Rural Hospital Sustainability: Meeting the Challenges of Healthcare Transformation and Strategies for Effective Implementation.

This study will explore the changing landscape of the American rural healthcare system and the transition to value-based care models. It will specifically explore how rural hospitals are impacted by the shift from volume to value. It will highlight the unique challenges and vulnerabilities facing rural hospitals along with specific strategies that are showing promise in meeting the demands of value-based reimbursement. Based on research conducted to date, there is small but growing evidence of strategies that rural hospitals and health systems are implementing to meet the challenges of the value-based reimbursement environment. The success of many of these strategies is still under consideration, and many initiatives are still in process. However, the research indicates that change is imminent and rural hospitals should prepare to implement value-based strategies to sustain long-term relevance. With this research, a specific plan for change will be developed to aid rural hospitals.