Hospital services is the largest single category of healthcare at 30% of total healthcare spending in 2007, or $696.5 billion, as reported by CMS. CMS projects the hospital services category to grow by at least 6.4% per year through 2017. It expects growth in hospital healthcare spending to continue due to the aging of the U.S. population and consumer demand for expanded medical services. As hospitals remain the primary setting for healthcare delivery, CMS expects hospital services to remain the largest category of healthcare spending. Knowledge Source's Hospital Systems Market Overview identifies the more than 30 organizations that operate the most hospitals in the U.S. Each company profile provides (when available): company background, summary of recent corporate developments with strategy insights, performance data, and hospital locations. The Hospital Market Overview also identifies some of the major issues/trends affecting the hospital industry today.