Key Considerations for a Rural Hospital Assessing Conversion to Rural Emergency Hospital

Return to search

Based on findings from a literature review and consultation with practitioners, the NC Rural Health Research Program developed a conceptual framework and checklist to organize and guide conversations about key considerations for conversion a Rural Emergency Hospital.  The brief, Key Considerations for a Rural Hospital Assessing Conversion to Rural Emergency Hospital, describes the methods and the framework.

Conceptual framework. The framework includes considerations across five key domains: Feasibility, Workforce, Community, Partnerships, and Regulation. We gave particular attention to the financial implications of the transformation. Table 1 provides a basic financial framework for considering the incremental revenues, costs, and avoided costs that may be expected if a hospital converts to an REH by eliminating inpatient care.

Checklist. Appendix 1 contains a list of questions drawn from the literature review and consultation with practitioners.