We were asked to measure the impact of the closure of King-Harbor Hospital on the distribution of uninsured patients admitted to other public and private hospitals. Accordingly, to help answer this question we engaged the National Health Foundation (NHF) to analyze hospital discharge data reported by hospitals to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) and available to the public.

We concluded from NHF’s analysis that much of the change to hospital inpatient utilization experienced by the hospitals directly impacted by the closure of King-Harbor Hospital took place over a year before King-Harbor closed.  Moreover, when King-Harbor closed in the second quarter of 2007, the hospital was operating with a downsized emergency room and approximately 42 staffed beds.  Accordingly, we doubt that the eventual closure directly affected utilization at other hospitals significantly.  Rather, a confluence of factors account for the changes in hospital utilization throughout the region. They include the following:

1. Changes in service delivery and capacity at King-Harbor Hospital over time
2. The closure of five private hospitals in or around the King-Harbor service area during the analysis period
3. Sizable reductions in admissions at LAC+USC Medical Center and low-to-moderate reductions at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
4. Changes in the County’s patient transfer policy
5. An overall increase in demand for hospital inpatient services by the residents of Los Angeles County