Medical residencies and increased admissions in rural hospitals with fewer than 200 beds.
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.
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Department of Healthcare Management, 3-140 Carlson School of Business, University of Minnesota, 321 19th Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55455-9940, USA. conno001@tc.umn.edu
D000368:Aged; D002321:Career Choice; D015984:Causality; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006744:Hospital Bed Capacity, 100 to 299; D006743:Hospital Bed Capacity, under 100; D006780:Hospitals, Rural / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D006278:Medicare; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010816:Physician Incentive Plans; D011365:Professional Practice Location; D014481:United States; D014600:Utilization Review; D000078329:Workforce