Rural Hospital Closures
194 Rural Hospital Closures and Conversions since January 2005
99 complete closures* + 5 REH conversions** + 90 converted closures***
151 closures and conversions since 2010
76 complete closures* + 5 REH conversions** + 70 converted closures***
* facilities no longer provide health care services
** facilities no longer provide in-patient services, but convert to Rural Emergency Hospital (REH)
*** facilities no longer provide in-patient services, but continue to provide some health care services
[e.g., primary care, skilled nursing care, long-term care]
© 2014, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. All rights reserved. |
What is a closed hospital?
We follow the convention of the Office of Inspector General that a closed hospital is “A facility that stopped providing general, short-term, acute inpatient care [….] We did not consider a hospital closed if it: Merged with, or was sold to, another hospital but the physical plant continued to provide inpatient acute care, Converted to critical access status, or Both closed and reopened during the same calendar year and at the same physical location.”
A facility that no longer provides health services is considered a “complete hospital closure.” Note that a facility that closed its inpatient unit but continued to provide other health services, like emergency, rehabilitation, and/or outpatient services, at the same physical location would be considered a “converted hospital closure“. Likewise, a facility that dramatically scaled back its inpatient services (e.g., from 70 beds to 2 beds) would be considered “open” because it continues to provide inpatient services (albeit in a vastly reduced manner).
In some instances, a hospital closes but reopens in another location. In these circumstances, we use our best judgment as to whether access to inpatient services in the rural community was considerably affected by the move to the new location. A move across town or outside city limits would generally not be considered a “closure”; reopening in a community 10-15 miles away, however, likely would.
Make sure to see our FAQ below for additional information.
Rural Hospital Closures 2005-Current
Choose a sorting method to display the table.Hospital | State | RUCA | CBSA | Medicare Payment | Closure Year | Number of Beds | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sturgis Hospital | MI | 4 | Micro | PPS | 2023 | 49 | Emergency dept, Outpatient services |
St. Luke's Health - Memorial Hospital - San Augustine | TX | 10 | Neither | CAH | 2023 | 9 | Emergency dept, Outpatient services |
Anson General Hospital | Texas | 10 | Metro | MDH | 2023 | 7 | Rural Emergency Hospital |
Irwin County Hospital | Georgia | 7 | Neither | PPS | 2023 | 38 | Rural Emergency Hospital |
Alliance Healthcare System | Mississippi | 2 | Metro | SCH | 2023 | 27 | Rural Emergency Hospital |
UPMC Lock Haven | Pennsylvania | 4 | Micro | MDH | 2023 | 25 | Outpatient Emergency Department |
Falls Community Hospital and Clinic | Texas | 7 | Metro | SCH | 2023 | 36 | Rural Emergency Hospital |
St. Mark's Medical Center | Texas | 7 | Neither | PPS | 2023 | 38 | Emergency Dept, Lab, Imaging, PT/OT, RT, Cardiac Rehab |
Crosbyton Clinic Hospital | Texas | 10 | Metro | CAH | 2023 | 2 | Rural Emergency Hospital |
St. Margaret's Health - Peru | Illinois | 4 | Micro | MDH | 2023 | 49 | None |
AllianceHealth Clinton | Oklahoma | 7 | Micro | SCH | 2022 | 45 | None |
Ascension St. Vincent Dunn | Indiana | 4 | Micro | CAH | 2022 | 25 | None |
Blessing Health Keokuk | Iowa | 4 | Micro | MDH | 2022 | 49 | None |
Callaway Community Hospital | Missouri | 4 | Metro | PPS | 2022 | 18 | None |
Acoma-Canoncito-Laguna Service Unit | New Mexico | 2 | Micro | IHS | 2022 | 6 | Primary care, outpatient, radiology, urgent care clinic |
Audrain Community Hospital | Missouri | 4 | Micro | SCH | 2022 | 40 | None |
Galesburg Cottage Hospital | Illinois | 4 | Micro | MDH | 2022 | 96 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Bristow Medical Center | Oklahoma | 7.1 | Metro | PPS | 2021 | 30 | Urgent care and clinic |
MercyOne Oakland Medical Center | Nebraska | 10 | Neither | CAH | 2021 | 16 | Primary care clinic |
Community HealthCare System - St. Marys | Kansas | 7 | Metro | CAH | 2021 | 25 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Perry Community Hospital | Tennessee | 10 | Neither | PPS | 2020 | 25 | None |
