Oregon Rural Landscape
Oregon small and rural hospitals provide essential health care services to more than one million Oregonians, including Medicare beneficiaries. Small and rural hospitals face a host of significant challenges as government payments decline and the population of uninsured patients grows. Rural hospitals face greater pressure due to their small size, modest assets and financial reserves, and a higher percentage of Medicare patients, as rural populations are older on average than their urban counterparts. Medicare margins are lowest for rural hospitals, with the smallest hospitals having the lowest margins.
Along with reimbursement, small and rural hospitals face challenges sustaining a highly trained workforce, and necessary technology advancements. Access to capital funding is costly and many of our hospital facilities are in need of replacement and necessary advances in technology.
OAHHS is committed to advocating for legislation and programs that will sustain and improve our vital rural health care system. Securing the future of small and rural hospitals and the essential role they play in our health care system is the central focus of our rural agenda.
2009 Small and Rural Hospital Initiatives:
- Access – advocacy for patient access to medically-necessary care at the right time provided in the community or through partnerships and networks;
- Workforce – advocacy and partnerships to ensure small and rural hospitals have appropriate staff to deliver high quality care;
- Building Community Trust – engaging communities to support a sustainable health care model;
- Clinical Quality – collaborative partnerships sharing successes and using data to ensure small and rural hospitals provide quality health care services that meet or exceed national benchmarks; and
- Finance – advocacy for fair, adequate and sustainable reimbursement from public and private payers.
Small and Rural legislative issue priority list – we offer members a strong voice for rural Oregon.
OAHHS works closely with several partners including Oregon Medical Association, the Oregon Office of Rural Health, the Oregon Rural Health Association, and the Oregon Rural Healthcare Quality Network. By partnering with related organizations, the OAHHS is able to align initiatives to increase its influence to improve the standing of small and rural hospitals.
Building 2, Suite 100
Lake Oswego, Oregon 97035
503-636-2204 | Fax: 503-636-8310
info@oahhs.org
Copyright © 2009 Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems. All rights reserved.