More than 500 rural hospitals in the U.S. were at immediate risk of closure before the COVID-19 pandemic because of financial losses and lack of reserves to maintain operations, according to a report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. Nearly every state had at least one rural hospital at immediate risk of closure before the pandemic. In 22 states, 25 percent or more of rural hospitals were at immediate risk, according to the report.
The hospitals identified as being at immediate risk of closure had a cumulative negative total margin over the most recent three-year period, and their financial situation has likely deteriorated because of the pandemic.
Across the U.S., more than 800 hospitals — 40 percent of all rural hospitals in the country — are either at immediate or high risk of closure. The more than 300 hospitals at high risk closure either have low financial reserves or high dependence on nonpatient service revenues such as local taxes or state subsidies, according to the report.
Here are the number and percentage of rural hospitals at risk of closing in each state as of January 2021 based on the CHQPR analysis:
Alabama Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 30 (63 percent)
Alaska Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 5 (38 percent)
Arizona Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 4 (22 percent)
Arkansas Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 29 (60 percent)
California Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 16 (31 percent)
Colorado Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 11 (27 percent)
Connecticut Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 3 (100 percent)
Delaware Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 0 (0 percent)
Florida Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 7 (35 percent)
Georgia Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 26 (43 percent)
Hawaii Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 8 (67 percent)
Idaho Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 7 (25 percent)
Illinois Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 20 (27 percent)
Indiana Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 20 (38 percent)
Iowa Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 40 (44 percent)
Kansas Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 76 (72 percent)
Kentucky Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 16 (23 percent)
Louisiana Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 26 (53 percent)
Maine Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 10 (40 percent)
Maryland Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 1 (25 percent)
Massachusetts Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 2 (40 percent)
Michigan Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 19 (30 percent)
Minnesota Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 28 (31 percent)
Mississippi Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 41 (62 percent)
Missouri Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 31 (54 percent)
Montana Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 19 (37 percent)
Nebraska Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 24 (33 percent)
Nevada Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 6 (46 percent)
New Hampshire Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 4 (24 percent)
New Jersey Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 0 (0 percent)
New Mexico Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 6 (25 percent)
New York Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 30 (59 percent)
North Carolina Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 19 (36 percent)
North Dakota Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 16 (43 percent)
Ohio Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 19 (27 percent)
Oklahoma Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 41 (56 percent)
Oregon Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 11 (34 percent)
Pennsylvania Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 18 (42 percent)
Rhode Island Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 0 (0 percent)
South Carolina Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 12 (48 percent)
South Dakota Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 11 (24 percent)
Tennessee Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 30 (59 percent)
Texas Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 82 (56 percent)
Utah Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 3 (14 percent)
Vermont Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 2 (15 percent)
Virginia Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 14 (50 percent)
Washington Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 20 (50 percent)
West Virginia Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 11 (46 percent)
Wisconsin Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 16 (22 percent)
Wyoming Rural hospitals at high risk of closing: 7 (30 percent)
SOURCE: BECKERS