Northridge Medical Center | Georgia | 7 | Micro | PPS | 2020 | 27 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Southwest Georgia Regional Medical Center | Georgia | 7 | Neither | CAH | 2020 | 25 | None |
Shands Lake Shore Regional Medical Center | Florida | 4 | Micro | PPS | 2020 | 87 | None |
Cumberland River Hospital | Tennessee | 6 | Neither | PPS | 2020 | 1 | None |
Bluefield Regional Medical Center | West Virginia | 4 | Micro | MDH | 2020 | 57 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
St. Luke's Cushing Hospital | Kansas | 4 | Metro | PPS | 2020 | 24 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Shands Live Oak Regional Medical Center | Florida | 7 | Neither | CAH | 2020 | 25 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Shands Starke Regional Medical Center | Florida | 2 | Neither | CAH | 2020 | 25 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Williamson Memorial Hospital | West Virginia | 7 | Neither | PPS | 2020 | 27 | None |
Decatur County General Hospital | Tennessee | 10 | Neither | MDH | 2020 | 40 | None |
Sumner Community Hospital | Kansas | 7 | Metro | PPS | 2020 | 42 | None |
Edward W. McCready Memorial Hospital | Maryland | 10 | Metro | PPS | 2020 | 3 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Mayo Clinic Health System-Springfield | Minnesota | 10 | Micro | CAH | 2020 | 24 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Central Hospital of Bowie | Texas | 7 | Neither | MDH | 2020 | 37 | None |
UPMC Susquehanna Sunbury | Pennsylvania | 5 | Micro | MDH | 2020 | 70 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Mountain View Regional Hospital | Virginia | 4 | Micro | PPS | 2020 | 20 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Pinnacle Regional Hospital | Missouri | 2 | Neither | PPS | 2020 | 46 | None |
Ellwood City Medical Center | Pennsylvania | 2 | Micro | MDH | 2019 | 52 | None |
Black River Community Medical Center | Missouri | 4 | Micro | PPS | 2019 | 3 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Texas General- Van Zandt Regional Medical Center | Texas | 7 | Neither | PPS | 2019 | 1 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Hamlin Memorial Hospital | Texas | 10.1 | Metro | MDH | 2019 | 25 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Sitka Community Hospital | Alaska | 7 | Neither | CAH | 2019 | 12 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Chillicothe Hospital | Texas | 10.2 | Neither | CAH | 2019 | 21 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Fayette Regional Health System | Indiana | 4 | Micro | PPS | 2019 | 45 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Regional General Hospital | Florida | 2 | Neither | PPS | 2019 | 20 | None |
Albert Lea- Mayo Clinic Health System | Minnesota | 4 | Micro | SCH | 2019 | 142 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Jamestown Regional Medical Center | Tennessee | 10.2 | Neither | SCH | 2019 | 54 | None |
Mercy Hospital El Reno | Oklahoma | 4.1 | Metro | PPS | 2019 | 48 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Takoma Regional Hospital | Tennessee | 4 | Micro | MDH | 2019 | 73 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Horton Community Hospital | Kansas | 10.3 | Neither | CAH | 2019 | 15 | None |
Georgiana Medical Center | Alabama | 10 | Neither | MDH | 2019 | 22 | None |
I-70 Community Hospital | Missouri | 10 | Micro | CAH | 2019 | 15 | None |
Oswego Community Hospital | Kansas | 10.2 | Micro | CAH | 2019 | 12 | None |
Doctor's Hospital at Deer Creek | Louisiana | 7 | Micro | PPS | 2019 | 10 | None |
Mercy Hospital Fort Scott | Kansas | 7 | Neither | MDH | 2018 | 43 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Fairfield Memorial Hospital | South Carolina | 2 | Metro | CAH | 2018 | 25 | None |
Little River Healthcare Cameron Hospital | Texas | 7.1 | Neither | PPS | 2018 | 6 | None |
Little River Healthcare Rockdale Hospital | Texas | 7.1 | Neither | CAH | 2018 | 25 | None |
Adventist Health Feather River | California | 4.1 | Metro | MDH | 2018 | 100 | None |
Latimer County General Hospital | Oklahoma | 7 | Neither | MDH | 2018 | 33 | None |
Southeast Health Center of Ripley County | Missouri | 10.2 | Neither | MDH | 2018 | 21 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
McKenzie Regional Hospital | Tennessee | 7 | Neither | PPS | 2018 | 29 | None |
