Benefits and operational concerns of rural health clinics

In 1977, Congress enacted the Rural Health Clinic Act in an effort to make healthcare more accessible in underserved rural areas. Changes in the regulations affecting these clinics, such as offering incentives to start and staff the facilities, have been enacted in a series of Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Acts beginning in 1987. As a result, the last few years have seen the number of clinics double. In this article, authors Lawrence A. Fogel and Cindy MacQuarrie examine the advantages offered by rural health clinics and review the operational issues involved in setting up and running them.