THE FINAL EVALUATION REPORT ON THE 1989 GRANT PROGRAM FOR RURAL HEALTH CARE TRANSITION SEND US MORE DOCTORS-PLEASE

摘要

In response to these problems, Congress introduced the Rural Health Care Transition grants program to improve the financial and managerial capacity of small rural hospitals. This evaluation of the first cohort of 181 grantees shows that the grant projects did not improve grantees' financial status, however. The smallest hospitals (those with fewer than 30 beds) were the least likely to benefit from the grant program. Case studies of 44 grantees documented that 13 grantees were unable to implement their projects as planned-primarily because physician staffing problems thwarted them. Those that did implement projects improved local access to specific services, particularly outpatient services.nThis program awarded nonproprietary, non-Federal rural hospitals with fewer than 100 beds grants of up to $50,000 a year for 3 years. Congress intended that the grants be used to help these hospitals become more financially and managerially sound, and to continue to provide access to health care in rural areas. Congress mandated that the program be evaluated within 6 months of its conclusion.