As hospitals across the U.S. continue to feel financial strain from tightened margins, rising costs and workforce shortages, California has emerged as a hot spot, with rural facilities grappling with bankruptcies, emergency department shutdowns and increased uncertainty regarding their long-term survival.

“Hospitals throughout California — and across the country — are facing financial headwinds the likes of which have never been seen before,” a spokesperson for the California Hospital Association said in an Oct. 9 statement shared with Becker’s. “Driven by skyrocketing costs for labor, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and unfunded governmental mandates, more than half of all California hospitals (53%) now lose money every day caring for patients. The costs of providing care have risen m

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