EXCERPT: “A full quarter of rural hospitals in the U.S. are at a high risk of closing unless their financial situations improve, according to an annual Guidehouse analysis of publicly available data. The data examined by Guidehouse – formerly Navigant – was collected prior to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, meaning the situation is likely to get worse. The 354 at-risk rural hospitals span 40 states and represent more than 222,350 annual discharges, 51,800 employees and $8.3 billion in total patient revenue, the analysis found. Of these hospitals, 287, or 81%, are considered highly essential to the health and economic well-being of their communities. Thirty-four states have at least half of their financially distressed rural hospitals considered highly essential, with 16 states having all hospitals in this situation.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/3aYyQ5N
