U.S. Acute Hospital Care Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Medical Condition (Emergency Care, Trauma Care), By Facility Type, By Service (Intensive Care Unit, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit)- Industry Analysis, Share, Growth, Regional Outlook and Forecasts, 2023-2032

The U.S. Acute Hospital Care market size was exhibited at USD 1,580.12 billion in 2022 and is projected to hit around USD 3,022.28 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period 2023 to 2032.

Key Pointers:

• The emergency care segment dominated the market for acute hospital care in the U.S. and accounted for a revenue share of 55.9% in 2022.
• The general acute care facilities segment held the maximum revenue share of 61.3% in 2022
• The ICU segment dominated the U.S. acute hospital care market and accounted for the largest revenue share of 59.8% in 2022.

Report Scope of the U.S. Acute Hospital Care Market

Its growth can be attributed to factors such as the growing geriatric population, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, and favorable public reimbursement available for the services through Medicare and Medicaid. According to NCBI studies, individuals over the age of 65 years are at a greater risk of developing chronic illnesses, which could lead to acute exacerbations of underlying chronic diseases. As per the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of people aged 65 was 40.3 million in 2010 and increased to 54.1 million, as of July 2019. The number of elderly patients with critical illnesses has significantly increased over the past few years.

Significant increase in the number of patients suffering from chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke is driving the market growth. Increasing incidence of trauma, demand for acute hospitals, and unmet medical needs are expected to boost growth. In addition, technological advancements for improving the quality of treatment to reduce Length of Stay (LOS) and achieve a faster Turnaround Time (TOT) are expected to aid growth. As per the CMS Hospital Compare List, the U.S. has roughly 4,749 acute care hospitals.

According to Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the vast majority of these hospitals- about 70%- are part of a healthcare system. This trend may increase the importance of these facilities in determining how people are treated. According to CDC in 2018, each year, around 2.8 million people in the U.S. suffer from traumatic brain injuries, which lead to approximately 56,000 deaths and 282,000 hospitalizations. Around 2.5 million of these patients are treated and released from the emergency room annually. In addition, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, each year, around 17,730 cases of spinal cord injury are recorded in the U.S., out of which, around 20% to 30% opt for neurological rehabilitation.

Acute hospital care aims to help patients attain stable and healthy medical conditions as well as discharge them as early as possible. The aforementioned factors are anticipated to drive the overall market growth in the coming years. The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on healthcare utilization across all sectors of the U.S. healthcare system. Hospitals were flooded with COVID-19 patients, straining ICUs beyond their customary capacity and increasing mental health boarding. ICU utilization declined following the initial increase, however, ICU/CCU days remained greater than that in 2019. As per Massachusetts HPC Report, ICU/CCU days increased by 10.0% between 2019 and 2020, despite a decline in admissions. Moreover, healthcare utilization of non-COVID-19 patients decreased as a result of a variety of factors, including state and federal guidance intended to preserve needed hospital bed capacity while minimizing infection transmission, patient reluctance to receive in-person care, and shift to telehealthcare.

Medical Condition Insights

The emergency care segment dominated the market for acute hospital care in the U.S. and accounted for a revenue share of 55.9% in 2022. The growing prevalence of communicable illnesses among patients, rising burden of burn and trauma injuries, and increase in the incidence of cardiovascular diseases are some of the major factors driving the growth of the segment.  The dominant share of the segment can be attributed to a wide range of services being offered as emergency treatment at hospitals to patients suffering from life- or limb-threatening conditions. Life-threatening situations include acute myocardial infarction or heart attack, Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA) or stroke, extreme difficulty in breathing, severe bleeding, acute abdominal pain, poisoning, broken bones, severe allergic reactions, burns, and lacerations, and trauma cases such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Limb-threatening emergencies include acute compartment syndrome and brachial artery aneurysms.

