The hospital market in Peoria, Ill., is the most concentrated in the U.S., while Riverside, Calif., is the least concentrated, according to an analysis from the Health Care Cost Institute.
For the study, researchers analyzed more than 2.9 billion healthcare claims for people with commercial insurance from 2013-17 across 124 metro areas. Read more about the methodology here.
The analysis showed that hospital markets in larger metro areas tended to be less concentrated. For instance, three of the five least concentrated markets studied were New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., while the three most concentrated markets were in metro areas with populations of less than 350,000, according to HCCI.
Researchers noted that one factor that may influence a metro area's hospital market concentrations is the degree to which local residents seek care in neighboring regions. The researchers also found that most metro areas became more concentrated over time. In 2013, 66 percent of hospital markets were considered highly or very concentrated. That number climbed to 70 percent by 2017.
Here are the 10 most concentrated hospital markets HCCI studied:
1. Peoria, Ill.
2. Columbia, Mo.
3. Springfield, Mo.
4. Greensboro, N.C.
5. Cape Coral, Fla.
6. Fort Collins, Colo.
7. Sheboygan, Wis.
8. Durham, N.C.
9. Provo, Utah
10. Omaha, Neb.
Here are the 10 least concentrated hospital markets HCCI studied:
1. Riverside, Calif.
2. New York City
3. Philadelphia
4. Miami
5. Washington, D.C.
6. Baltimore
7. Chicago
8. Cincinnati
9. Providence, R.I.
10. Manchester, N.H.