have any health care provider had economic difficulty or even closed?

Answer 1

Over the years I've been in practice, I've seen physicians go bankrupt and pharmacies go under. Although it's before my time, hospitals have gone baknrupt, too, and some of the health maintainence organizations that were formed in the earlier days of HMO/PPO formation went belly up. Saw a rather large, multi-specialty clinic go under around here, oh, about ten or fifteen years ago. The individual physicians were able to salvage things for themselves without going insolvent, but the corporation that "owned" the clinic went bankrupt.

As to economic difficulty, all of them have it from time to time, and at this point in time, as third party payer and Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement is getting tighter, but costs are getting higher (for supplies, for competant personnel, for durable goods, etc), more and more hospitals are struggling to keep afloat.

Bit of a rambling answer, when the basic answer is YES!!!!!

Answer 2

It's like all businesses out there. Some fail and some succeed.

Answer 3

Only the small ones, the larger ones wont suffer due to who they know, not what they know .

Answer 4

Yes and yes.