Becker's Spine Review

50 HEALTHCARE NEWS 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 oper- ations, according to a report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. 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, according to the report. e hospitals identified as being at immediate 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) 2 orthopedic surgeons running for Congress in 2022 By Alan Condon A n orthopedic surgeon in Alaska and another in Montana are among the candidates seeking elec- tion to the U.S. Congress in November. Al Olszewski, MD, is running as a Republican for the Western Montana congressional district. Dr. Olszewski has spent six years serving in the Montana State Legislature, where he sponsored bills to improve medical liability re- form, increase reimbursement for Medicaid services, pre- vent unexpected out-of-network medical bills for patients and reform loan forgiveness programs for physicians in rural communities. He served Montana at the state and federal levels as a healthcare adviser since 2009, and in 2014 was elected to the Montana House of Representa- tives. He served in the state Senate from 2016-20. Al Gross, MD, is running as an independent for Alaska's U.S. House of Representatives seat. Dr. Gross will run as a candidate to finish the remaining term of Republican Rep. Don Young, who died in March. The surgeon was unsuccessful in his attempt to unseat Republican incum- bent Dan Sullivan in the 2020 U.S. Senate race, during which his campaign centered on addressing high health- care costs in Alaska, balancing Medicare by negotiating directly with the pharmaceutical industry to redirect funds from drug companies to providers, and defending abortion rights. n

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