PLANO, Texas, Aug. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Hospital Corporation (CHC) announces the Rural & Community Healthcare Collaborative (RCHC), a charity organization dedicated to raising funds for struggling rural hospitals confronting financial viability. As a 501(c)3 organization, RCHC will make available no- and low-cost consulting services to troubled community hospitals to help ensure their solvency and sustainability.
"Strong hospitals make healthy communities, and rural and community hospitals are critical to the nation's healthcare system. Sadly, many have been closing at an accelerating pace since 2010," said Michael D. Williams, RCHC President and CEO Emeritus.
Williams is also President and CEO Emeritus of CHC, formed in 1996 to help community hospitals deliver quality care, maintain financial health, and serve as a community's health resource. CHC's experience with rural and community hospitals spans 20 years and 35 states.
Hospitals caught in a cycle of financial distress may not be able to afford the services that could help them turn around. When this cycle continues, hospitals may face failure.
"Today, more hospitals are at a higher risk for closure," said Williams. "We believe that hospitals should not be forced to close if they have the potential to succeed with the right help."
Factors making it difficult for rural community hospitals to survive include declining reimbursements, higher fixed costs, an unfavorable payer mix, remote location and small size, and difficulty recruiting and retaining physicians. These issues make smaller facilities more vulnerable to governmental policy and market changes. Also, rural Americans tend to have lower incomes, are older and less healthy than their urban counterparts, and more likely to be uninsured.
RCHC has developed the Healthy Hospital Report Card, a screening tool that uses public data to give hospitals, communities, foundations and government entities insight into the overall health of their hospital. The tool can indicate if a hospital is sustainable in its current state or at risk for closure, and areas in which it's performing well or needs attention.
About RCHC
The Rural & Community Healthcare Collaborative was formed in 2017 by Community Hospital Corporation (CHC) leaders driven to help small and rural hospitals succeed. RCHC makes available no- and low-cost consulting services to hospitals in need. RCHC was inspired by its President and CEO Emeritus Michael D. Williams, who is also CEO Emeritus of CHC. Visit www.ruralCHC.org.
SOURCE Rural & Community Healthcare Collaborative
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