Half of rural hospitals are operating in the red, up seven percentage points from last year, according to a Feb. 13 report from the Chartis Center for Rural Health.
Seven things to know:
1. Fifty percent of rural hospitals have operating margins in the red, the highest percentage of rural hospitals losing money in the past decade. The jump from 43% last to 50% this year was the single largest percentage change Chartis has seen in a 12-month period.
2. Fifty-five percent of independent rural hospitals are operating at a loss compared to 42% of health system-affiliated rural hospitals.
3. Fifty-eight percent of rural hospitals are now affiliated with a health system.
4. A total of 418 rural hospitals are vulnerable to closure.
5. Since 2010, 167 rural hospitals have either closed or converted to a model that excludes inpatient care.
6. Between 2011 and 2021, 267 rural hospitals dropped obstetrics services, representing nearly a quarter of America's rural obstetrics units.
7. Between 2014 and 2022, 382 rural hospitals stopped providing chemotherapy services.
Read the full report here.