To staunch the losses of rural hospital closures that endanger access to care for millions, federal regulators are hoping some facilities opt in to a new CMS payment model, but providers say they want more flexibilities and clarity before making the pivot, reports Healthcare Dive.
Rural stakeholders say they’re excited about the new model that provides needed flexibilities for rural operators to stay open, but say more tweaks are needed to address the realities of providing care in rural America.
The new rule “maybe gets halfway there,” said Jennifer Findley, vice president of education and special projects at the Kansas Hospital Association. “It’s not as much as we were hoping for but it does give some more flexibility than what you have today.”
There have been growing concerns about rural hospital closures over the past decade.
About 138 rural hospitals closed between 2010 and October 2021, many of which are located in the South, according to a brief from the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services. Read more.
