81% Of Hospital Bed Capacity Owned By Health Systems, Up From 58% In 20 Years

The share of hospital beds owned by health systems increased from 58% in 2000 to 81% in 2020, according to a national analysis that defined a health system as owning its affiliated entities, as opposed to a health network in which the affiliated entities have different owners. During this period, the number of hospital beds owned by independent hospitals declined, and the proportion of hospital markets without even one independent hospital increased from 7% to 25%.

The health system entities that acquired independent hospitals during this period already owned a median of six hospitals with 2,027 beds; they owned . . .