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California’s 337 general acute care (GAC) hospitals discharged 2.8 million patients and had 40.1 million outpatient visits in 2020. This quick reference guide provides an overview of the state’s GAC hospitals, including number of beds, use of services, and selected financial measures.
Key findings include:
- In 2020, GAC hospitals reported 74,594 licensed beds, which included 67,130 general acute care, 4,559 skilled nursing, and 2,781 acute psychiatric beds.
- Two-thirds of hospital inpatients were discharged home in 2020.
- Nearly half of emergency department visits in 2020 were severe or critical.
- California’s general acute care hospitals reported $105.6 billion in operating revenue and $105.5 billion in operating expenses in 2020.
- The median total margin was 5.3%, and the median operating margin was 0.8% for GAC hospitals in 2020.
These materials are part of CHCF’s California Health Care Almanac, an online clearinghouse for key data and analyses describing the state’s health care landscape. To see past editions of this almanac, contact us.
The quick reference guide and a list of general acute care hospitals in California are available for download.
Authors & Contributors
Jen Joynt
Jen Joynt is an independent health care consultant based in Berkeley, California. Her areas of expertise include quality of care; hospital organization, strategy, and operations; health care workforce trends; and the California health care marketplace. She has authored several reports and policy briefings.
