Unpacking the Real Cost of Rural Hospital Closures

April 30, 2025 | RCA Team
Rural hospital closures podcast cover

Mark, our CEO and lead policy advocate, recently appeared on Meredith Hirsh’s excellent podcast, Working Health. In this engaging discussion, he outlines the many contributors to rural hospital closures, and what can be done to turn the tide.

The Challenges Facing Rural Hospitals and Patients

A few of the topics Meredith and Mark cover:

  • Predatory payer practices: How exploitative Medicare Advantage plans and reimbursement delays are squeezing community hospitals
  • Contract games: The fine print in insurer agreements that systematically disadvantages rural providers
  • Policy insights: Lessons from Mark’s collaboration with Senator Chuck Grassley and findings from our Preyed On report
  • The human toll: Why nearly 100 million Americans carry crippling medical debt, and what it means for our heartland

Complex Ideas Made Easy

The ins and outs of healthcare are nuanced and intentionally complicated, but Mark and Meredith discuss all of the above and more in a clear, accessible way. 

Give it a listen below:

About the Authors

This post was prepared by members of the Revenue Cycle Associates team, drawing on our decades of experience working directly with healthcare providers on revenue cycle challenges. We aim to translate complex and evasive payer strategies into clear, actionable insights for providers nationwide.

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