Nursing productivity in rural hospitals.

Monitoring of direct and indirect nursing costs and length of stay is essential for rural hospitals to survive, especially if a high percentage of revenues is from DRG reimbursement. Furthermore, the costs and productivity of other departments that directly affect nursing productivity must be assessed. Nurse administrators should determine accurately the nursing costs and nursing productivity for the high volume DRGs at their hospital. Nurses must be able to demonstrate to hospital administrators, insurance companies and consumers that nursing care is cost-efficient, high-quality and effective.