Health care costs rise, patients suffer, studies say

• Hospital consolidations proceed in Ohio, the place seven medical techniques run greater than 40% of hospitals within the state.
• The state provides a glimpse into the nationwide pattern of well being care mergers and acquisitions.
• Specialists and quite a few research recommend consolidation could yield greater costs and no substantial enchancment in care. Well being trade leaders argue it means better-coordinated care and easy accessibility to specialists.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Should you want to go to the hospital in Ohio lately, your decisions are dominated by a handful of multibillion-dollar medical techniques.

The state’s seven largest medical techniques run a mixed 58 group hospitals – greater than 40% of the whole – American Hospital Affiliation statistics for 2019 present. Add in a wide range of different medical services and docs places of work, and these seven techniques occupy practically 1,100 areas throughout the state, in keeping with an evaluation by The Columbus Dispatch, a part of the USA TODAY Community.