NY · 62 Counties
New York Rural Health FAQ
Data-driven answers about New York's 218 hospitals, federal grants, health metrics, and access gaps.
🏥Hospital Access & Infrastructure
How many rural hospitals are in New York?
New York has 218 active hospitals across 62 counties, including 21 Critical Access Hospitals and 40 rural-designated facilities. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
How many hospital beds are available in New York?
New York's 218 hospitals collectively operate 70,069 beds. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
Which counties in New York have no hospital?
5 of New York's 62 counties (8%) are hospital deserts — counties with no hospital facility. Residents must travel to neighboring areas for inpatient care. Source: CMS Provider of Services, RHT Compass analysis.
What is the hospital ownership breakdown in New York?
Of New York's 218 hospitals, 26 are not-for-profit, 28 are for-profit, and 164 are government-owned. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
How many hospitals have closed in New York?
5 rural hospitals have closed in New York since 2005. Source: UNC Sheps Center for Health Services Research.
💰Financial Health
What is the median operating margin for hospitals in New York?
The median operating margin for New York's hospitals is -6.7% as of FY2025. 18 hospitals are operating at a loss. Source: CMS Healthcare Cost Report Information System (HCRIS).
How many hospitals in New York have negative operating margins?
18 of New York'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 York?
The average occupancy rate across New York's hospitals is 70.2% 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 York?
New York receives 39 active HRSA grants totaling $61.0M in FY2025. Programs include Rural Health Outreach ($54.5M), Flex Program ($3.0M), Small Hospital Improvement (SHIP) ($1.9M), State Office of Rural Health ($1.5M). Source: USAspending.gov.
What is the Rural Health Care Services Outreach program in New York?
Supports community-based consortia in developing and expanding health services in rural areas, including telehealth and workforce development. In New York, this program (CFDA 93.912) provides $54.5M across 36 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 York?
Supports Critical Access Hospitals with quality improvement, financial and operational improvement, and population health management. In New York, this program (CFDA 93.241) provides $3.0M 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 Small Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) program in New York?
Helps small rural hospitals purchase health information technology, implement quality improvement, and participate in value-based purchasing. In New York, this program (CFDA 93.301) provides $1.9M 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.
What is the State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) program in New York?
Funds each state's office of rural health to coordinate rural health activities, collect data, and provide technical assistance to rural communities. In New York, this program (CFDA 93.913) provides $1.5M across 1 grant. One award per state to the designated state office of rural health. Source: USAspending.gov, HRSA.
Who are the largest grant recipients in New York?
The largest rural health grant recipients in New York are: University Of Rochester ($29.2M); Health Research, Inc. ($6.5M); Westchester Ellenville Inc ($3.8M); Margaretville Memorial Hospital ($3.5M); Adirondack Health Institute, Inc ($2.5M). Source: USAspending.gov, FY2025.
🎯AHEAD & RHT Transformation
How much RHT Transformation funding did New York receive?
New York receives $212.1M/year under the CMS Rural Health Transformation Program (CFDA 93.798) for FY2026–2030 — approximately $1.1B over the full five-year period. The lead agency is Nys Department of Health. Source: USAspending.gov.
Who manages the RHT Transformation award in New York?
Nys Department of Health is the designated lead agency managing New York's $212.1M/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 York?
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 York's $212.1M/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 York's counties?
Across New York's 62 counties, the average diabetes rate is 9.1%, obesity rate is 34.5%, and uninsured rate is 5.3%. There are 6.0 primary care physicians per 10,000 residents on average (2025). Source: County Health Rankings.
How vulnerable are New York's communities?
New York has 5 high-vulnerability counties based on CDC Social Vulnerability Index scores, with a statewide average SVI of 0.48 (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 York?
New York has 4556 Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations: 1820 in primary care, 1228 in dental health, and 1508 in mental health. An estimated 427,362,781 people live in underserved areas. Source: HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce.
How many healthcare providers does New York have?
New York has 16,315 primary care physicians (83.4/100k population), 26,993 nurse practitioners, 19,416 physician assistants, and 16,688 dentists. Average Medicare per capita cost is $12,304 with a 17.7% readmission rate. Source: AHRF 2024-2025.
What are the key health indicators for New York at the census tract level?
CDC PLACES data shows New York's average county-level rates: diabetes 11.3%, obesity 33.2%, depression 20.3%, frequent mental distress 16.5%, smoking 13.7%, and high blood pressure 34.6%. These are derived from census-tract-level BRFSS estimates. Source: CDC PLACES 2023-2024.
How many Federally Qualified Health Centers are in New York?
New York has 826 FQHC sites operated by 64 grantee organizations. 128 sites (15.5%) are in rural areas and 698 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 York?
New York has 133 HRSA medically underserved designations: 112 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) and 21 Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs). The average MUA score is 53.7 (lower scores indicate greater need). Source: HRSA GIS Portal.
🛠️Tools & Resources
Who can help rural hospitals in New York 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 York?
Federal data on New York'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 218 hospitals in New York.
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 York Dashboard
Interactive dashboards, AI queries, and hospital risk scoring for New York's 218 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.