October 2015

You’ve heard it time and time again…After “this many” decades of working for one organization, “so-and-so” has now found themselves looking for a new job. Sometimes it’s voluntary, and sometimes not, but no matter what, transitioning careers late in life can leave anyone asking, “What now?”

This process of recareering, as this transition process is often called, is becoming more and more common as the hardworking baby boomers retire later and continue working even in retirement.

Recareering offers a unique set of challenges, including the risk of less pay and fewer health benefits. That said, there are positives to changing careers at an older age, which can in some cases include job flexibility and more relaxed work environments.

There are numerous factors affecting rural hospitals internally and externally, and in this Q&A, we’ve identified some, though not all, of the factors impacting organizations, as well as ways in which organizations may or may not be influenced. It is impossible to speak of Rural and Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) in generalizations, but there are common issues impacting many of these organizations. Also, there are approximately 400 hospitals commonly referred to as “tweeners”, or, more specifically, those hospitals between 25 and 100 beds that do not receive Cost-Based Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement and are paid instead on the Medicare Prospective Payment method. Many of those face some of these and other unique challenges.