Inpatient care is disappearing from several hospitals across the country as the long-term shift toward outpatient services accelerates.
Total inpatient stays dropped from 9.2 million in 2019 to 6.9 million in 2024, according to MedPAC data published in March — still roughly 15% below pre-pandemic levels despite a modest recovery last year. Meanwhile, outpatient encounters per Medicare beneficiary have fully rebounded, reaching 3 in 2024, a 4% increase from 2023.
Several hospitals have made that shift permanent. Here’s a look at three that have discontinued inpatient care since December:
Eisenhower Army Medical Center (Fort Gordon, Ga.) will transition from a full hospital to an Ambulatory Care Center. The change, formally communicated to Congress, will permanently close inpatient services, with the exception of the Residential Treatment Facility. Operating rooms will remain open but limited to outpatient procedures, and the emergency room will be reclassified as an urgent care center.
Bradford Regional Medical Center (Bradford, Pa.), part of Buffalo, N.Y.-based Kaleida Health, will discontinue inpatient and emergency services May 17 amid ongoing financial challenges. The closure affects a 20-bed inpatient unit, emergency department, sleep disorders center, pharmacy, and imaging, radiology, rehab, infusion and respiratory therapy services. Outpatient services, including primary care, surgery, cardiology, oncology and orthopedics, will continue.
Ashland Community Hospital (Ashland, Ore.), part of Asante Health, announced in December its transition to a satellite campus of Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, ending inpatient and obstetrics services by spring 2026. Its 24/7 emergency department and outpatient services, including surgery, laboratory and imaging, continue to operate.
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