Below are 21 hospitals that closed in 2018, beginning with the most recent.
1. Mercy Hospital Fort Scott (Kan.). St. Louis-based Mercy shut down Mercy Hospital Fort Scott on Dec. 31. Mercy cited declining patient volume and shrinking reimbursement as the reasons for the closure of the 46-bed hospital.
2. Physicians Regional Medical Center. Knoxville, Tenn.-based Tennova Healthcare, part of Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems, closed Physicians Regional Medical Center in Knoxville on Dec. 28.
3. Lakeway Regional Hospital. Tennova Healthcare shut down Lakeway Regional Hospital in Morristown, Tenn., on Dec. 28, the same day it closed Physicians Regional Medical Center.
4. Little River Healthcare. After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July, Rockland, Texas-based Little River Healthcare closed all of its facilities Dec. 4, including two hospitals and several medical clinics. The health system ceased operations Dec. 4 "due to unfortunate financial conditions," according to a message on its website.
5. Ripley County Memorial Hospital. Cape Girardeau, Mo.-based SoutheastHealth shut down Ripley County Memorial Hospital in Doniphan, Mo., on Oct. 15. SoutheastHealth cited low patient volume as a reason for the closure.
6. Pauls Valley (Okla.) Regional Medical Center. Despite efforts to avoid closure by raising money through GoFundMe, Pauls Valley Regional Medical Center closed its doors Oct. 12. Because of the closure, about 130 employees lost their jobs.
7. Latimer County General Hospital. After suspending services in May, Latimer County General Hospital in Wilburton, Okla., closed Oct. 1.
8. Northside Regional Medical Center (Youngstown, Ohio). Dallas-based Steward Health Care closed Northside Regional Medical Center Sept. 20. Steward announced plans in August to shut down the facility, citing a sharp decline in patient volume.
9. McKenzie (Tenn.) Regional Hospital. Brentwood, Tenn.-based Quorum Health closed McKenzie Regional Hospital Sept. 15. On Oct. 1, Quorum completed the sale of the hospital to Memphis, Tenn.-based Baptist Memorial Health Care.
10. Franciscan Chicago Heights (Ill.). Mishawaka, Ind.-based Franciscan Health closed Franciscan Chicago Heights on Sept. 7 as part of a restructuring plan that involved consolidating services at Franciscan's hospital in Olympia Fields, Ill.
11. Chestatee Regional Hospital (Dahlonega, Ga.). Chestatee Regional Hospital closed July 26. The closure came after Chestatee Regional Hospital was at the center of a CBS News investigation that included allegations that the hospital's owner was using the facility to reap huge paydays from insurers.
12. Good Samaritan Hospital (Dayton, Ohio). Dayton-based Premier Health shut down Good Samaritan Hospital July 23. Premier said operating two hospitals — Good Samaritan and Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton — within 5 miles of each other had become unsustainable.
13. Community Medical Center Long Beach (Calif.). Community Medical Center Long Beach opened in 1924 and closed July 3. The hospital shut down due to an inability to retrofit the facility to meet California's seismic standards.
14. Regional Medical Center Jacksonville (Ala.). After 42 years in operation, Regional Medical Center Jacksonville, a 104-bed hospital, closed June 30. The Healthcare Authority of the City of Anniston (Ala.), which operated RMC Jacksonville's parent company, announced plans in May to close the hospital due to rising healthcare costs and insufficient revenue.
15. Coalinga (Calif.) Regional Medical Center. Coalinga Regional Medical Center closed June 15 due to financial challenges. The hospital district that operated the hospital before it closed filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy Sept. 5.
16. Florence (Ariz.) Hospital at Anthem. Florence Hospital at Anthem entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late May after it failed to contest an involuntary bankruptcy petition from creditors within the required 21-day timeline. The hospital closed June 18.
17. Gilbert (Ariz.) Hospital. Gilbert Hospital, which is affiliated with Florence Hospital at Anthem, entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late May and closed June 16.
18. Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center (Kennett, Mo.). Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems closed Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center, a 116-bed hospital, June 12. The company cited less demand for inpatient care as the reason for the closure. CHS consolidated Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center's operations with Poplar Bluff (Mo.) Regional Medical Center.
19. Bay Area Regional Medical Center (Webster, Texas). Leaders said unfavorable contracts with managed care companies pushed Bay Area Regional Medical Center to close in May. "When it came to negotiations with our managed care contracts, we were unable to come to an agreement, a favorable agreement, and due to overhead, we couldn't survive," a hospital spokesperson told the Houston Chronicle in May.
20. Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Garland (Texas). Baylor Scott & White Health, a nonprofit health system based in Dallas, explored several other options before shutting down 113-bed Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Garland Feb. 28. The health system closed the hospital, which incurred significant financial losses over the last three years, after scaling back services and trying to secure a new owner for the facility without success.
21. Affinity Medical Center (Massillon, Ohio). Brentwood, Tenn.-based Quorum Health closed Affinity Medical Center, a 156-bed hospital, Feb. 11. Quorum cited financial troubles as the reason for the closure. The company said declining revenues, increasing provider compensation and a competitive market caused Affinity Medical Center to record financial losses for the last six years.
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