Sayre Community Hospital | Oklahoma | 7.2 | Micro | PPS | 2018 | 22 | None |
Stamford Memorial Hospital | Texas | 7.1 | Metro | PPS | 2018 | 22 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center | Missouri | 4 | Micro | PPS | 2018 | 100 | None |
Coalinga Regional Medical Center | California | 4 | Metro | SCH | 2018 | 22 | None |
Moses-Ludington Hospital | New York | 7 | Neither | CAH | 2018 | 15 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Tri-Town Regional Hospital | New York | 7.2 | Neither | PPS | 2018 | 4 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Our Community Hospital | North Carolina | 10.1 | Micro | CAH | 2017 | 20 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Weimar Medical Center | Texas | 10.1 | Neither | PPS | 2017 | 38 | None |
Lake Shore Health Care Center | New York | 10.1 | Micro | PPS | 2017 | 25 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Sandhills Regional Medical Center | North Carolina | 4 | Micro | PPS | 2017 | 64 | None |
Pioneer Community Hospital of Patrick County | Virginia | 6 | Neither | CAH | 2017 | 25 | None |
Care Regional Medical Ctr | Texas | 4.1 | Metro | PPS | 2017 | 63 | None |
East Texas Medical Center- Trinity | Texas | 7.2 | Micro | MDH | 2017 | 45 | None |
Campbellton-Graceville Hospital | Florida | 7.1 | Neither | CAH | 2017 | 25 | None |
Copper Basin Medical Center | Tennessee | 10.1 | Metro | CAH | 2017 | 21 | None |
Davie Medical Center- Mocksville | North Carolina | 7.1 | Metro | PPS | 2017 | 10 | None |
Gulf Coast Medical Center | Texas | 7.1 | Micro | PPS | 2016 | 94 | None |
Nix Community General Hospital | Texas | 7 | Neither | PPS | 2016 | 18 | None |
North Georgia Medical Center | Georgia | 7 | Neither | PPS | 2016 | 40 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Epic Medical Center | Oklahoma | 10.2 | Neither | MDH | 2016 | 33 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Tennova Healthcare- McNairy Regional | Tennessee | 7 | Neither | MDH | 2016 | 26 | None |
Memorial Hospital & Physician Group | Oklahoma | 7.1 | Neither | SCH | 2016 | 37 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
SoutheastHEALTH Center of Reynolds County | Missouri | 2 | Neither | CAH | 2016 | 21 | None |
New Horizons Medical Center | Kentucky | 10.2 | Neither | CAH | 2016 | 25 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Southern Palmetto Hospital | South Carolina | 7.1 | Neither | SCH | 2016 | 30 | None |
St. Mary's Hospital | Illinois | 4 | Micro | PPS | 2016 | 94 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Albany Area Hospital | Minnesota | 2 | Metro | CAH | 2015 | 17 | None |
Pioneer Community Hospital of Newton | Mississippi | 7 | Neither | CAH | 2015 | 21 | None |
Merit Health Natchez-Community Campus | Mississippi | 4 | Micro | PPS | 2015 | 101 | None |
Southern Maine Health Care- Sanford Medical Center | Maine | 4.1 | Metro | PPS | 2015 | 46 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Novant Health Franklin Medical Center | North Carolina | 7 | Metro | PPS | 2015 | 70 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Mercy Hospital Independence | Kansas | 7.2 | Micro | PPS | 2015 | 41 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Nye Regional Medical Center | Nevada | 5 | Micro | SCH | 2015 | 10 | None |
Parkland Health Center- Weber Rd | Missouri | 4.1 | Micro | RRC | 2015 | 98 | None |
Cochise Regional Hospital | Arizona | 4 | Metro | CAH | 2015 | 25 | None |
United Regional Medical Center | Tennessee | 4 | Micro | PPS | 2015 | 53 | None |
Parkview Adventist Medical Center | Maine | 4.1 | Metro | PPS | 2015 | 55 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Hunt Regional Community Hospital of Commerce | Texas | 7.2 | Metro | CAH | 2015 | 24 | None |
Yadkin Valley Community Hospital | North Carolina | 2 | Metro | CAH | 2015 | 15 | None |
Marlboro Park Hospital | South Carolina | 4 | Micro | PPS | 2015 | 94 | None |
Parkridge West Hospital | Tennessee | 7.1 | Metro | PPS | 2015 | 50 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Parkway Regional Hospital | Kentucky | 7.2 | Micro | PPS | 2015 | 48 | None |
Kilmichael Hospital | Mississippi | 8 | Neither | MDH | 2015 | 19 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
East Texas Medical Center- Mount Vernon | Texas | 9 | Neither | MDH | 2014 | 49 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
