As hospitals continue to shutter services, ASCs could see an influx in patients who have lost access to services through providers at hospitals or HOPDs.
"ASCs will have the ability to pick up additional service lines, potentially boosting revenue, as hospitals continue to shutter services," Elaina Turner, RN, administrator of New Albany, Ind.-based Commonwealth Pain and Spine, told Becker's.
Here are eight hospitals who shuttered services in September:
1. Mercy Health in Cincinnati and The MetroHealth System in Cleveland have mutually decided to discontinue the trauma program at Mercy Health – Lorain (Ohio) Hospital, effective Oct. 15. The hospital will continue to provide emergency care for patients with severe or life-threatening conditions.
2. The Faith Community ER in Bowie, Texas, part of the Faith Community Health System in Jacksboro, Texas, will close on Oct. 6, nearly one year after opening, due to a lack of financial support.
3. Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent plans to cut its children’s behavioral health unit and has applied for critical access designation to address financial challenges. The hospital’s four-person behavioral health team will be reassigned to other roles, while its nine-bed adult behavioral unit will remain open.
4. Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau, Alaska, has closed its high-intensity residential substance abuse treatment facility as of Sept. 24. The hospital posted on its website that its difficult financial situation required an evaluation of several services, including the Rainforest Recovery Center, which had been subsidized by the hospital for years.
5. Sentara RMH Medical Center in Harrisonburg, Va., closed its pediatric unit, citing low inpatient volumes and a nationwide shortage of pediatricians. Despite the closure, the hospital will continue providing pediatric care in its emergency department and ensure safe transfers when needed.
6. Kaiser Permanente, based in Oakland, Calif., will close its final skilled nursing facility in the U.S., the Kaiser Permanente Post Acute Care Center in San Leandro, Calif. The closure, which began in June, will eliminate 249 jobs.
7. University of Southern California Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale will end its labor and delivery services, as well as its neonatal intensive care unit, on Nov. 20. As a result, 65 employees will be laid off.
8. MercyOne Newton Medical Center in Iowa will indefinitely suspend its labor and delivery services after Oct. 15, following Newton Clinic’s decision to stop recruiting physicians dedicated to obstetrics services.