Do Hospital Closures Affect Patient Time in an Ambulance?

When a hospital closes in a community, patients needing emergency care may spend more time in an ambulance to receive care in an emergency department (ED). We explore how hospital closures affect the time a patient travels from an incident location where 9-1-1 was called to the ED in an ambulance. Rural patients average an estimated 11 additional minutes in an ambulance the year after a hospital closure in their zip code, a 76% increase compared to before the closure. Urban and suburban patients have no change in transportation time in zip codes where a hospital closes. Patients over 64 years old in rural areas spend 14 additional minutes in an ambulance after a hospital closes, doubling their time in an ambulance