Editorial & Opinion
Προβολή σε EDS

Lifelines at Risk: Safety-net Hospital Closures in the U.S.

Λεπτομέρειες βιβλιογραφικής εγγραφής
Τίτλος: Lifelines at Risk: Safety-net Hospital Closures in the U.S.
Συγγραφείς: Sehidou CL; George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA., Hamilton M; George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA., Onumah C; Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA. conumah@mfa.gwu.edu.
Πηγή: Journal of general internal medicine [J Gen Intern Med] 2026 Aug; Vol. 41 (10), pp. 2961-2967. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Apr 21.
Τύπος έκδοσης: Editorial
Γλώσσα: English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού: Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 8605834 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1525-1497 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 08848734 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Gen Intern Med Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Publication: Secaucus, NJ : Springer
Original Publication: [Philadelphia, PA] : Hanley & Belfus, [c1986-
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): Safety-net Providers*/economics , Safety-net Providers*/trends , Safety-net Providers*/organization & administration , Health Facility Closure*/trends , Health Facility Closure*/economics , Health Services Accessibility*/economics , Health Services Accessibility*/trends, Medicaid/economics ; Humans ; United States
Περίληψη: The U.S. healthcare safety net, a critical lifeline for millions of vulnerable individuals, is facing mounting financial and systemic pressures. Safety-net hospitals (SNHs) have supported the nation's safety net. In this perspective piece birthed from a Society of General Internal Medicine workshop, we examine SNH closures, why this matters for patients, trainees, and clinicians, and offer actionable steps forward. From 2013 to 2023, over 60% of SNH closures occurred in Medicaid non-expansion states and disproportionately impacted rural areas. The closures impact access and care quality in already marginalized and neighboring communities. SNH closures also compromise medical education by reducing opportunities for trainees to work with underserved populations, potentially attenuating the future healthcare workforce skillset and infrastructure. Addressing these challenges requires collective efforts. Medical trainees have an important role in policy advocacy, community service learning, and health equity research. Physicians must mentor and train future clinicians, research, and lead collaborative efforts to help sustain SNHs. Public officials must collaborate on reforms for existing programs and innovations to ensure sustainable funding and appropriate reimbursements, cost-effective care, shared accountability, and improved health care quality. Together, we can reinforce SNHs and help create a more durable, accessible, and equitable healthcare system for all.
(© 2026. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Society of General Internal Medicine.)
Competing Interests: Declarations. Human Ethics and Consent to Participate: Not applicable. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they do not have a conflict of interest.
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Contributed Indexing: Keywords: health equity; healthcare infrastructure; medicaid expansion; medicaid reimbursement; medical education; physician advocacy; public health policy; safety-net hospitals (SNH)
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260421 Date Completed: 20260729 Latest Revision: 20260901
Update Code: 20260902
PubMed Central ID: PMC13421712
DOI: 10.1007/s11606-025-10142-3
PMID: 42014643
Βάση Δεδομένων: MEDLINE
Περιγραφή
ISSN:1525-1497
DOI:10.1007/s11606-025-10142-3