Factors Associated with Provision of Ambulance Services by Rural Hospitals

This project continues our work from the last three years that has focused on the provision of emergency medical services ( EMS) in rural areas. This two-part project will explore the trends in provision of EMS/ambulance services among rural and urban hospitals. National hospital data files will be used to determine the proportion of rural and urban hospitals that have ongoing EMS/ambulance services and the proportion that have recently acquired or discontinued these services, and to explore geographic and organizational factors associated with hospital ownership of ambulance services. The second part of the study will use focused in-depth interviews with hospital administrators with existing, newly acquired or discontinued ambulance services in each US Census region to gain a better understanding of the factors that influence their decision regarding ambulance services by rural hospitals and benefits received by hospitals that offer these important prehospital health care services.

Principal Investigator: Rebecca T. Slifkin, M.H.A., Ph.D

Funding Source: Office of Rural Health Policy, HRSA

Total Project Period: 09/08 – 08/10