East Texas Medical Center- Clarksville | Texas | 7.2 | Neither | MDH | 2014 | 30 | None |
East Texas Medical Center- Gilmer | Texas | 7.1 | Metro | PPS | 2014 | 37 | None |
Doctors Hospital of Nelsonville | Ohio | 7.2 | Micro | CAH | 2014 | 25 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Sac-Osage Hospital | Missouri | 9 | Neither | SCH | 2014 | 47 | None |
Lower Oconee Community Hospital | Georgia | 10.2 | Neither | CAH | 2014 | 25 | None |
Tilden Community Hospital | Nebraska | 10.2 | Neither | CAH | 2014 | 20 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Vidant Pungo Hospital | North Carolina | 10.2 | Micro | CAH | 2014 | 25 | None |
Mid-Valley Hospital | Pennsylvania | 1 | Metro | CAH | 2014 | 25 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Nicholas County Hospital | Kentucky | 10.2 | Neither | CAH | 2014 | 16 | None |
Good Shepherd Medical Center | Texas | 10.1 | Neither | CAH | 2014 | 25 | None |
North Adams Regional Hospital | Massachusetts | 4.1 | Metro | MDH | 2014 | 98 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Lake Whitney Medical Center | Texas | 10.1 | Neither | MDH | 2014 | 49 | None |
Gibson General Hospital | Tennessee | 7 | Neither | MDH | 2014 | 41 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Humboldt General Hospital | Tennessee | 7.1 | Neither | PPS | 2014 | 42 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Florala Memorial Hospital | Alabama | 3 | Neither | PPS | 2013 | 22 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Starr Regional Medical Center-Etowah | Tennessee | 7.2 | Micro | MDH | 2013 | 60 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Wise Regional Health System-Bridgeport | Texas | 7 | Metro | PPS | 2013 | 35 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
St. Andrews Hospital | Maine | 10 | Neither | CAH | 2013 | 25 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Blowing Rock Hospital | North Carolina | 10.1 | Micro | CAH | 2013 | 25 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Charlton Memorial Hospital | Georgia | 2 | Neither | CAH | 2013 | 15 | None |
Patient’s Choice Medical Center of Humphreys County | Mississippi | 7.2 | Neither | CAH | 2013 | 25 | None |
Shelby Regional Medical Center | Texas | 7.2 | Neither | PPS | 2013 | 54 | None |
Corcoran District Hospital | California | 4.1 | Metro | PPS | 2013 | 32 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Calhoun Mem Hospital | Georgia | 2 | Neither | CAH | 2013 | 25 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Stewart-Webster Hospital | Georgia | 10.1 | Neither | CAH | 2013 | 25 | None |
Elba General Hospital | Alabama | 10.2 | Micro | MDH | 2013 | 20 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Renaissance Hospital Terrell | Texas | 4.1 | Metro | PPS | 2013 | 106 | None |
Chilton Medical Center | Alabama | 7.1 | Metro | PPS | 2012 | 27 | None |
Riverview Regional Medical Center South | Tennessee | 5 | Metro | CAH | 2012 | 25 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Muskogee Community Hospital | Oklahoma | 4 | Micro | PPS | 2012 | 45 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Florence Community Healthcare | Arizona | 4.1 | Metro | CAH | 2012 | 25 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Hart County Hospital | Georgia | 7 | Neither | MDH | 2012 | 82 | None |
Cheboygan Memorial Hospital | Michigan | 7 | Neither | CAH | 2012 | 25 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Saint Catherine Medical Center Fountain Springs | Pennsylvania | 7.2 | Micro | PPS | 2012 | 53 | None |
Bamberg County Memorial Hospital | South Carolina | 7.2 | Neither | PPS | 2012 | 59 | None |
Physicians Choice Hospital-Fremont | Ohio | 4 | Micro | PPS | 2012 | 8 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Hualapai Mountain Medical Center | Arizona | 4 | Metro | PPS | 2011 | 70 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
SouthWest Alabama Medical Center | Alabama | 7.1 | Neither | PPS | 2011 | 27 | None |
Central Kansas Medical Center | Kansas | 4 | Micro | Re-based SCH | 2011 | 41 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Randolph Medical Center | Alabama | 7.2 | Neither | CAH | 2011 | 12 | None |
