Keeping Care Close: Why Smarter Surgery is the Key to Rural Sustainability
For those of us who are passionate about rural life, we know that our communities aren’t just dots on a map—they are economic anchors. At the heart of that stability is the local hospital. But today, these hospitals face a “perfect storm” of thin margins, workforce shortages, and the heavy toll of the opioid crisis.
If you are looking for a way to strengthen rural healthcare, the answer might surprise you: it starts in the operating room.
The “Financial Engine” of Rural Health
Surgery is often the financial engine that keeps a rural hospital’s doors open. When a hospital can provide high-quality surgical care locally, it keeps vital revenue in the community. For a typical rural hospital, the estimated savings and retained revenue from optimized surgical care can total more than $2.5 million per year.
Maintaining local surgical care allows hospitals to keep their emergency departments, behavioral health units, and maternity wards open. When patients have to travel to urban centers for routine procedures, the local hospital loses more than just a patient; the community loses the economic heartbeat that supports local jobs and essential infrastructure.
Better Recovery, Fewer Pills
The challenge is that many rural facilities still rely on “legacy protocols” for surgery.
By implementing Enhanced Recovery protocols, rural hospitals can deliver care equivalent to larger urban systems. These are evidence-based, common-sense shifts:
- Modern Nutrition: Replacing harmful “nothing after midnight” practices with a clear carbohydrate drink 2–4 hours before surgery to reduce dehydration and malnourishment.
- Multimodal Pain Management: Using evidence-based alternatives to opioids to manage pain effectively.
- Dedicated Support: Utilizing nurse-led navigation to provide pre- and post-surgery education and advocacy.
The results are transformative. Programs utilizing these methods have seen a 50%+ sustainable reduction in opioids prescribed after surgery, 80%+ reduction in readmissions, and consistently better patient experiences. Nationally, these protocols have been shown to reduce hospital stays by an entire day, which can allow procedures to be transitioned to a more cost-effective outpatient basis.
A Sustainable Future for Rural Communities
For elected officials and community leaders, investing in surgical optimization is a high-impact strategy. It’s not just about a one-time grant; it’s about changing medical standing orders sustainably. Once a hospital updates its protocols, the higher standard of care remains for future patients.
By prioritizing optimized surgery, we aren’t just helping patients have a safer, less painful recovery. We are ensuring that the hospitals that serve as the fabric of rural life stay financially healthy for generations to come.