Rural hospitals across the U.S. are struggling to survive. Since 2010, 80 rural hospitals have closed and 673 are at risk of closing — 210 of which are at “extreme risk,” according to iVantage Health Analytics.
Under the Affordable Care Act, Disproportionate Share Hospital payments to rural facilities were sharply reduced. Further cuts in CMS reimbursement for low-volume adjustments for rural hospitals and reductions in commercial payer rates have hurt hospitals’ bottom lines, forcing many to operate at a loss.
