Is there a typical rural hospital? A new report from the Sheps Center for Health Services Research, a rural health research and policy center based at the University of North Carolina, provides a statistical profile, including these medians:
- It has 25 beds
- It has 7 inpatients every day
- It employs 321 full-time equivalent workers
- It serves a median population of 27,930 with 36 residents per square mile
- Typical inpatient care includes surgical, obstetric, and swing bed services
- Typical outpatient care includes surgical, cardiac rehab, breast cancer screening/mammography, and health fair services
- Outpatient care represents 69.3% of total revenue
The report provides more data on hospitals, inpatient and outpatient services, the rural population, and hospital finances. In some cases, its contrasts rural hospitals with urban hospitals.
Freeman VA and others. The 21st century rural hospital: a chart book. Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina, March 2015. http://www.shepscenter.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/21stCenturyRuralHospitalsChartBook.pdf
Posted by AHA Resource Center (312) 422-2050, rc@aha.org
Filed under: Future trends, Hospitals, Medicaid, Posted by Diana Culbertson, Rural health | Tagged: comparison of rural and urban hospitals, rural population |
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