Small independent hospitals are being acquired by large hospital systems across the US or, worse still, they are shutting down. What does that mean for the future of hospitals and for their patients? Little, if anything, good. Caitlin Owens reports for Axios on what some experts are saying about the US hospital system.
Many experts believe that there will be fewer hospitals and that people in remote areas will have to travel further to get hospital care. That seems evident. In the last several years, many small rural hospitals have closed. They have been losing too much money. Or, they have been acquired by larger hospital systems.
Already, a lot of hospital systems have stopped providing care that they determine is not profitable, such as maternity care. Some hospitals have been forced to close other departments, if not to close altogether. Their physicians and staff do not have enough work. They cannot afford to support a small local population.
Many hospitals are struggling because insurers offering Medicare Advantage plans are denying critical care and not paying hospital bills after treatments have been provided.
Many experts are deeply concerned about all the hospital consolidation. They want to see some hospitals providing basic care and other hospitals providing specialty care. If this were the case, many patients would have to travel a lot further to receive hospital care.
Hospitals serving the most vulnerable patients and that rely on government support for their services are at particular risk of closing down. These at-risk patients could find it even harder to get care than they already do.
Hospitals should not be focused on profits but on patient care. What will it take to return to hospitals putting patients first?
Here’s more from Just Care:
- Half of rural hospitals are losing money, closing units
- Hospitals, physicians and pharmacies left unpaid after a UnitedHealth cyberattack
- For-profit hospitals urge CMS to hold Medicare Advantage plans to account for wrongful denials
- Underpayments lead hospitals and specialists to cancel Medicare Advantage contracts
- Medicare Advantage endangers rural hospitals
