Rural Hospitals

A health care expert in Illinois questions whether upcoming changes to how doctors bill for pregnancy-related care will actually expand access to maternal care services. While the update modernizes billing practices for the first time since the mid-1990s, he says deeper financial incentives and policy changes are needed to address the economic challenges driving the growth of OB deserts.

Missouri will receive more than $200 million in federal funding starting this year, through a new Rural Health Transformation Program. The money is aimed at strengthening rural health systems, expanding access to care, and improving coordination

In Kansas City, hospitals are treating local COVID-19 patients as well as patients transferred from rural counties in Missouri and Kansas, where there's no mandate or culture for wearing masks.