Rural Hospitals Left Behind in ACA Efforts To Improve Care
Many rural hospitals in the U.S. are "being left out" of efforts under the Affordable Care Act to improve quality of care. For example, HHS has not yet incorporated the nation's 1,256 rural critical access hospitals into Medicare's pay-for-performance programs. As a result, fewer than one in 20 critical access hospitals are taking part in accountable care organizations.
- "Many Rural Hospitals Are Excluded From Government's Push for Better Quality" (Rau, Chicago Tribune/Kaiser Health News, 9/30).