A perception of the rural health situation in central Texas: we need regionalization

Central Texas, considered representative of the state, has experienced closure of many of its rural hospitals and the loss of many practicing physicians in rural areas. The reasons for these losses are complex. One important reason is that rural hospitals and physicians do not compete successfully against urban hospitals and their specialty staffs. We suggest that rural practice areas can be made attractive to physicians and that rural communities can be provided access to health care through a system of regionalization. Rural and urban physicians can collaborate in providing health care by using rural health clinics and small hospitals centered on urban referral hospitals that serve as the hub for each system.