Aug 8, 2020 3 min read

Rural hospitals in all corners of the country were facing hard times before the coronavirus. The pandemic has made their position all the more precarious.

For years, the hospitals have been struggling to stay afloat in areas with dwindling populations, and where those left behind are older and sicker. The hospitals have also had to wrestle with lower Medicare reimbursements and patients who have inadequate insurance. Then, COVID-19 came along and added to the headaches of those who manage rural hospitals. Elective surgeries that help prevent the hospitals from drowning in red ink have been called off, and simple fears of infection have led some patients to put off routine exams, physical therapy and other procedures. Amid the pandemic, rural hospitals have also had to pay higher prices for personal protective equipment for their personnel.

Rural hospitals are, to put it bluntly, in a tough spot.

That point was underlined during a Monday online workshop with elected officials and hospital administrators led by state Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-Carroll). As the pandemic has raged, The Washington Health System Greene hospital has lost $2 million, according to Terry Wiltrout, the hospital’s president. Both rural and urban hospitals have gotten a financial shot in the arm thanks to the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, but it seems probable that rural hospitals will need more aid in the months and years ahead.

Rural hospitals are far too important to the communities in which they are located to let market forces entirely determine their fate. Already, 120 rural hospitals have closed in communities across the United States in the last decade. Greene Memorial was almost one of them until it was purchased by the Washington Health System in 2015 and became Washington Health System Greene. When a hospital does close, that means patients have to travel farther for care, and it will take longer in emergencies when seconds count.

Lou Panza, president and chief executive officer of Monongahela Valley Hospital, pointed out during the workshop that, out of necessity, telemedicine has made tremendous leaps forward during the pandemic, and that insurance companies need to properly reimburse hospitals for the service. The Wolf administration launched a five-year experiment in 2019 with its Pennsylvania Rural Health Model. It has participating rural hospitals receiving fixed annual payments from insurance providers rather than being paid on a fee-for-service basis. Budgets at the hospitals won’t necessarily increase, but they will have some consistency. Washington Hospital, Washington Health System Greene and Monongahela Valley Hospital are among the hospitals participating.

During the workshop, Panza summed it up: “Rural hospitals are community hospitals, and what makes them different is that the health of community hospitals is as important as the health of the communities.”