RI · 5 Counties
Rhode Island Rural Health FAQ
Data-driven answers about Rhode Island's 20 hospitals, federal grants, health metrics, and access gaps.
🏥Hospital Access & Infrastructure
How many rural hospitals are in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island has 20 active hospitals across 5 counties, including 0 Critical Access Hospitals and 0 rural-designated facilities. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
How many hospital beds are available in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island's 20 hospitals collectively operate 3,914 beds. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
Which counties in Rhode Island have no hospital?
1 of Rhode Island's 5 counties (20%) 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 Rhode Island?
Of Rhode Island's 20 hospitals, 5 are not-for-profit, 1 are for-profit, and 14 are government-owned. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
💰Financial Health
What is the median operating margin for hospitals in Rhode Island?
The median operating margin for Rhode Island's hospitals is -14.7% as of FY2024. 11 hospitals are operating at a loss. Source: CMS Healthcare Cost Report Information System (HCRIS).
How many hospitals in Rhode Island have negative operating margins?
11 of Rhode Island's hospitals reported negative operating margins in FY2024, meaning their operating expenses exceeded revenue. Source: CMS HCRIS.
What is the average hospital occupancy rate in Rhode Island?
The average occupancy rate across Rhode Island's hospitals is 65.4% as of FY2024. 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 Rhode Island?
Rhode Island receives 1 active HRSA grants totaling $1.5M in FY2025. Programs include State Office of Rural Health ($1.5M). Source: USAspending.gov.
What is the State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) program in Rhode Island?
Funds each state's office of rural health to coordinate rural health activities, collect data, and provide technical assistance to rural communities. In Rhode Island, 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 Rhode Island?
The largest rural health grant recipients in Rhode Island are: Health, Rhode Island Department Of ($1.5M). Source: USAspending.gov, FY2025.
🎯AHEAD & RHT Transformation
How much RHT Transformation funding did Rhode Island receive?
Rhode Island receives $156.2M/year under the CMS Rural Health Transformation Program (CFDA 93.798) for FY2026–2030 — approximately $780.8M over the full five-year period. The lead agency is Health & Human Services, Rhode Island Executive Office of. Source: USAspending.gov.
Who manages the RHT Transformation award in Rhode Island?
Health & Human Services, Rhode Island Executive Office of is the designated lead agency managing Rhode Island's $156.2M/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 Rhode Island?
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. Rhode Island's $156.2M/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 Rhode Island's counties?
Across Rhode Island's 5 counties, the average diabetes rate is 8.5%, obesity rate is 28.7%, and uninsured rate is 4.2%. There are 10.9 primary care physicians per 10,000 residents on average (2025). Source: County Health Rankings.
How vulnerable are Rhode Island's communities?
Rhode Island has 1 high-vulnerability counties based on CDC Social Vulnerability Index scores, with a statewide average SVI of 0.31 (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 Rhode Island?
Rhode Island has 184 Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations: 15 in primary care, 23 in dental health, and 146 in mental health. An estimated 12,860,970 people live in underserved areas. Source: HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce.
How many healthcare providers does Rhode Island have?
Rhode Island has 1,021 primary care physicians (93.2/100k population), 1,526 nurse practitioners, 726 physician assistants, and 723 dentists. Average Medicare per capita cost is $12,571 with a 16.9% readmission rate. Source: AHRF 2024-2025.
What are the key health indicators for Rhode Island at the census tract level?
CDC PLACES data shows Rhode Island's average county-level rates: diabetes 10.5%, obesity 29.5%, depression 23.5%, frequent mental distress 15.6%, smoking 11%, and high blood pressure 33.9%. These are derived from census-tract-level BRFSS estimates. Source: CDC PLACES 2023-2024.
How many Federally Qualified Health Centers are in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island has 63 FQHC sites operated by 8 grantee organizations. 1 sites (1.6%) are in rural areas and 62 are in urban areas. FQHCs are a critical safety-net for underserved populations. Source: HRSA GIS Portal.
How many Medically Underserved Areas are in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island has 12 HRSA medically underserved designations: 10 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) and 2 Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs). The average MUA score is 34.3 (lower scores indicate greater need). Source: HRSA GIS Portal.
🛠️Tools & Resources
Who can help rural hospitals in Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island?
Federal data on Rhode Island'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 20 hospitals in Rhode Island.
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 Rhode Island Dashboard
Interactive dashboards, AI queries, and hospital risk scoring for Rhode Island's 20 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.