From reimbursement landscape challenges to dwindling patient volumes, many factors lead hospitals to file for bankruptcy.
Here are 12 hospitals that filed for bankruptcy since Jan. 1, beginning with the most recent:
1. De Queen (Ark.) Medical Center filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 3. The hospital, owned by an affiliate of Kansas City, Mo.-based EmpowerHMS, entered bankruptcy after facing financial challenges for months. Electricity was temporarily shut off in some parts of the hospital in February due to nonpayment, and the hospital subsequently stopped providing patient care.
2. Prague (Okla.) Community Hospital, owned by an affiliate of EmpowerHMS, entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 21. A judge allowed a new company to take over management of Prague Community Hospital in early March after the hospital experienced payroll issues and lacked funds for supplies.
3. I-70 Community Hospital in Sweet Springs, Mo., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 21. The bankruptcy filing came after CMS ended its provider agreement with the hospital, which voluntarily suspended its license for 90 days on Feb. 15. I-70 Community Hospital is owned by an affiliate of EmpowerHMS.
4. Haskell County Community Hospital in Stigler, Okla., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 17. The hospital, owned by an affiliate of EmpowerHMS, entered bankruptcy with less than $50,000 in assets and at least $1 million in liabilities.
5. Drumright (Okla.) Regional Hospital, owned by an affiliate of EmpowerHMS, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 17. The hospital entered bankruptcy with less than $50,000 in assets and upward of $10 million in estimated liabilities.
6. Oswego (Kan.) Community Hospital entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 17. The bankruptcy filing came after the hospital, owned by an affiliate of EmpowerHMS, abruptly closed Feb. 14.
7. Fairfax (Okla.) Community Hospital, owned by an affiliate of EmpowerHMS, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy March 17. The hospital entered bankruptcy with less than $50,000 in assets and at least $1 million in liabilities.
8. Horton (Kan.) Community Hospital entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy March 14, just two days after it closed. In its bankruptcy petition, the hospital said it has less than $50,000 in assets and liabilities of between $1 million and $10 million. Horton Community Hospital is owned by an affiliate of EmpowerHMS.
9. Hillsboro (Kan.) Community Hospital, owned by an affiliate of EmpowerHMS, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 13. According to documents filed in the bankruptcy case, the hospital has at least $10 million in assets and at least $10 million in liabilities. The hospital owes more than $334,000 in real estate taxes, making the Marion County (Kan.) Treasurer the unsecured creditor with the largest claim against the hospital.
10. Lauderdale Community Hospital in Ripley, Tenn., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 8. The hospital, owned by an affiliate of EmpowerHMS, has faced financial challenges for months, and a federal judge appointed a receiver to oversee the hospital's finances in February.
11. Washington County Hospital in Plymouth, N.C., entered bankruptcy in February after creditors filed an involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition. The hospital, owned by an affiliate of EmpowerHMS, missed payroll Feb. 8 and suspended all medical services Feb. 14.
12. Penobscot Valley Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Lincoln, Maine, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Jan. 29. "We have made tremendous strides over the last three years in bringing our operational costs in line with revenue," Hospital CEO Crystal Landry said in a press release. "Legacy debt is the issue here, and Chapter 11 allows us to restructure that debt so we can keep our doors open and ensure that our community continues to have a hospital close to home."
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