Franciscan Skemp Medical Center | Wisconsin | 7 | Neither | CAH | 2011 | 25 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Lakeside Medical Center | Minnesota | 7.1 | Neither | PPS | 2010 | 10 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Holy Infant Hospital | South Dakota | 10 | Neither | Re-based SCH | 2010 | 22 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Kingsburg Medical Center | California | 4.1 | Metro | PPS | 2010 | 15 | None |
Crawley Memorial Hospital | North Carolina | 5 | Micro | MDH | 2009 | 60 | None |
Pike County Hospital | Arkansas | 10 | Neither | MDH | 2009 | 32 | None |
N M Holderman Memorial Hospital | California | 7.1 | Metro | PPS | 2009 | 20 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Woodland Medical Ctr | Alabama | 4 | Micro | MDH | 2009 | 50 | None |
Amsterdam Memorial Hospital | New York | 2 | Micro | PPS | 2009 | 24 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Jenkins Community Hospital | Kentucky | 5 | Neither | CAH | 2009 | 25 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Doctors Hospital Of Opelousas | Louisiana | 2 | Micro | PPS | 2009 | 117 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Richardton Health Center | North Dakota | 10 | Micro | CAH | 2009 | 25 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Albert Lindley Lee Memorial Hospital | New York | 4.1 | Metro | PPS | 2009 | 67 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Wm B Kessler Memorial Hospital | New Jersey | 4.1 | Metro | PPS | 2009 | 83 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Trinity Community Hospital | Florida | 7.1 | Neither | PPS | 2008 | 42 | None |
Dickerson Memorial Hospital | Texas | 7 | Neither | PPS | 2008 | 24 | None |
Richwood Area Community Hospital | West Virginia | 8.1 | Neither | CAH | 2008 | 25 | None |
Indian Valley Hospital | California | 8 | Neither | SCH | 2008 | 26 | None |
Taylor Telfair Regional Hospital | Georgia | 7 | Neither | CAH | 2008 | 25 | None |
Deer Park Hospital | Washington | 2 | Metro | CAH | 2008 | 25 | None |
Owyhee Community Health Facility | Nevada | 10 | Micro | CAH | 2007 | 15 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Five Counties Hospital - Critical Access Hospital | South Dakota | 10 | Neither | CAH | 2007 | 4 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Pawnee Municipal Hospital | Oklahoma | 10 | Metro | PPS | 2007 | 25 | None |
Ft Yuma PHS Indian Hosp | Arizona | 1 | Metro | CAH | 2007 | 15 | None |
Tuolumne General Hosp | California | 4 | Micro | PPS | 2007 | 80 | None |
St Lukes Hospital | West Virginia | 4 | Micro | MDH | 2007 | 79 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Divine Providence Health Center | Minnesota | 10 | Neither | CAH | 2007 | 18 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Frye Regional Medical Center Alexander Campus | North Carolina | 2 | Metro | CAH | 2007 | 23 | None |
St Joseph's Hospital of Huntingburg | Indiana | 5 | Micro | CAH | 2007 | 25 | None |
USPHS Clinton Indian Hospital | Oklahoma | 7 | Micro | IHS | 2007 | 11 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
PHS Indian Hospital at Sisseton | South Dakota | 10 | Neither | IHS | 2006 | 18 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Guyan Valley Hospital | West Virginia | 2 | Micro | CAH | 2006 | 8 | None |
Leelanau Memorial Health Center | Michigan | 10 | Micro | CAH | 2006 | 23 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Mission Family Health Center (Yancey Community Medical Ctr) | North Carolina | 2 | Neither | CAH | 2006 | 6 | None |
Cedar Vale Community Hospital | Kansas | 10 | Neither | CAH | 2006 | 25 | None |
Chowchilla District Mem Hospital | California | 4 | Metro | PPS | 2006 | 24 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Dos Palos Memorial Hospital | California | 7.2 | Metro | PPS | 2006 | 17 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Philipsburg Area Hospital | Pennsylvania | 2 | Metro | CAH | 2006 | 25 | None |
Good Hope Hospital | North Carolina | 4.3 | Micro | PPS | 2006 | 43 | Outpatient/Primary Care/Rural Health Clinic |
Cornerstone Healthcare of Illinois | Illinois | 7 | Neither | CAH | 2005 | 25 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Gadsden Community Hospital | Florida | 2 | Metro | CAH | 2005 | 25 | Urgent or Emergency Care |
Newport Hosp And Clinic | Arkansas | 7 | Neither | PPS | 2005 | 86 | None |
Fayette Memorial Hospital | Texas | 7 | Neither | PPS | 2005 | 24 | None |
