The largest healthcare systems in the U.S. are growing, mostly through merger and acquisition activity. For example, the 10 largest healthcare systems in 2019 owned about 18% of hospital beds. As of 2022, those same 10 healthcare systems own slightly more than 20% of U.S. hospital beds.
With increasing expenses and dwindling operating margins, it has become increasingly common for independent hospitals to give up their autonomy and affiliate with another hospital or health system. New healthcare network affiliations can help reduce costs and improve the quality of care.
The following list is the top 10 largest independent hospitals by the number of staffed beds, according to data from the Definitive Healthcare HospitalView product.
Largest independent hospitals in the U.S. by number of beds
| Rank | Definitive ID | Hospital name | Location | Hospital type | Number of staffed beds |
| 1 | 809 | Tampa General Hospital (AKA Florida Health Sciences Center) | Tampa, FL | Short-term acute care hospital | 898 |
| 2 | 3931 | Parkland Health (FKA Parkland Health and Hospital System) | Dallas, TX | Short-term acute care hospital | 801 |
| 3 | 912 | Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center | Lakeland, FL | Short-term acute care hospital | 774 |
| 4 | 3784 | The University of Tennessee Medical Center | Knoxville, TN | Short-term acute care hospital | 698 |
| 5 | 6261 | Hebrew SeniorLife - Hebrew Rehabilitation Center | Roslindale, MA | Long-term acute care hospital | 667 |
| 6 | 996 | Grady Health System (AKA Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation) | Atlanta, GA | Short-term acute care hospital | 652 |
| 7 | 3859 | University Hospital (AKA University Health) | San Antonio, TX | Short-term acute care hospital | 642 |
| 8 | 794509 | InterCommunity Blue Hills (FKA St Francis Hospital & Medical Center - Mount Sinai Campus) | Hartford, CT | Psychiatric hospital | 617 |
| 9 | 3567 | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (AKA CHOP) | Philadelphia, PA | Children’s hospital | 591 |
| 10 | 2653 | Cooper University Hospital (AKA Cooper University Health Care) | Camden, NJ | Short-term acute care hospital | 564 |
Fig. 1 Data is from the Definitive Healthcare HospitalView product and sourced from the October 2022 Medicare Cost Report release. Accessed November 2022.
What are the largest independent hospitals?
Tampa General Hospital is the largest independent hospital with nearly 900 beds. The hospital is a top teaching hospital in the country and one of the largest hospitals in Florida.
Parkland Health in Dallas, Texas – one of the top hospitals in the state – has 801 beds. And in third, Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, another top Florida hospital, has 774 beds.
Most of the hospitals on the list are short-term acute care facilities, but a long-term acute care hospital, psychiatric hospital, and children’s hospital also make an appearance.
How many hospitals in the U.S. are independent?
In the Definitive Healthcare HospitalView product, about 1,500 hospitals are not a part of a healthcare system or hospital network, indicating they are an independent facility. Independent hospitals make up about 20% of all U.S. hospitals.
What is the average size of an independent hospital?
Independent hospitals tend to be smaller than healthcare system-owned hospitals. The average number of staffed beds for the 1,496 independent hospitals tracked in HospitalView is 69. The average bed size across all U.S. hospitals is 131.
The top five independent hospitals on the list average 768 beds. In comparison, the five largest hospitals in the U.S. average 1,459 beds.
What is an independent hospital?
Independent hospitals are not owned or operated by a healthcare system, or integrated delivery network (IDN). In the HospitalView product, independent hospitals do not have a network affiliation listed. Our data and research teams use a number of resources to verify and update healthcare facility affiliations on a daily basis.
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