In recent years, rural hospitals have struggled to survive in the United States, and many have closed. But in the small West Texas town of Childress, the hospital is thriving against all odds.
StatNews.com set out to understand what Childress Regional Medical Center is doing different, and if the success can be replicated elsewhere. The Childress hospital only has 39 beds, but it's financially solvent and has even begun to expand its services.
The facility has found success by avoiding specialization among the staff. Everyone in the hospital administration wears multiple hats. To handle more unusual concerns, the hospital brings in specialists once a month from Lubbock and elsewhere.
The facility has also installed telemedicine equipment to allow staff to communicate with doctors at a hospital in Dallas about perplexing emergency cases.
All of these changes have allowed the hospital to routinely operate at a profit.