Pennsylvania Hospital Closures Highlight Growing Challenges in Healthcare Access
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A new report released today details the closure of two Pennsylvania hospitals – Brandywine Hospital and Jennersville Hospital – serving as a critical case study for understanding the evolving dynamics of healthcare access within the Commonwealth. The analysis, published by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) as part of its Current Events series, underscores a concerning trend of hospital closures and consolidations across the state.
From 2018 through January 2026, a total of 10 general acute care (GAC) hospitals licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health have ceased operations. Additionally, one GAC hospital transitioned to a psychiatric facility, while 17 others merged with existing licensed GAC hospitals. Despite these closures, 10 new GAC hospitals have opened during the same period, indicating a complex shift in the state’s healthcare landscape.
Closures in Chester County: A Closer Look
The PHC4 report focuses specifically on the closures of Brandywine Hospital and Jennersville Hospital, both formerly operated by Tower Health. Jennersville Hospital ceased patient care on December 31, 2021, and Brandywine Hospital followed suit on January 31, 2022. Notably, the two facilities were located less than 20 miles apart in Chester County, raising questions about access to care for residents in the surrounding communities.
“This article offers a close look into the clinical and financial data associated with these closures,” stated a senior official at PHC4. “Additionally, it serves as a demonstration of how PHC4’s decades of collected data can be of value to stakeholders across the Commonwealth.”
The report leverages a unique dataset combining patient discharge records with annual financial information from Pennsylvania healthcare facilities. This allows for a detailed examination of diagnostic categories treated at both hospitals, as well as analysis of net patient revenue across different payer types. The official further emphasized the value of longitudinal data, stating, “…the discharge records combined with the financial information collected annually from facilities in PA provides the opportunity to examine health care topics over an extended period.”
Data-Driven Insights and Interagency Collaboration
The PHC4 analysis was strengthened by the inclusion of data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, highlighting the importance of interagency collaboration in understanding the broader impact of hospital closures. .
PHC4 was established under Pennsylvania statute (Act 89 of 1986, as amended by Act 15 of 2020) with a mandate to address rising healthcare costs. The council continues to provide comparative information on healthcare efficiency and effectiveness to consumers and group purchasers, while also identifying opportunities to contain costs and improve the quality of care.
For more information, visit phc4.org or read the full article [here](link to article).
Media contact: Barry D. Buckingham, Executive Director, PHC4, [email protected]
