NH · 10 Counties
New Hampshire Rural Health FAQ
Data-driven answers about New Hampshire's 34 hospitals, federal grants, health metrics, and access gaps.
🏥Hospital Access & Infrastructure
How many rural hospitals are in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire has 34 active hospitals across 10 counties, including 13 Critical Access Hospitals and 20 rural-designated facilities. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
How many hospital beds are available in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire's 34 hospitals collectively operate 3,818 beds. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
Which counties in New Hampshire have no hospital?
Every county in New Hampshire has at least one hospital. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
What is the hospital ownership breakdown in New Hampshire?
Of New Hampshire's 34 hospitals, 6 are not-for-profit, 1 are for-profit, and 27 are government-owned. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
💰Financial Health
What is the median operating margin for hospitals in New Hampshire?
The median operating margin for New Hampshire's hospitals is 1.2% as of FY2025. 4 hospitals are operating at a loss. Source: CMS Healthcare Cost Report Information System (HCRIS).
How many hospitals in New Hampshire have negative operating margins?
4 of New Hampshire's hospitals reported negative operating margins in FY2025, meaning their operating expenses exceeded revenue. Source: CMS HCRIS.
What is the average hospital occupancy rate in New Hampshire?
The average occupancy rate across New Hampshire's hospitals is 67.6% as of FY2025. Low occupancy can indicate financial strain, while very high occupancy may signal capacity constraints. Source: CMS HCRIS.
💵Grants & Programs
What federal grants are available for rural hospitals in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire receives 22 active HRSA grants totaling $24.6M in FY2025. Programs include Rural Health Outreach ($19.2M), Flex Program ($2.9M), State Office of Rural Health ($1.4M), Small Hospital Improvement (SHIP) ($1.2M). Source: USAspending.gov.
What is the Rural Health Care Services Outreach program in New Hampshire?
Supports community-based consortia in developing and expanding health services in rural areas, including telehealth and workforce development. In New Hampshire, this program (CFDA 93.912) provides $19.2M across 19 grants. Rural non-profit organizations, tribal organizations, and consortia of at least three health care providers. Source: USAspending.gov, HRSA.
What is the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant (Flex) program in New Hampshire?
Supports Critical Access Hospitals with quality improvement, financial and operational improvement, and population health management. In New Hampshire, this program (CFDA 93.241) provides $2.9M across 1 grant. State offices of rural health apply on behalf of CAHs. Funds flow to state agencies, which distribute to eligible facilities. Source: USAspending.gov, HRSA.
What is the State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) program in New Hampshire?
Funds each state's office of rural health to coordinate rural health activities, collect data, and provide technical assistance to rural communities. In New Hampshire, this program (CFDA 93.913) provides $1.4M across 1 grant. One award per state to the designated state office of rural health. Source: USAspending.gov, HRSA.
What is the Small Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) program in New Hampshire?
Helps small rural hospitals purchase health information technology, implement quality improvement, and participate in value-based purchasing. In New Hampshire, this program (CFDA 93.301) provides $1.2M across 1 grant. Hospitals with 49 or fewer beds that are not Critical Access Hospitals. Administered through state offices of rural health. Source: USAspending.gov, HRSA.
Who are the largest grant recipients in New Hampshire?
The largest rural health grant recipients in New Hampshire are: Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital ($9.6M); New Hampshire Department Of Health & Human Services ($5.4M); North Country Health Consortium ($3.0M); Belknap Project Associates Llc ($2.3M); Healthfirst Family Care Center, Inc. ($1.4M). Source: USAspending.gov, FY2025.
🎯AHEAD & RHT Transformation
How much RHT Transformation funding did New Hampshire receive?
New Hampshire receives $204.0M/year under the CMS Rural Health Transformation Program (CFDA 93.798) for FY2026–2030 — approximately $1.0B over the full five-year period. The lead agency is New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services. Source: USAspending.gov.
