March 26, 2024- As rural hospitals continue to struggle financially, a new type of hospital has been introduced, especially in the Southeast, according to AP News. Rural emergency hospitals receive more than $3 million in federal funding a year and higher Medicare reimbursements in exchange for closing all inpatient beds and providing 24/7 emergency care.
The U.S. government which classifies hospitals by type, rolled out the rural emergency option in January 2023. Only 19 hospitals across the U.S. received rural emergency hospital status last year, according to the University of North Carolina’s Sheps Center for Health Services Research.
The majority are in the South, with some in the Midwest, and hospitals in Nebraska and Florida recently started to explore the option.