Differences Between Suburban Hospitals vs. Urban University Hospitals, Research Paper Example

In general terms rural hospitals differ from that of the urban hospitals by being smaller in size i.e. they normally have less than 50 beds.  In addition, the rural hospitals are more dependent upon Medicaid and Medicare in terms of obtaining payment for services rendered “Medicare pays for almost 50% for all hospital discharge compared with 37% for urban hospitals” (Mustafa Z. Younis). Financial viability is another key factor of differentiation between rural and urban hospitals.  Research conducted across a sample range of different medical institutions revealed that rural hospitals were far more vulnerable in this respect “the magnitude of the improvement was far lower for rural hospitals than urban hospitals. Lower profitability will hinder the ability of the rural hospitals to provide charity care and other uncompensated care.” (Mustafa Z. Younis).

High poverty regions in the US have the smallest proportion of hospital staff and professional medical care. This contrasts to the smaller rural hospitals that tend to be in more affluent areas and deal with more private patients. Hence urban poverty and poor economical regions are a factor in the determination of the level of medical care provided.  “Over the 6-year period, the number of for-profit, non-profit, and public hospitals declined in both cities and suburbs, with public hospitals showing the largest percentage of decreases…” (Duchon).

Studies carried out on urban/suburban areas have illustrated significant disparities in terms of gaps in quality and services found in such communities as Indianapolis, Seattle, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Miami.  It is there that the health authorities are investing more money in improving the medical facilities in the more affluent suburban areas. A pilot study carried out in 2003  examined the poor suburban areas of Los Angeles, which are home to a large number of poor immigrant communities and here they “ are struggling with inadequate access to hospital care, particularly regarding a lack of emergency and specialty care, made worse by the dispersion of populations and services across a large geographic area.” (Mustafa Z. Younis).

Northern New Jersey is an area which is receiving considerable expansion activity in terms of medical staff, hospital development and increased profitability.  This contrasting to the small urban hospitals situated around the Cities “While expansions are occurring in the suburbs, smaller urban hospitals surrounding Newark continue to have financial difficulties, leading to the closure of several facilities. Meanwhile, health plans and employers have identified few promising strategies to contain costs but continue to experiment with new benefit and network designs” (Glen P. Mays).

There is also a significant difference in terms of the type of treatment that you require. A study was conducted on trauma cases between that of Urban and suburban hospitals. It became clear that the urban hospitals often had more specialist care and better facilities than the suburban hospitals “The performance of trauma care in the urban hospital was more accurate than that in the suburban (95% CI of the Ws in urban and small suburban hospital: –2.30 to 2.73 and –11.40 to –5.90, respectively). The actual survival rate of the suburban hospital was significantly lower than the predicted survival rate at all revised trauma score (RTS).” (Sung Hyuk Choi).

Investors will also look at the poorer hospitals as potential options for renewal when the economy improves “cash-poor non-profit hospitals, unable to borrow money for needed improvements in facilities and equipment, are eagerly seeking for-profit suitors. And for-profit hospital companies and investment firms — eyeing the improving economy and the expected influx of millions more insured Americans as a result of the new federal health overhaul law — see opportunity in the non-profit sector” (Gold). As such we are likely to see a move away from non-profit to that of profit making institutions.  Whether this will be at the detriment to poor communities like that in Detroit remains to be seen.

Works Cited

Duchon, Dennis P. Andrulis and Lisa M. “The Changing Landscape of Hospital Capacity in Large Cities and Suburbs: Implications for the Safety Net in Metropolitan America.” The Journal of Urban Health (2007): 400-414.

Glen P. Mays, Robert A. Berenson, Thomas Bodenheimer, Laurie E. Felland, Anneliese M. Gerland, Lydia E. Regopoulos. Urban-Suburban Hospital Disparities Grow in Northern New Jersey. Community Report No 4. Washington DC: Center for Studying Health System Change, 2005.

Gold, Jewnny. Hospitals Hope To Improve Outlook By Turning For-Profit . 13 7 2010. 25 11 2010 <http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2010/july/13/hospital-mergers.aspx>.

Mustafa Z. Younis, DrPH, MA, MB. “A Comparison Study of Urban and Small Rural Hospitals Financial and Economic Performance.” Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care, (2003): 38-48.

Sung Hyuk Choi, Sung Woo Lee, Yun Sik Hong, Jung Min Jeon and Su Jin Kim. “Comparison of the Trauma Outcome between Urban and Suburban Hospital.” European Journal of Trauma (2004): 258-263.