A high number of hospital visits due to traumatic conditions is expected to contribute to the market growth of the trauma care segment. For instance, TBI is a major cause of disability and death in the U.S. According to Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), in 2017, a total of 801,700 ED visits occurred due to TBI. There were 0.3 million hospital visits due to accidents and 35 million due to injury, in the U.S., according to National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

Facility Type Insights

The general acute care facilities segment held the maximum revenue share of 61.3% in 2022, as the majority of admissions were due to short-term acute care. Patients suffering from acute diseases, illnesses, or injuries are initially admitted to these hospital facilities. On the other hand, the psychiatric hospitals segment is projected to witness remarkable growth during the forecast period. Growing awareness about mental disorders is expected to aid in the growth of this segment. According to NCBI studies, individuals over the age of 65 years are at a greater risk of developing chronic illnesses, which could lead to acute exacerbations of underlying chronic diseases.

As per the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of people aged 65 was 40.3 million in 2010 and increased to 54.1 million, as of July 2019. The number of elderly patients with critical illnesses has significantly increased over the past few years. Specialty hospitals provide specialized treatment for medical illnesses that require a subset of specific expertise and technologies. In recent years, specialized hospitals have been established to focus on orthopedic surgery, cardiovascular surgery, and general and surgical women's health. There has been an increase in the demand for specialized inpatient and outpatient care. This coupled with the rising number of specialist doctors is likely to favor the growth of the market for acute hospital care in the U.S.

Rehabilitation services include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, cognitive therapy, respiratory treatment, psychotherapy services, and prosthetic/orthotic services. Inpatient rehabilitation is necessary when an individual's medical situation precludes the provision of requisite services in a less intensive setting. Individuals with serious functional deficits linked with spinal cord injuries, stroke, acquired brain injuries, major burns, and trauma are examples of conditions needing inpatient rehabilitation. Increasing demand for rehabilitation services is fueling the segment growth.

Service Insights

The ICU segment dominated the U.S. acute hospital care market and accounted for the largest revenue share of 59.8% in 2022. Increasing patient volume seeking intensive monitoring and nursing round the clock is contributing to the growth of the segment. ICUs are staffed by multidisciplinary teams of highly skilled physicians and support professionals. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 5,578 reporting hospitals operate 80,933 staffed ICU beds, including 24,920 ICU beds in use for COVID-19 treatment as of January 2022.

The NICU segment is expected to witness lucrative growth in the coming years owing to increased demand for safer and better services for newborns, particularly during pandemics such as COVID-19. According to CDC, preterm births affected 1 of every 10 infants born in the U.S. in 2019. The rate of preterm births among African American women was 14.9%, which was higher than preterm births among white women (9.3%) and Hispanic women (10%). All the above factors are expected to contribute to increasing the demand for NICUs.

CCU is a specialist hospital ward dedicated to the treatment of individuals suffering from significant or urgent cardiac issues. Individuals undergoing cardiac surgery are also admitted to CCU for recovery. According to the AHA 2021 annual survey, the U.S. has 15,160 CCU beds. As per CDC, approximately 805,000 people suffer heart attacks each year. Furthermore, each year, up to 200,000 people in the U.S. undergo coronary bypass surgery. As a result, CCU is typically a busy area in most hospitals. Thus, the increasing prevalence of cardiovascular conditions is a primary factor responsible for segment growth.

Some of the prominent players in the U.S. Acute Hospital Care Market include:

• TH Medical (Tenet Healthcare Corporation)
• Universal Health Services Inc.
• Community Health Systems, Inc.
• Ascension
• Lifepoint Health, Inc.
• Ardent Health Services
• Emerus Hospital Partners, LLC
• Stanford Health Care, Inc.
• NYU Langone Hospitals
• NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts the volume and revenue growth at the country level and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2018 to 2032. For this study, Nova one advisor has segmented the U.S. Acute Hospital Care market.

By Medical Condition 

• Emergency care
• Short-term stabilization
• Trauma care
• Acute care surgery
• Others

By Facility Type 

• General Acute Care Hospitals
• Psychiatric Hospitals
• Specialized Hospitals
• Rehabilitation Hospitals
• Long Term Acute Care (LTAC)

By Service 

• Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
• Coronary Care Unit (CCU)
• Others

By Region 

• Northeast
• Southeast
• Southwest
• Midwest
• West