Small hospitals get a hand with population health management

Healthcare organizations across the United States all face a common dilemma of needing to constantly find ways to improve the health of their patient populations – not only for those patients’ well-being, but also to improve their own financial health.

The key is to improve health status without breaking the bank – and that is especially important for the nation’s more than 1,350 critical access hospitals, most with around 25 beds, that serve rural areas.

During the coronavirus pandemic, with small and rural hospitals having to cut costs even as they gird for an increase in COVID-19 patients, meeting that imperative is more challenging than ever.

These hospitals are not just care centers, but commonly serve as the hub of the community, says John Gale, a senior research associate at the Maine Rural Health Research Center at the University of Southern Maine in Portland.

“For more than 20 years we have worked with small hospitals and clinics to help them think about how to build their missions,” said Gale.