Rural hospitals are an endangered species in America, with extinction a real possibility. 

In fact, the North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center report that more than 120 hospitals have closed nationwide since 2005, with nearly 70 percent (or 83) of those closures occurring since 2010. Adding insult to injury is the recent announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that Monday, Dec. 2 is the deadline for critical access hospitals (CAHs) to submit a hardship exception to avoid the “Medicare downward payments.” To qualify, those hospitals must illustrate the use of certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) in order to meet the reporting requirements of the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program and demonstrate “meaningful” use.

Delivering a State of the Union report on America’s rural hospitals during this edition of Monitor Mondays will be Maggie Elehwany, vice president of government affairs and policy for the National Rural Health Association.

Other segments to be featured on the broadcast include the following:

• RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel will report on the latest activities by the Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs), and other third-party Medicare claims auditors. Emanuel, a member of the RACmonitor editorial board, is a partner in the Potomac Law Group.
• SDoH Report: Ellen Fink-Samnick, a nationally recognized expert on the social determinants of health (SDoH), will have the latest news on a trending topic that is attracting significant media attention. Ellen will also conduct the Monitor Mondays Listener Survey.
• Court Report: The U.S. Supreme Court recently turned away two cases that tested the scope of the False Claims Act. Reporting this story will be famed whistleblower attorney Mary Inman, partner in the London office of Constantine Cannon.
• Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser will join the broadcast with his trademark segment, in which he reports on problematic issues facing providers.
• Monday Rounds: Ronald Hirsch, MD, vice president of R1 RCM, will be making his Monday Rounds with another installment of his popular segment.