GAO: These are the rural hospitals most likely to close
Fierce Healthcare October 1, 2018
The Government Accountability Office’s analysis showed rural hospital closures disproportionately occurred in the South and among for-profit hospitals.
More than 60 rural hospitals closed in the last five years—more than double the number of rural hospital closures that occurred in the prior five years, according to a new federal report.
Among hospitals most likely to close? An analysis (PDF) from the Government Accountability Office looking at the years between 2013 and 2017 shows rural hospital closures disproportionately occurred in the South and among for-profit hospitals.
The closures were also more likely to occur among hospitals that received the Medicare-dependent hospital payment designation, one of the special Medicare payment designations for rural hospitals.