GAO: Rural hospital closures reduce access to care
American Hospital Association January 21, 2021
Over 100 rural hospitals have closed since 2013, resulting in patients traveling a median 20 miles farther for health care services, according to a report released today by the Government Accountability Office.
For less common hospital services, the median distance increased much more, GAO found. For 11 closed hospitals that offered treatment services for alcohol or drug abuse, for example, the median additional distance to access these services was 39 miles.
Counties...