Becker's Hospital Review

28 CFO / FINANCE 892 hospitals at risk of closure, state by state By Ayla Ellison M ore than 500 rural hospitals in the U.S. are at immediate risk of closing because of financial losses and lack of financial reserves to sustain operations, ac- cording to a January report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. Nearly every state has at least one rural hos- pital at immediate risk of shutting down. In 21 states, 25 percent or more of rural hos- pitals were at immediate risk, according to the report. e hospitals identified as being at imme- diate risk of closure had either low or non- existent financial reserves and a cumulative negative total margin over the most recent three-year period. Across the U.S., 892 hospitals — more than 40 percent of all rural hospitals in the coun- try — are either at immediate or high risk of closure. e more than 300 hospitals at high risk of closure either have lower financial reserves or high dependence on nonpatient service revenues such as local taxes or state subsidies, according to the report. Here are the number and percentage of rural hospitals at risk of closing in each state as of January based on the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform analysis: Alabama Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 30 (65 percent) Alaska Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 5 (38 percent) Arizona Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 5 (28 percent) Arkansas Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 30 (61 percent) California Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 17 (33 percent) Colorado Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 11 (27 percent) Connecticut Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 3 (100 percent) Delaware Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 0 (0 percent) Florida Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 7 (35 percent) Georgia Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 26 (43 percent) Hawaii Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 8 (67 percent) Idaho Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 7 (24 percent) Illinois Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 20 (28 percent) Indiana Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 20 (38 percent) Iowa Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 40 (44 percent) Kansas Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 76 (73 percent) Kentucky Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 16 (23 percent) Louisiana Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 26 (54 percent) Maine Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 10 (40 percent) Maryland Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 1 (25 percent) Massachusetts Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 2 (40 percent) Michigan Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 19 (31 percent) Minnesota Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 28 (31 percent) Mississippi Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 41 (63 percent) Missouri Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 31 (53 percent) Montana Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 19 (37 percent) Nebraska Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 23 (32 percent) Nevada Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 6 (46 percent) New Hampshire Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 4 (24 percent) New Jersey Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 0 (0 percent) New Mexico Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 5 (22 percent) New York Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 29 (58 percent) North Carolina Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 18 (35 percent) North Dakota Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 16 (43 percent) Ohio Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 19 (27 percent) Oklahoma Rural hospitals at risk of closing: 42 (58 percent) Nearly every state has at least one rural hospital at immediate risk of shutting down. In 21 states, 25 percent or more of rural hospitals were at immediate risk.

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