'We've got a crisis,' says lawmaker with one-third of Virginia's rural hospitals at risk of closing
Many rural hospitals in Virginia are at risk of closing and/or are facing significant financial distress, according to a new draft report from Virginia’s Joint Commission on Health Care presented to lawmakers on Thursday.
Using one metric, the commission found that 13 of Virginia’s 36 rural hospitals “are at either immediate risk of closure or at risk of closure.”
Using a different metric, the commission found that a dozen rural hospitals in the state “are at either highest risk or mid-highest risk of experiencing financial distress.”
“We’ve got a crisis,” said Delegate Rodney Willett (D-Henrico).
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The report cites several reasons for rural hospitals’ struggles, including higher costs, fewer revenue opportunities and insufficient reimbursement amounts, to name a few.
https://www.wric.com/news/politics/capitol-connection/weve-got-a-crisis-says-lawmaker-with-one-third-of-virginias-rural-hospitals-at-risk-of-closing/
If this country would do two things, we would not have this problem: 1) Stop running hospitals on the corporate model, and 2) have single payer healthcare