Health Hospitals that take the sickest patients are closing By Maya Goldman, Hospitals that treat patients who require extended stays have been closing at a rapid clip, driving up demand for the remaining beds and prompting health systems to appeal to the Trump administration and Congress for relief. Why it matters: The industry says it's unable to discharge certain patients who need long-term intensive care, which is adding to hospital overcrowding in a system that's already experiencing a shortage of beds. It's also stoking a debate over the cost of caring for patients with serious wounds or organ failure, or who are on ventilators once they're stabilized. The big picture: More than 25% of long-term care hospitals have closed over the past 10 years, according to the American Hospital Association. Hospital groups blame Medicare policies dating to the Obama era that they say shortchange long-term care hospitals. The issue is that they only give full payments for patients who've spent at least three days in an ICU or been on a ventilator for at least 96 hours. "What's at stake is really that opportunity for a meaningful recovery for so many patients, as well as that that additional capacity for acute care hospitals," said Jonathan Gold, the American Hospital Association's senior associate director of post-acute payment policy. Hospital trade groups last month released a list of policy changes they say would help stabilize the long-term care hospitals, including expanding the criteria for patients who qualify for Medicare-covered stays and improving the accuracy of payments. They also want stricter requirements for Medicare Advantage plans to include long-term care hospitals in their provider networks and to limit pre-treatment reviews. This year, Medicare increased long-term care hospital payments for discharges by 3%, or $72 million