The local community healthcare landscape in the United States is facing a severe crisis. Over the past two decades, nearly 200 local hospitals have closed their doors, leaving millions of Americans without access to essential healthcare services, including inpatient rehabilitation, behavioral health and emergency treatment.
It is important to note that local hospital closures are not isolated to a few states. In fact, a significant number of these hospitals across the country are at risk of closing. Over 25% of local hospitals in most states are facing potential closure, and in some states, the figure exceeds 50%.1
The Impact of Hospital Closures
The closure of local hospitals has far-reaching consequences for many communities. These include:1,2
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- Lack of inpatient services available: 31 hospitals removed inpatient services from 2023-2024 to qualify for federal grants that are only available for Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs). This has forced hospitals to choose between funding or care access.
- Farther travel times to receive effective care: The removal of inpatient care within community hospitals has forced patients, especially those who are critically ill and lacking transportation, to face longer travel times for treatment.1
- Increased healthcare costs: Farther travel and the need for specialized care can lead to higher healthcare costs for these residents. This results in treatment avoidance, increased chronic conditions, and higher mortality.
- Limited access to emergency care: Without a nearby emergency room, residents may face life-threatening delays in receiving critical care.
- Social and economic disruption: Rural communities are often comprised of older adults and minorities – two demographics already impacted by other economical hurdles. Loss of services like inpatient rehabilitation limits treatment options for these patient groups.
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Addressing the Local Healthcare Crisis
To combat this crisis, policymakers and healthcare providers must work together to implement innovative solutions. Key strategies include:
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- Increased Federal Funding: Unfortunately, the cost of providing care in rural communities is much higher than the cost of care in urban or other settings. This has pushed several hospitals to request the REH grant. Allocating additional federal funds to support local hospitals can help them maintain essential services and recruit healthcare professionals without having to remove critical care access.3
- Strategic Partnerships: Community hospitals continue to find relief in joint venture or contract management partnerships with an experienced provider to help implement and manage critical services such as inpatient rehab and behavioral health. The right partner share the hospital’s mission and vision for their community and will work alongside the leadership team to help meet quality standards, streamline admissions and discharges, and improve patient outcomes.
- Workforce Development: Nearly 66% of health professional shortage areas are in rural communities, making it critical for hospitals to focus on recruitment and retention efforts.3 Successful partnerships can help hospitals achieve these goals. Being able to rely on a trusted partner alleviates the burden of running a successful service line, which includes utilizing resources to identify, hire and train staff to provide high-quality care to patients. A successful workforce makes for successful patient outcomes, which ultimately improves hospital operations.
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Community hospitals serve as a vital lifeline for their communities, as they are often the only option for residents recovering from injury or illness. Maintaining these hospitals helps ensure that patients can access critical care close to home. With the help of a trusted partner, that care can be elevated through program optimization.
Contact us to learn how Lifepoint Rehabilitation can help your hospital overcome local community challenges around access to care, clinical labor and more.
References:
- https://ruralhospitals.chqpr.org/downloads/Rural_Hospitals_at_Risk_of_Closing.pdf
- https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/healthcare-access
- https://srhrc.tamu.edu/documents/rural-healthy-people-2030.pdf
