WCRI: Rural Hospital Closures Disrupt Access, Not Costs

Hospital closures in rural areas disrupt access to care for injured workers but do not significantly increase workers’ compensation claim costs or the duration of disability benefits, according to a Workers Compensation Research Institute study released Thursday. The study found that when rural hospitals close, injured workers travel an average of 5 miles farther to reach emergency care and are 3.6 percentage points less likely to use emergency services after work-related injuries.  Despite these changes in access, researchers found little to no impact on medical payments per clai...