- Employment: Arkansas hospitals employ 48,200 individuals, with an annual combined payroll expenditure of just over $4.3 billion.
- Economic Activity of Hospital Employees: The earnings of hospital employees generate approximately$8 billion in economic activity in the state, which creates an additional estimated 46,200 jobs.
- Non-Salary Expenditures: The total impact of hospitals’ $5 billion in other non-salary expenditures is estimated at $9.2 billion per year.
- Charity Care: The report also indicates that hospitals provided $466 million in charity care in 2022, for patients who could not afford to pay for the cost of their services.
The report also notes that, while providing health care services is their core contribution, hospitals also serve their communities in a variety of other ways, including health promotion outreach, mobile disease screening, programming to combat food insecurity, health insurance access, medical-legal partnerships, and much more.
“The information provided in this year’s Economic Impact Report underscores the essential economic contributions of hospitals to our state,” said Bo Ryall, President and CEO of the Arkansas Hospital Association. “This report is crucial for understanding our advocacy mission at AHA. It illustrates how our hospitals are not only health care providers but also key drivers of economic growth and stability in Arkansas. By supporting our hospitals, we are not only protecting access to quality health care for all – we’re investing in the health and economic well-being of our state’s communities.”
About the AHA
The Arkansas Hospital Association has 105 member hospitals and health care organizations that serve Arkansans living in cities, towns, and communities located throughout the state. For more than 90 years, the AHA’s leadership has focused on advocacy that promotes initiatives to improve health care access, quality, value, service, and safety. In partnership with our members and stakeholders, the association also provides resources, builds alliances, and develops services that support Arkansas hospitals as they strive to deliver superior health care to all Arkansans.
To read the report, visit www.arkhospitals.org or https://bit.ly/2024-economic-impact-report. A technical addendum to the reported data is available upon request.