Ambulance diversions following public hospital emergency department closures

Objective To examine whether hospitals are more likely to temporarily close their emergency departments (EDs) to ambulances (through ambulance diversions) if neighboring diverting hospitals are public vs private. Data Sources/Study Setting Ambulance diversion logs for California hospitals, discharge data, and hospital characteristics data from California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development and the American Hospital Association (2007). Study Design We match public and private (nonprofit or for‐profit) hospitals by distance and size. We use random‐effects models examining diversion probability and timing of private hospitals following diversions by neighboring public vs matched private hospitals. Data Collection/Extraction Methods N/A. Principal Findings Hospitals are 3.6 percent more likely to declare diversions if neighboring diverting hospitals are public vs private (P