The groups said they studied the trend of sprawling Catholic healthcare organizations to gauge how it affects patient access to reproductive health services, which are normally restricted at Catholic-sponsored facilities.
Here are five statistics on Catholic hospital and health system mergers, based on the ACLU and MergerWatch report.
• Between 2001 and 2011, the number of Catholic-affiliated acute-care hospitals increased by 16 percent. Only for-profit hospitals grew faster than Catholic-based facilities.
• In 2011, 10 percent of all acute-care hospitals were Catholic.
• The number of beds in Catholic-based facilities grew by 13 percent from 2001 to 2011.
• In 2011, one out of every nine acute-care beds was at a Catholic-affiliated hospital.
• Ten of the 25 largest health systems in the United States are Catholic.
More Articles on Catholic Hospital Transactions:
California County Considers Buying 2 Daughters of Charity Hospitals
CHI Acquires Memorial Health System of East Texas
ACLU Sues Catholic Bishops Over Directives for Catholic Hospitals
