Trends in Hospital System Affiliation, 2007-2016.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Healthcare Management
• Rural Health Policy

Background:

• Hospital system affiliation has been a growing trend in healthcare.
• Understanding this trend is crucial for policy and strategic planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To update previous findings on hospital system affiliation from 2014.
• To document the continued growth in system affiliation for both metropolitan and non-metropolitan hospitals.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of national hospital data from 2007 to 2016.
• Categorization of hospitals by size, location (metropolitan/non-metropolitan), and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status.

Main Results:

• Hospital system affiliation increased across all hospital sizes and types between 2007 and 2016.
• This growth was consistent across most U.S. census regions.
• An exception was observed in the West census region, where non-metropolitan hospital affiliation did not increase.

Conclusions:

• The trend of hospital system affiliation has persisted and expanded.
• Healthcare policy and strategy must account for ongoing consolidation and system growth.
• Further research may explore the drivers and implications of this trend in different regions.