Rural Health
Research Gateway

Hospitals and clinics

Research Findings

View publications, including policy briefs, working papers, and journal articles, on Hospitals and clinics:

Recaps

View one-page summary Recaps of key findings from the Rural Health Research Centers on Hospitals and clinics:

  • Effects of Rural Hospital Closures
    Date: 12/2017
    From January 2005 through early November 2017, 124 rural hospitals closed in the U.S. This Recap, two of two, provides a summary of the Rural Health Research Centers' most recent research on the effects of these closures.
  • Post-Acute Care in Rural Areas: The Role of Swing Beds and Nursing Homes
    Date: 03/2024
    Patients who have received acute care services, but are not ready to safely return home, may transition to post-acute care (PAC). The PAC phase acts as a bridge between the hospital and the next steps to recovery. This Recap examines the roles that swing beds and nursing homes have in PAC.
  • Quality of Care in Rural Hospitals
    Date: 01/2019
    This Rural Health Research Recap looks at hospital quality-of-care measures and the difficulties of developing quality measures, especially for rural hospitals with low patient volumes.
  • Quality Star Ratings: Hospitals, Skilled Nursing Facilities, and Home Health Agencies
    Date: 03/2024
    In 2021, 41.6% of rural hospitals lacked an overall quality star rating compared to only 12.0% of urban hospitals. The absence of a star rating may be misinterpreted by patients as an indicator of low-quality care. This Recap examines star ratings among hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agencies.
  • Rural Hospital Closures
    Date: 12/2017
    From January 2005 through early November 2017, 124 rural hospitals closed in the U.S. This Recap, one of two, provides a summary of the Rural Health Research Centers' most recent research on hospital closures.
  • Rural Hospital Closures: 2023 Update
    Date: 06/2023
    From 2005 through 2022, 186 rural hospitals either closed completely or converted to facilities that no longer provide in-patient care. This Recap explores the current state of rural hospital closures in the United States.
  • Rural Obstetric Services: Access, Workforce, and Impact
    Date: 04/2019
    This resource presents current hospital-based obstetric closure rates and characteristics of rural communities without and losing obstetric services, as well as the impact of limited access on maternal and child health.

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Projects on this Topic

Learn more about the research questions guiding each study, the lead researcher for each, and when the Research Center anticipates releasing completed product(s) under each project.