Over the past 40 years, the  number of U.S. hospitals declined by 12 percent, from more than 7,100 in 1975 to 6,200 in 2017, according to the latest American Hospital Association survey. And, yet, despite shuttering nearly 1,000 facilities, hospitals remain the nation's largest source of healthcare spending, accounting for  $1.1 trillion annually (or 33% of all national healthcare expenditures). Much of that money goes to the  7.5 million people employed by hospitals who, together, make up nearly half the nation's healthcare workforce. 

These statistics tell the story of an industry struggling to right-size its workforce, bring down costs and, ultimately, achieve more with less. If there's a silver liningit's that we've seen this story play out before in another industry. To the benefit of the entire country, U.S. agriculture overcame many of the same struggles that hospitals face today.     Read More