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    Improving Rural Healthcare in Pennsylvania

    Together, we can strengthen rural healthcare and build healthier communities across Pennsylvania!

    Aerial view of Confluence in Somerset County Pennsylvania

    What we're trying to achieve

    All Pennsylvanians deserves access to quality health care, no matter where they live.

    In rural Pennsylvania, hospitals, clinics, and health care workers face unique challenges—but also great opportunities. The Commonwealth is working with local communities, providers, doctors, nurses, and leaders to improve rural health care, keep hospitals strong, and make care more affordable.

    Improve rural health care,

    Keep hospitals open & strong,

    Make health care more affordable.

    Challenges & Opportunities

    Many rural communities in PA struggle with hospital closures, doctor shortages, and long travel times for care.

    But there are solutions! Telehealth, local partnerships, and new workforce programs are helping improve access and keep healthcare strong.

    CHALLENGE

    Limited Access to Health Care

    Many rural communities in Pennsylvania have fewer hospitals, doctors, and specialists. Long travel times and provider shortages make it harder for people to get the care they need.

    OPPORTUNITY

    Regional Rural Health Care Summits

    The Rural Health Summits bring local leaders together to find solutions, like expanding telehealth, supporting rural hospitals, and training more healthcare workers.

    Get Involved

    Help shape the future of rural health in Pennsylvania. Sign up to receive updates on upcoming Rural Health Summits, opportunities to share your insights, and ways to collaborate with local leaders, providers, and community members.

    Your voice matters—stay connected and help make a difference in rural communities across the Commonwealth.

    Highlights

    • DHS has been working with partners to identify ways to increase payments to rural hospitals, both through efforts with State Directed Payments (SDP) and efforts from Act 54 of 2024 that created a pathway for additional funding to PA's rural hospitals. In aggregate these two programs provide $99 million (annualized) in Medicaid payments to rural hospitals pending federal approval. 
    • This is an increase of over $60 million (annualized) compared to FY 2023-24, with $36.7 million coming from the fiscal code rural hospital stabilization funding.
    • The total increase to PA’s 17 federally-designated critical access hospitals is about $12 million, $3.7 million of which is available from this fiscal code rural hospital stabilization funding and federal match.
    • The total increase to PA’s 12 PARHM hospitals (PA has 18 PARHM hospitals, 6 of which are federally-designated critical access hospitals thus included in the figures in the prior bullet) is about $16 million, $6.5 million of which is available from this fiscal code rural hospital stabilization funding and federal match, and
    • Lastly, the total increase to the remaining 37 rural hospitals is $32.5 million, $26.5 million of which is available from this fiscal code rural hospital stabilization funding and federal match.

    In the News