Analysis: Hospitals and Health Systems Are Critical to Preserving Access to Care for Rural Communities

Hospitals and health systems play critical roles in preserving access to care for patients in rural America. They have increasingly stepped up to fill voids in access to care by reinvesting through access points like hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs). These sites of care provide essential services for rural and low-income communities. Oftentimes, hospitals have been a lifeline for struggling rural physician practices — helping to keep their doors open. HOPDs, meanwhile, have remained convenient high-quality key points of access for patients with more complex care needs.The challenging economics of providing care in rural communities contribute to gaps in access. Rural communities, by nature, generally have fewer people and therefore do not generate the health care utilization to finance the full range of health care services. In addition, caring for rural patients can be more costly on a per patient basis as patients in rural communities tend to have more complex health needs, are much more likely to be uninsured, and are more likely to rely on public programs when they do have coverage.