Several hospitals are scaling back or cutting inpatient care for a variety of reasons, including cost concerns.
- Cleveland-based University Hospitals is scaling back care at two hospitals and consolidating services. The health system announced July 14 that it is ending inpatient, surgical and emergency services at UH Bedford (Ohio) Medical Center and UH Richmond Medical Center in Richmond Heights, Ohio, on Aug. 12. The health system attributed the changes to a staffing shortage.
- Boston-based Tufts Children's Hospital closed its pediatric inpatient units July 1 to convert its 41 pediatric inpatient beds to adult ICU and medical/surgical beds. About 70 pediatric physicians transitioned from Tufts to Boston Children's Hospital at the beginning of July, a Tufts spokesperson told Becker's Hospital Review.
- HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital in Brooksville, Fla., announced in August that it closed its inpatient pediatric unit. The hospital cited several reasons for the closure, including the shift to outpatient pediatric treatments and remote monitoring.
- Grand Blanc, Mich.-based Ascension Genesys Hospital will no longer offer inpatient pediatric care after September. The hospital's decision was made based on a decline in pediatric inpatient care numbers, difficulty providing different types and levels of treatment, and close proximity with other facilities offering the same care in the area.
- In Georgia, Marietta-based Wellstar Health System closed the emergency department and ended inpatient care at Atlanta Medical Center South on May 6. The hospital will be converted into an outpatient site, providing primary and rehabilitative care. Inpatient services will be consolidated to Atlanta Medical Center's main campus, Wellstar said.
- Tampa, Fla.-based Shriners Hospitals for Children ended inpatient care at its campus in Springfield, Mass. The hospital gave the Massachusetts Department of Public Health a 120-day notice of the plan on March 31.