Rural Hospital Closures: A Scoping Review of Studies Published Between 1990 and 2020

Between 1990 and 2020, 334 rural hospitals closed in the United States, and since 2011 hospital closures have outnumbered new hospital openings. This scoping review evaluates peer-reviewed studies published since 1990 with a focus on rural hospital closures, synthesizing studies across six themes: 1...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of health care for the poor and underserved Vol. 35; no. 2; pp. 439 - 464
Main Authors: Planey, Arrianna Marie, Thomas, Sharita R, Friedman, Hannah, Hecht, Hillary K, Kent, Erin, Holmes, G. Mark
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Johns Hopkins University Press 01.05.2024
Subjects:
American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009-US
Beds
Budgets
Closure
Community
Community hospitals
Economic impact
Fiscal Responsibility Act 2023-US
Grey literature
Health care access
Health care policy
Health facilities
Health Facility Closure
Health Policy
Health services
Health Services Accessibility
Hospitals
Hospitals, Rural
Humans
Low income areas
Low income groups
Medicaid
Medical Subject Headings-MeSH
Medicare
Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act 2010-US
Precursors
Prospective payment systems
Qualitative research
Regulatory reform
Rural areas
Rural communities
Rural health care
Systematic review
Underserved populations
United States
United States
United States > US
ISSN:1049-2089, 1548-6869, 1548-6869
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Between 1990 and 2020, 334 rural hospitals closed in the United States, and since 2011 hospital closures have outnumbered new hospital openings. This scoping review evaluates peer-reviewed studies published since 1990 with a focus on rural hospital closures, synthesizing studies across six themes: 1) health care policy environment, 2) precursors to rural hospital closures, 3) economic impacts, 4) effects of rural hospital closures on access to care, 5) health and community impacts, and 6) definitions of rural hospitals and communities. In the 1990s, rural hospitals that closed were smaller, while rural hospitals that closed in the 2010s tended to have more beds. Many studies of the health impacts of rural hospital closures yielded null findings. However, these studies differed in their definitions of "rural hospital closure." Given the accelerated rate of hospital closures, more attention should be paid to hospitals that serve rural communities of color and low-income communities.
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ISSN:1049-2089
1548-6869
1548-6869
DOI:10.1353/hpu.2024.a928626