JAMA Netw Open

U.S. hospital occupancy could hit critical 85% by 2032 due to staffing shortages

March 6, 2025

Findings underscore the urgent need for strategic workforce planning and policy interventions to address staffing shortages in health care. Ensuring adequate staffing levels is crucial to maintaining hospital bed availability and providing timely patient care.

Study design: A cross-sectional analysis conducted by UCLA researchers was utilized to examine the correlation between health care staffing shortages and hospital bed availability. Data were collected from HHS as part of COVID-19 data tracking efforts, encompassing various hospitals across the U.S. Analysis focused on identifying trends and potential future shortages in hospital bed capacity due to staffing constraints.

Results: National hospital occupancy average postpandemic increased to 75%, up from 63.9% prepandemic. This rise is primarily due to a 16% reduction in the number of staffed hospital beds, rather than an increase in hospitalizations. Mean daily census remained around 510,000, with significant state-to-state variation in post-pandemic hospital occupancy. Experts suggest that an 85% national hospital occupancy indicates a bed shortage; findings suggest that the U.S. could reach this critical level by 2032, with some states at even higher risk.

Source:

Leuchter RK, et al. (2025, February 3). JAMA Netw Open. Health Care Staffing Shortages and Potential National Hospital Bed Shortage. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11840646/