Here are five hospitals that filed for bankruptcy protection or closed since Jan. 1, beginning with the most recent.
1. Humble (Texas) Surgical Hospital filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Feb. 24. The hospital filed its bankruptcy petition after a judge ordered it to pay Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna $51.4 million in a seven-year-old court battle over the hospital's out-of-network charges.
2. Louisiana Heart Hospital in Lacombe closed Feb. 10. The 134-bed hospital and its affiliated medical group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Jan. 30.
3. Gardens Regional Hospital and Medical Center, a 137-bed hospital in Hawaiian Gardens, Calif., closed Feb. 1. The hospital, which served mostly low-income patients and was part of Los Angels County's safety net, faced financial troubles for years and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016.
4. North Texas Medical Center in Gainesville, which is owned by the Gainesville Hospital District, filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy Jan. 17. With the hope of regaining its financial footing, the hospital's board approved a partnership with King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services in December.
5. The public trust that operates Atoka (Okla.) County Medical Center filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy Jan. 10. The critical access hospital is about $16 million in debt.
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