Deleon Hospital | Texas | 10 | Neither | CAH | 2005 | 14 | None |
Minnewaska District Hosp | Minnesota | 10 | Neither | CAH | 2005 | 19 | None |
Kings Daughters Hospital-Greenville | Mississippi | 4 | Micro | PPS | 2005 | 99 | Nursing or Rehabilitation Facility |
Gulf Pines Hospital | Florida | 7.1 | Metro | PPS | 2005 | 45 | None |
Do you know of a hospital that closed within the past 10 years that is not on our list? Do you know of a hospital that is on the brink of closure? Please complete an inquiry below or email your information and tips to us here: ncrural@unc.edu
What is a rural hospital?
A rural hospital is any short-term, general acute, non-federal hospital that is a. not located in a metropolitan county OR b. is located in a RUCA type 4 or higher OR c. is a Critical Access Hospital.
What is a closed hospital?
We follow the convention of the Office of Inspector General that a closed hospital is “A facility that stopped providing general, short-term, acute inpatient care [….] We did not consider a hospital closed if it: Merged with, or was sold to, another hospital but the physical plant continued to provide inpatient acute care, Converted to critical access status, or Both closed and reopened during the same calendar year and at the same physical location.”
A facility that no longer provides health services is considered a “complete hospital closure.” Note that a facility that closed its inpatient unit but continued to provide other health services, like emergency, rehabilitation, and/or outpatient services, at the same physical location would be considered a “converted hospital closure”. Likewise, a facility that dramatically scaled back its inpatient services (e.g. from 70 beds to 2) would be considered “open” because it continues to provide inpatient services (albeit in a vastly reduced manner).
In some instances, a hospital closes but reopens in another location. In these circumstances, we use our best judgment as to whether access to inpatient services in the rural community was considerably affected by the move to the new location. A move across town or outside city limits would generally not be considered a “closure”; reopening in a community 10-15 miles away, however, likely would.
How do you gather information about closures?
We collect information from various sources, including web searches, news alerts, analyses of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data, information exchange with the National Rural Health Association, the federal Office of Rural Health Policy, and from submission by the public.
How do you track closures?
Once we have identified rural hospitals at risk, we monitor them to gather information on why and when the will closure occur. We also monitor these facilities even after the closure occurred. Closed hospitals can re-open.
A “closed but re-opened” hospital will appear on lists and maps produced for the public. These closures are usually identified by the assumption that there is no intent or action plan to re-open as a hospital at the time of closure. This closure would have previously been included in our count of closed rural hospitals at one point in the past.
Are rural hospital closures a new phenomenon?
No. Policymakers began paying attention in the late 1980s. The Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services conducted a report in 1989 examining closures in 1987; because there was so much interest, the report was repeated on an annual basis for a few years. As the rate slowed in the late 1990s and early 2000s, interest waned until recently.
Why have closures increased lately? Is it the effect of ___(policy)___?
Closures have been ticking up since the recession of 2008-2009. There are likely multiple contributing factors, including failure to recover from the recession, population demographic trends, market trends (e.g. increased rates of merger and affiliation), decreased demand for inpatient services, and new models of care (e.g. Accountable Care Organizations). Long-standing trends – such as generally poorer financial performance in the South – may contribute to closure rates. Some observers have noted the potential effect of the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) and/or the correlation with a state’s decision of whether to expand Medicaid.
For more information see: Additional Research on Rural Hospital Closures