Local communities should have more time to prepare for possible local hospital closures, lawmakers in Pennsylvania say, according to a May 4 Pennsylvania Capital-Star report.
While existing legislation in the state requires a 90-day notice from any hospital owners both for closures and reductions in services, local lawmakers want that to be extended to six months.
In addition, such future legislation would also require hospital owners to hold public hearings, perform health equity impact assessments and be transparent about alternative providers.
Such shutdowns match closely with the original takeover of hospitals by for-profit groups, the report said.
Closures of hospitals in the state appear to be happening more frequently compared to past decades.
Thirty-three Pennsylvanian hospitals have closed in the past 20 years, with 15 of them coming in the last five years, according to the report. Ninety percent of such closures occurred after mergers, with the time between such deals happening and eventual closure also shortening.
"This indicates to us that a merger, acquisition or change in ownership is one of the best predictors that a community will experience a full or partial closure and we need to begin with empowering state officials and regulators to examine that impact," said Patrick Keenan, Pennsylvania Health Access Network's director of consumer protection and policy.