Rural hospital networks: implications for rural health reform.
This article summarizes the perspectives gained in the course of evaluating a 4-year demonstration program that supported rural hospital networks as mechanisms for improving rural health care delivery. Findings include: (1) joining a network is a popular, low-cost strategic response for rural hospitals in an uncertain environment; (2) rural hospital network survival is enhanced by the mutual resource dependence of members and the presence of a formalized management structure; (3) rural hospitals join networks primarily to improve cost efficiency but, on average, hospitals do not appear to realize short-term economic benefit from network membership; and (4) some of the benefits of these networks may be realized outside of the communities in which rural hospitals are located.
Moscovice
I
I
University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Minneapolis 55455, USA.
Christianson
J
J
Johnson
J
J
Kralewski
J
J
Manning
W
W
D019058:Community Networks / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000639:trends; D006755:Hospital Shared Services / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006780:Hospitals, Rural / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D019035:Rural Health Services; D014481:United States