KFF Health News covers health care in the Midwest, with a bureau headquartered in St. Louis and staff reporters based in Iowa and South Dakota.

The Collapse Of A Hospital Empire — And Towns Left In The Wreckage

Jorge A. Perez and his management company, EmpowerHMS, helped run an empire of rural hospitals. Now, in a staggering implosion, 12 of them have entered bankruptcy and eight have closed their doors, leaving hundreds of residents without jobs and their communities without lifesaving emergency medical care. So, what happened?