV-related resour...