Pennsylvania Hospitals Made $136.1B Impact in FY 2018

The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania report found that hospitals also supported more than one in every 10 jobs.

Hospitals in Pennsylvania made a total economic impact of $136.1 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, according to a Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) report released Tuesday.

Of the total economic impact, $60.5 billion were the result of "direct impact," such as employee salaries, benefits, as well as goods and services for hospital operations. Another $75.6 billion were the result of "ripple impact," such as additional economic effects of a hospital in a community.

HHAP also found that hospitals supported more than 650,000 jobs, accounting for more than one in every 10 jobs in the state and providing $32.3 billion in total wages. Nearly 300,000 jobs were directly associated with hospitals while 363,000 jobs were associated with "ripple effects" of health systems.

The study's findings point to the significant economic impact provider organizations have in the Keystone State and the need to promote policies that foster continued growth, according to Sari Siegel, PhD, vice president of healthcare research at HAP.

"While overall growth projections are strong, some hospitals remain financially stressed. Our work illustrates that hospitals often are the backbones of their communities and closure could cause devastating economic ripples throughout a region," Siegel said in a statement. "The findings of this report underscore the need for policies that bolster hospitals' long-term sustainability."

Pennsylvania hospitals have contributed significantly to the state's economy in recent years and have also made headlines throughout 2019.

Hahnemann University Hospital, a Pennsylvania-based hospital, filed for bankruptcy and closed over the summer. A group of six Philadelphia-based health systems won the hospital at auction for $55 million in early August.

The report was also released days after two Pennsylvania-based health systems, Tower Health and Drexel University, finalized a $50 million acquisition of St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, a 188-bed pediatric medical center in Philadelphia.

There are 253 hospitals in Pennsylvania, according to HAP, with more than 37,600 staffed beds. The report also found that hospitals are among the 10 largest employers in 85% of counties across the state.

The total economic impact of Pennsylvania hospitals in FY 2018 grew by nearly $50 billion over the past decade, according to a HAP analysis of data collected from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Additionally, Pennsylvania hospitals received nearly $2 billion in research allocations from HHS and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute in FY 2018.

Jack O'Brien is the Content Team Lead and Finance Editor at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.