A regional analysis from the Poughkeepsie Journal editorial board suggests expanding acute-care beds may be the wrong move in the face of a rapidly aging population in the U.S.
The board cites the nonprofit Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress's report, "Aging in the Hudson Valley," which predicts a stronger demand for in-home care and nursing home beds, rather than acute-care beds, which could be 1,700 in excess in the next 25 years in the Poughkeepsie, N.Y., region.
Also, incentives are such that takeovers and mergers may benefit smaller hospitals struggling to provide acute care at low prices. Economies of scale created by major acquisitions could be the way of the future, as only the strongest hospital systems will likely have the capital, resources and appropriate patient capacities to soldier on, according to the report.
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