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Medical Residencies and Increased Admissions in Rural Hospitals With Fewer Than 200 Beds
Author(s) -
Connor Robert A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
the journal of rural health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.439
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1748-0361
pISSN - 0890-765X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-0361.2000.tb00460.x
Subject(s) - metropolitan area , medicine , family medicine , rural area , payment , rural health , physician supply , health care , prospective payment system , environmental health , business , finance , economic growth , population , pathology , economics
Medical education programs in general, and rural residency programs in particular, can be beneficial for rural hospitals. This study of 1,792 non‐metropolitan statistical area, acute general hospitals with fewer than 200 beds from 1993 to 1996 was designed to help rural hospitals and communities to quantify the likely effects of rural residency programs on hospital admissions. Data came from the hospital Prospective Payment System minimum data set. The results show that additional residents at rural hospitals with fewer than 200 beds generally result in an increase of approximately 100 to 200 admissions per resident—more for smaller hospitals and fewer for larger hospitals. Because increased admissions generally improve the financial health and continued operation of rural hospitals, this study confirms the importance of education‐based strategies in ensuring access to care in rural communities.