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

Soroush Saghafian; Lina D Song; Ali S Raja

doi:10.1007/s10729-022-09591-7

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

Health Care Manag Sci. 2022 Jun;25(2):187-190. doi: 10.1007/s10729-022-09591-7. Epub 2022 Mar 16.

Authors

Soroush Saghafian^{1

2

3

4}, Lina D Song⁵, Ali S Raja^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Mailbox 37, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA. Soroush_Saghafian@hks.harvard.edu.
² Harvard Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. Soroush_Saghafian@hks.harvard.edu.
³ Harvard Ariadne Labs, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women Hospital, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. Soroush_Saghafian@hks.harvard.edu.
⁴ Harvard Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. Soroush_Saghafian@hks.harvard.edu.
⁵ University College London School of Management, London, UK.
⁶ Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
⁷ Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.

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.

Keywords: Efficient Healthcare System; Hospital Closure; Public Policy.

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Elective Surgical Procedures
Health Facility Closure
Health Personnel
Humans
Pandemics
United States / epidemiology