In an unprecedented statewide analysis of hospital capacity, reporters found that facilities across Illinois were emptying out. In 2013, nearly four of every 10 hospital beds were vacant when hospitals were at their busiest. Tiny rural hospitals downstate and aging ones in impoverished parts of Chicago were the hardest hit. Clusters of half-empty hospitals sat just miles apart. Chicago is one of the most fragmented hospital markets in the country, with 95 hospitals in a six-county area competing to survive. Fewer patients are walking through their doors for a host of reasons.
Hospitals and doctors are being paid to keep patients healthy and away from costly overnight stays, and can get reimbursed at lower rates if they don’t. Advances in technology have led to same-day surgeries. Huge population shifts gutted many minority neighborhoods in the city anchored by hospitals. Consumers have plenty more options to get care, with clinics popping up inside retail pharmacies like Walgreens that compete with family physicians. The ripple effect? A lot of empty hospital beds.
I spent months analyzing public records and conducting dozens of interviews about my findings. The main bar focused on the issue and the impact. The sidebars explored how even a young, suburban hospital projected for rapid growth is empty, while another health system had radical plans to deal with its unused beds.