Findings suggest that many hospitals' negotiating leverage significantly increased after years of decline. Today, many hospitals are viewed as having the greatest leverage in local markets. Changes in three areas—the policy and purchasing context, managed care plan market, and hospital...

The end of long-standing exclusive contracts between the dominant Greenville Hospital System and two major health plans, coupled with increased hospital expansion, suggests health care costs will continue to rise in Greenville.

The end of long-standing exclusive contracts between the dominant Greenville Hospital System and two major health plans, coupled with increased hospital expansion, suggests health care costs will continue to rise in Greenville.

Rapid population growth, rising unemployment, and a continuing influx of undocumented immigrants are pushing health care capacity to the brink in Phoenix.

Some experts believe that U.S. hospital capacity—especially emergency and inpatient services—is being stretched to its limits. Using data from the Community Tracking Study, the authors examine constrained hospital services, contributing factors, and hospital responses. They...