Study: Physician-owned hospitals threaten access to care in rural communities

The American Hospital Association and Federation of American Hospitals released a study finding that expanding physician-owned hospitals in rural communities would threaten access to care for all residents. The study, conducted by Dobson | DaVanzo, demonstrates that should a POH open in the same market as a full-service rural hospital, the full-service hospital’s margins would decrease significantly as the POH siphons off healthier and better-insured patients, risking access to care and community jobs. In an AHA blog, Don May, FAH executive vice president of policy, and Ashley Thompson, AHA senior vice president of public policy analysis and development, argue against legislation (H.R. 3022) introduced in Congress that would remove restrictions on the establishment of POHs in rural areas. (AHA News article, 11/18/25)