Study Finds U.S. Lost 298 Surgical Hospitals From 2010 to 2020, Shrinking Access in Vulnerable Areas
Authors presenting at the ACS meeting cite economic pressures on smaller, safety‑net hospitals as the likely driver.
Overview
- An analysis of American Hospital Association data tracking hospitals with at least 100 operations per year identified 784 closures and 486 openings during the decade.
- Closures were more than twice as likely in census tracts with high poverty and high CDC Social Vulnerability Index scores than in areas where hospitals opened or stayed open.
- Estimated access contracted by 6.2% for 15‑minute drive coverage and by 3.7% for 30‑minute drive coverage to a surgical hospital.
- Patients of closed facilities may lose access to their medical records, complicating continuity and contributing to delays or forgone surgical care.
- Remaining hospitals report a large influx of displaced patients that strains emergency departments and surgical services; the findings were presented as a conference abstract and are not yet peer reviewed.