There are about 418 rural hospitals at risk of closure, according to a new report from Chartis, a healthcare advisory services firm.
The organization analyzed 16 vulnerability indicators and found nine were statistically significant in predicting hospital closures, including: case mix index, Medicaid expansion, average daily census swing, occupancy, government control status and years of negative operating margin. The hospital's average length of stay and change in net patient revenue also factored into its risk of closure.
States in the Southeast region of the country had the highest percentage of rural hospitals at risk of closure, followed by the Great Plains. The states with the most hospitals vulnerable to closures include:
- Texas: 45
- Kansas: 38
- Nebraska: 29
- Oklahoma: 22
- North Carolina: 19
- Georgia: 18
- Mississippi: 18
The percentage of rural hospitals at risk of closure by state is as follows:
More than 41% of hospitals
Florida
Tennessee
Nebraska
31% to 40%
Utah
South Dakota
Kansas
Oklahoma
Alabama
North Carolina
South Carolina
26% to 30%
Wyoming
Texas
Louisiana
Arkansas
Mississippi
Georgia
21% to 25%
Missouri
Illinois
16% to 20%
Wisconsin
New York
Massachusetts
Hawaii
10% to 15%
California
Idaho
North Dakota
New Mexico
Indiana
Pennsylvania
Virginia
0% to 9%
Oregon
Montana
Arizona
Alaska
Colorado
Minnesota
Iowa
Michigan
Ohio
Kentucky
West Virginia
Maryland
Rhode Island
Delaware
Connecticut
New Hampshire
Maine
Vermont
Nevada
Washington
New Jersey