IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/hcarem/v25y2022i2d10.1007_s10729-022-09591-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Towards a more efficient healthcare system: Opportunities and challenges caused by hospital closures amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Soroush Saghafian

    (Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University
    Harvard Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University
    Harvard Ariadne Labs, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women Hospital, Harvard University
    Harvard University)

  • Lina D. Song

    (University College London School of Management)

  • Ali S. Raja

    (Massachusetts General Hospital
    Harvard University)

Abstract

A substantial number of United States (U.S.) hospitals have closed in recent years. The trend of closures has accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, as hospitals have experienced financial hardship from reduced patient volume and elective surgery cases, as well as the thin financial margins for treating patients with COVID-19. This trend of hospital closures is concerning for patients, healthcare providers, and policymakers. In this current opinion piece, we first describe the challenges caused by hospital closures and discuss what policymakers should know based on the existing research. We then discuss unique opportunities for researchers to inform policymakers by conducting careful studies that can shed light on different implications, trade-offs, and consequences of various strategies that can be followed.

Suggested Citation

  • Soroush Saghafian & Lina D. Song & Ali S. Raja, 2022. "Towards a more efficient healthcare system: Opportunities and challenges caused by hospital closures amid the COVID-19 pandemic," Health Care Management Science, Springer, vol. 25(2), pages 187-190, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:hcarem:v:25:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10729-022-09591-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10729-022-09591-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10729-022-09591-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10729-022-09591-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Soroush Saghafian & Wallace J. Hopp, 2020. "Can Public Reporting Cure Healthcare? The Role of Quality Transparency in Improving Patient–Provider Alignment," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 68(1), pages 71-92, January.
    2. Kritee Gujral & Anirban Basu, 2019. "Impact of Rural and Urban Hospital Closures on Inpatient Mortality," NBER Working Papers 26182, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Capps, Cory & Dranove, David & Lindrooth, Richard C., 2010. "Hospital closure and economic efficiency," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 87-109, January.
    4. Buchmueller, Thomas C. & Jacobson, Mireille & Wold, Cheryl, 2006. "How far to the hospital?: The effect of hospital closures on access to care," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 740-761, July.
    5. Rogelio Oliva & John D. Sterman, 2001. "Cutting Corners and Working Overtime: Quality Erosion in the Service Industry," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 47(7), pages 894-914, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alexander, Diane & Richards, Michael R., 2023. "Economic consequences of hospital closures," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 221(C).
    2. Mensen, Anne, 2022. "Concentration of hospital capacities and patients' access to care," Ruhr Economic Papers 952, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    3. Abu-Qarn, Aamer & Lichtman-Sadot, Shirlee, 2022. "Can greater access to secondary health care decrease health inequality? Evidence from bus line introduction to Arab towns in Israel," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    4. Tamara Bischof & Boris Kaiser, 2021. "Who cares when you close down? The effects of primary care practice closures on patients," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(9), pages 2004-2025, September.
    5. Sonia Bhalotra & Letícia Nunes & Rudi Rocha, 2020. "Urgent Care Centers, Hospital Performance and Population Health," Working Papers 10, Instituto de Estudos para Políticas de Saúde.
    6. Stefanie Fischer & Heather Royer & Corey White, 2022. "Health Care Centralization: The Health Impacts of Obstetric Unit Closures in the US," Monash Economics Working Papers 2022-06, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    7. Paola Bertoli & Veronica Grembi, 2017. "The life‐saving effect of hospital proximity," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(S2), pages 78-91, September.
    8. Abu-Qarn, Aamer & Lichtman-Sadot, Shirlee, 2021. "Older Adult Health Following Greater Access to Secondary Health Care: Evidence from Bus Service Introductions to Arab Towns in Israel," IZA Discussion Papers 14490, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Gaynor, Martin & Town, Robert J., 2011. "Competition in Health Care Markets," Handbook of Health Economics, in: Mark V. Pauly & Thomas G. Mcguire & Pedro P. Barros (ed.), Handbook of Health Economics, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 499-637, Elsevier.
    10. Guidetti, Bruna & Pereda, Paula & Severnini, Edson R., 2020. "Health Shocks under Hospital Capacity Constraint: Evidence from Air Pollution in Sao Paulo, Brazil," IZA Discussion Papers 13211, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    11. Song, Lina & Saghafian, Soroush, 2019. "Do Hospital Closures Improve the Efficiency and Quality of Other Hospitals?," Working Paper Series rwp19-006, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    12. David, Guy & Lindrooth, Richard C. & Helmchen, Lorens A. & Burns, Lawton R., 2014. "Do hospitals cross-subsidize?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 198-218.
    13. Leguizamon, Susane & Christafore, David, 2014. "Racial Differences in Willingness to Pay for Hospital Access," MPRA Paper 55926, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Avdic, Danie, 2015. "A matter of life and death? Hospital distance and quality of care: evidence from emergency hospital closures and myocardial infarctions," Working Paper Series 2015:1, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    15. Sriubaite, Ieva, 2021. "Who will be the mediator? Local politics and hospital closures in Germany," Ruhr Economic Papers 897, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    16. Bruna Morais Guidetti & Paula Carvalho Pereda, Edson Roberto Severnini, 2021. "Health Shocks under Hospital Capacity Constraints: Evidence from Air Pollution in São Paulo, Brazil," Working Papers, Department of Economics 2021_05, University of São Paulo (FEA-USP).
    17. Avdic, Daniel, 2016. "Improving efficiency or impairing access? Health care consolidation and quality of care: Evidence from emergency hospital closures in Sweden," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 44-60.
    18. Kollerup, Anna, 2022. "Worth the trip? The effect of hospital clinic closures for patients undergoing scheduled surgery," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    19. Schmid, Andreas, 2007. "Incentive Compatibility and Efficiency in the contractual Insurer-Provider Relationship: Economic Theory and practical Implications: The Case of North Carolina," MPRA Paper 23311, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2008.
    20. Kyu-Tae Han & Woorim Kim & Seungju Kim, 2021. "Does Delaying Time in Cancer Treatment Affect Mortality? A Retrospective Cohort Study of Korean Lung and Gastric Cancer Patients," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-10, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:hcarem:v:25:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10729-022-09591-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.