Patients Bypass Close Rural Hospitals in Favor of Farther, Non-Rural Facilities

More than 40 percent Tennesseans living in rural areas bypass local hospitals in favor of larger, non-rural hospitals farther away, according to a study (pdf) by the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Institute.

The institute studied 101 non-specialty Tennessee hospitals, 63 of which were rural and 38 of which were non-rural. Using its claims data, the institute found there were more than 60,000 inpatient stays at non-rural hospitals in 2009. Of those, approximately 48,000 were by people living in Tennessee or the state's contiguous counties. About 69.9 percent of these inpatient stays, roughly 33,000, were not at the patients' closest hospital.

The BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Institute used diagnosis-related group data to assess whether patients went to a farther hospital because it offered services not available at a closer hospital. The institute found 43.4 percent of people, or roughly 20,500, chose a farther hospital despite a closer, rural hospital having the same services. The chosen facility was on average 22.6 miles farther than patients' closest facility, according to the report.

The institute concluded that proximity of care may have little to do with patients' choice of care facility.

More Articles on Rural Hospitals:

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Hospital Groups Urge Congress to Extend Rural Medicare Provisions

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