Hospital Closures May Limit Hospital Access for Elderly Parents near Solana Beach

For a variety of reasons, some experts are forecasting increasing hospital closures in California over the coming years. Small and mid-sized facilities are the most likely to close, due to the difficulty they have adjusting to changes in the Medicare and other healthcare systems. Elderly parents near Solana Beach may have fewer choices if these closures continue.

Financial Struggles Caused by Healthcare Reform

Many hospitals, particularly those that care for a high number of Medicare patients, depend on government reimbursements to stay in business. One of the biggest changes outlined in the Affordable Care Act is the reduction of these reimbursements, which is also putting pressure on private doctors with small practices. Small hospitals have similar issues, with less cash on hand to fill in the gaps when reimbursements don’t match the actual cost of care.

Shady Business Practices

A few hospitals are choosing to close because of pressure from federal and state investigators. These investigators accuse the hospitals of trying to get around the new low reimbursement rates by engaging in Medicare fraud, treating people that don’t need treatment or recruiting patients for the sole purpose of gaining Medicare reimbursements. Fighting the charges has drained the facilities’ resources to the point that they had no choice but to close.

Hospital Options for Elderly Parents in San Diego County

When your elderly parents in San Diego County need hospital care, you want to know that there is a well funded, capable facility close to home. Without a radical change in the way Medicare works and the way hospitals respond to decreased reimbursements, that may become harder to find. It’s just another reason it is so important to make sure that your senior loved ones living at home get high quality care and avoid injuries resulting in hospitalization.