Rural Hospital Flexibility Program: the tracking project reports first-year findings

Abstract
TOPIC EDITORS NOTE: The Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 set in motion changes in how health care services are financed and organized. Legislation in 1999 and 2000 modifying the BBA confirmed a congressional sense that innovations in payment might precipitate changes in the delivery systems that could sustain those systems in rural areas. It is too early to judge whether or not new approaches, suck as critical access hospitals, will strengthen the financial viability of rural systems while sustaining and improving quality of care. However, this report from the research centers tracking responses to the legislation does tell us how hospitals and state governments are responding to new opportunities. From that knowledge, we gain a sense of whether or not the new model is workable, a prerequisite to its being successful. As we approach the final two years of the original authorization for the grant program, a careful assessment of what we have learned will inform decisions about further investments in the rural health care delivery infrastructure. -Keith J Mueller, Ph.D., Health Policy Topic Editor

Citation:
Hagopian A, Hart LG. Rural Hospital Flexibility Program: The Tracking Project Reports First-year Findings. J Rural Health. Apr 2001 17(2):82-86