Study finds rural hospital closures led to higher prices at nearby hospitals

MINNEAPOLIS – New research from the University of Minnesota shows rural hospital closures led to higher prices at nearby hospitals.  

School of Public Health assistant professor Caitlin Carroll says after a rural hospital closed, prices at nearby surviving hospitals went up almost 3.6%, an average of about $500 per inpatient stay. Carroll says the study also found rural hospitals that eventually closed charged 6% less than nearby hospitals, so closures forced patients into high-priced facilities. 

The research team analyzed 54 rural hospitals that closed between 2014 and 2018.