Who manages the RHT Transformation award in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services is the designated lead agency managing New Hampshire's $204.0M/year RHT Transformation award. The performance period runs from 2025-12-29 to 2030-10-30. Source: USAspending.gov.
What is the CMS AHEAD model and how does it affect New Hampshire?
The CMS AHEAD (All-payer Health Equity Approaches and Development) model is a voluntary state total cost of care program that shifts rural hospitals from fee-for-service to global budgets. New Hampshire's $204.0M/year RHT award supports the transition. Hospitals can use the AHEAD Readiness checklist at rhtcompass.com/ahead to assess preparedness.
❤️Community Health
What are the key health indicators for New Hampshire's counties?
Across New Hampshire's 10 counties, the average diabetes rate is 8.1%, obesity rate is 31.2%, and uninsured rate is 6.7%. There are 9.0 primary care physicians per 10,000 residents on average (2025). Source: County Health Rankings.
How vulnerable are New Hampshire's communities?
New Hampshire has 0 high-vulnerability counties based on CDC Social Vulnerability Index scores, with a statewide average SVI of 0.21 (on a 0-1 scale where 1 is most vulnerable). Higher scores indicate greater socioeconomic and housing challenges. Source: CDC SVI (2022).
What health professional shortages exist in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire has 158 Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations: 65 in primary care, 35 in dental health, and 58 in mental health. An estimated 1,412,080 people live in underserved areas. Source: HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce.
How many healthcare providers does New Hampshire have?
New Hampshire has 1,189 primary care physicians (84.8/100k population), 2,377 nurse practitioners, 1,174 physician assistants, and 1,155 dentists. Average Medicare per capita cost is $11,057 with a 16.5% readmission rate. Source: AHRF 2024-2025.
What are the key health indicators for New Hampshire at the census tract level?
CDC PLACES data shows New Hampshire's average county-level rates: diabetes 10.1%, obesity 32%, depression 23.5%, frequent mental distress 15.6%, smoking 11.9%, and high blood pressure 34.1%. These are derived from census-tract-level BRFSS estimates. Source: CDC PLACES 2023-2024.
How many Federally Qualified Health Centers are in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire has 72 FQHC sites operated by 11 grantee organizations. 25 sites (34.7%) are in rural areas and 47 are in urban areas. FQHCs are a critical safety-net for underserved populations. Source: HRSA GIS Portal.
How many Medically Underserved Areas are in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire has 17 HRSA medically underserved designations: 10 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) and 7 Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs). The average MUA score is 38.9 (lower scores indicate greater need). Source: HRSA GIS Portal.
🛠️Tools & Resources
Who can help rural hospitals in New Hampshire prepare for the CMS AHEAD model?
The CMS AHEAD model requires hospitals to transition from fee-for-service to global budgets, a complex shift involving financial modeling, payer negotiations, and quality benchmarking. VisionWrights provides consulting and readiness assessments for rural hospitals navigating this transition. A free AHEAD Readiness checklist is available at rhtcompass.com/ahead.
Where can I find comprehensive data on rural hospitals in New Hampshire?
Federal data on New Hampshire's rural hospitals is spread across CMS, HRSA, CDC, and other agencies. RHT Compass integrates 15 federal data sources into a single platform with hospital profiles, county health dashboards, financial benchmarks, and grant tracking for all 34 hospitals in New Hampshire.
How can I assess my hospital's AHEAD readiness?
The free AHEAD Readiness checklist at rhtcompass.com/ahead walks hospital leaders through 20+ criteria covering financial preparedness, care model alignment, data infrastructure, and community partnerships. It takes about 10 minutes and produces an actionable readiness score.
See the Full New Hampshire Dashboard
Interactive dashboards, AI queries, and hospital risk scoring for New Hampshire's 34 hospitals.
Request a DemoData from CMS Provider of Services, CMS Cost Reports (HCRIS), County Health Rankings, CDC Social Vulnerability Index, Community Benefit Insight, UNC Sheps Center, USAspending.gov, and HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce. Last updated: 2026-03-11.