October 17, 2024
Research Alert: The First Year of Rural Emergency Hospitals: REHs Serve Relatively Disadvantaged Counties
Among findings in this brief from the North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center:
- Various hospital types converted to REHs in 2023:
- Seven were Sole Community Hospitals
- Six were Critical Access Hospitals
- Four were Prospective Payment System hospitals, and
- Two were Medicare Dependent hospitals.
- Counties with REH conversions were relatively challenged, showing highest median rates of poverty, uninsured individuals, and people in poor or fair health.
- Counties with a REH conversion also faced health care access challenges, with fewer primary care and mental health providers and higher emergency department visit rates among Medicare beneficiaries.
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