Several hospitals are scaling back or cutting inpatient services for multiple reasons, including cost and staffing concerns.
Over the last year, Becker's has reported on 22 hospitals that have ended or plan to end inpatient services:
1. St. Mark's Medical Center in La Grange, Texas, is cutting nearly half its staff and various services as it looks to survive amid significant financial challenges. On Feb. 13, the board voted to pursue Medicare's rural emergency hospital designation to remain open and continue providing select services to the community. Service cuts include inpatient and surgical services, post-acute skilled rehab care, its orthopedic clinic, speech therapy and ambulatory care.
2. Pittsburgh-based UPMC is transitioning the 25-bed rural hospital UPMC Lock Haven (Pa.) to an outpatient emergency department. UPMC acquired the hospital from Brentwood, Tenn.-based Quorum Health in 2017. After investing $4 million into the hospital, UPMC Lock Haven posted operating losses of $4.4 million in 2022. UPMC plans to complete the transition by April 20.
3. Holly Springs, Miss.-based Alliance HealthCare System is transitioning to rural emergency hospital status — Mississippi's first hospital to apply for the change in status, according to Mississippi Today. The hospital is working with Tupelo-based North Mississippi Medical Center to transfer patients.
4. St. Margaret's Health-Peru (Ill.) closed Jan. 28 after the system's CEO and chair of the board detailed plans to temporarily shutter the hospital and reopen it once a rural emergency hospital designation is finalized. However, the hospital will need to reopen before it can qualify for the designation.
5. Madera (Calif.) Community Hospital closed at the beginning of the year after Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health's plan to buy the hospital fell through. The hospital's leadership is exploring multiple avenues to reopen the facility, including Medicare's rural emergency hospital designation.
6. Blessing Health Keokuk (Iowa) closed Oct. 1, but could reopen soon under new ownership. Flint, Mich.-based Insight, a health network that includes two hospitals and multiple ASCs, acquired the hospital on March 24. Insight plans to operate the hospital as a nonprofit and is considering converting the facility into a rural emergency hospital
7. St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland, part of Sisters of Charity Health System, ended inpatient and emergency department care in November and transitioned into an ambulatory care provider. The reduction in services aims to put the facility on a path toward a more stable financial position.
8. Davis Regional Medical, a 146-bed hospital in Statesville, N.C., eliminated most patient services, including acute inpatient care, in December as it transitioned to a specialty hospital focused on inpatient behavioral healthcare.
9. Froedtert Kenosha (Wis.) Hospital closed its emergency department and ended acute inpatient services in October. The hospital's emergency department was converted into an urgent care center, and acute inpatient services were shifted to Froedtert Pleasant Prairie (Wis.) Hospital.
10. Community Hospital North in Indianapolis, part of Community Health Network, ended inpatient pediatric and pediatric intensive care unit services in October. The hospital cited evolving care demands as the reason behind the move.
11-12. Cleveland-based University Hospitals ended 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.
13. HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital in Brooksville, Fla., closed its inpatient pediatric unit in August. The hospital cited several reasons for the closure, including the shift to outpatient pediatric treatments and remote monitoring.
14. Grand Blanc, Mich.-based Ascension Genesys Hospital cut inpatient pediatric care in 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.
15-16. Springfield, Pa.-based Crozer Health announced plans in September to end inpatient acute care at Delaware County Memorial Hospital in Drexel Hill, Pa., and Springfield (Pa.) Hospital.
17. Raleigh, N.C.-based UNC Health Rex closed its inpatient pediatric unit in August. The hospital converted the pediatric beds into adult beds due to a low number of pediatric patients needing care.
18. Marietta, Ga.-based WellStar Health System closed the emergency department and ended inpatient care at Atlanta Medical Center South in May. The hospital converted into an outpatient site, and inpatient services were consolidated to Atlanta Medical Center's main campus.
19. Boston-based Tufts Children's Hospital closed its pediatric inpatient units in July to convert its 41 pediatric inpatient beds to adult ICU and medical/surgical beds. Tufts will refer children to Boston Children's Hospital for care.
21. Tampa, Fla.-based Shriners Hospitals for Children ended inpatient care at its campus in Springfield, Mass, last summer. The hospital gave the Massachusetts Department of Public Health a 120-day notice of the plan on March 31.
22. Henrico Doctors' Hospital in Richmond, Va., ended pediatric inpatient services April 1, 2022. The hospital attributed the decision in part to a low number of patients. The hospital said it's seeing an increased demand for adult inpatient medical and surgical care. Although the pediatric units are closing, the hospital will continue to provide emergency medical care to children via designated emergency room space.