At least 30 rural hospitals nationwide have closed since 2013. Others are in danger of closing as admissions decline, according to the Oct. 9 report by MedPac staffers Dr. Jeff Stensland and Zach Gaumer.
Ten percent of critical access hospitals had two or fewer discharges per week in 2013, according to Stensland and Gaumer. Declining occupancy then results in higher costs per inpatient day causing more financial strain at the smallest rural hospitals, they said.
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