Of the 4,436,974 people living in Kentucky, 1,833,344 (about 41 percent) live in rural areas, according to the USDA-Economic Research Services (ERS). What does it mean to be a rural area? That isn’t always easy to answer. Rural is an inexact term that can mean different things to different people, organizations and governments. …
The Role of Medicaid in Rural America
Rural areas in states that implemented Medicaid expansion to lower income adults experienced larger gains in coverage. By Julia Foutz, Samantha Artiga, and Rachel Garfield with Kaiser Family Foundation People in rural areas face unique challenges in healthcare coverage and access, including low density of providers and longer travel times to care, limited access to…
Preserving rural healthcare in Kentucky
As we redesign our healthcare system, the unique role of rural hospitals must be front of mind for our policymakers. By Kerry Harvey Once again, the healthcare community finds itself waiting for dramatic change from policymakers in Washington. This is not new. Indeed, the one constant is that healthcare policy is always in a state…
Corner Office Meet Beth Davisson, executive director at the Workforce Center at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
Every other month, Medical News catches up with a healthcare leader in our state for a special feature where they answer questions about their interests outside of work, favorite pieces of advice and healthcare issues that ruffle their feathers most. FAST FACTS Education: Earned bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky, and MBA from Sullivan…
Infrastructure replacement vs. new construction: Equally impactful to revenue generation & mission
A recent hospital construction survey showed that 68 percent of management views facility capital investments and the mission as directly connected while 86 percent of respondents said the impact of patient satisfaction on design is “very important.” There is increased pressure to demonstrate the flexibility and cost efficiency of current facilities versus constructing new facilities.…
Architecture & Design Round Up
A lot is going on around our state in healthcare architecture and design. We look at some of the major renovations, expansions and new constructions since our May 2016 issue. Progress made on Norton Audubon Hospital expansion Things are moving along for the expansion and major renovation of Norton Audubon Hospital, which started in May…