Category Archives: Hospital

Sutter Health’s rising expenses and rough investments yield a $457M net loss for Q2 2022

Posted on by • Posted in Credit, Credit Quality, Credit Ratings, Financial Performance, Financial Pressure, Financial Reporting, Health System, Hospital, Hospital Industry, Net Income, Nonoperating Income, Operating Expense Reduction, Operating Expenses, Operating Income, Operating Margin, Operating Metrics, Operating Model, Operating Performance, Operating Revenue • Leave a comment
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/sutter-healths-rising-expenses-and-rough-investments-yield-457m-net-loss-q2-2022?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HC-NL-FierceHealthcare&oly_enc_id=8564C4000334E5C

Updated on Aug. 5 with comments from Sutter Health.

A $457 million net loss for the quarter ended June 30 has brought Sutter Health even deeper into the red for 2022, according to new financial filings.

The Sacramento-based nonprofit health system brought in $3.49 billion in total operating revenues from the quarter, down slightly from the prior year’s $3.51 billion.

At the same time, the system’s operating expenses grew from $3.41 billion in the second quarter of 2021 to $3.55 billion in the most recent quarter, driven by $30 million and $151 million year-over-year increases in salaries and purchased services, respectively. The latter includes the increased professional fees being felt by labor-strapped systems across the country.

These led the system to report a $51 million operating loss for the quarter as opposed to the $106 million operating gain from last year’s equivalent quarter.

“Poorly” performing financial markets also took a toll on Sutter’s numbers. The system’s quarterly investment income dipped from $251 million to $56 million from 2021 to 2022. A $495 million downward change in net unrealized gains and losses on its investments was also a stark reversal from the prior year’s $270 million increase.

The new numbers cement what was already looking to be a tricky year for Sutter Health, which had previously reported a $184 million net loss for its opening quarter.

Despite a 1.5% year-over-year operating revenue increase to $7.05 billion for the opening six months, a 1.7% year-over-year operating revenue bump places the system’s year-to-date income at $44 million (0.6% operating margin), slightly below last year’s $57 million (0.8% operating margin).

However, market struggles through both quarters and a $208 million loss tied to the disaffiliation of Samuel Merritt University now has Sutter sitting at a $641 million net loss for the opening half of 2022. The system was up $825 million at the same time last year.

“Sutter’s finances have stabilized, but our year-to-date numbers show we still have more affordability work ahead as we strive to best position Sutter Health to serve our patients and communities into the future,” the system wrote in an email statement. “We are grateful for our employees and clinicians who have worked diligently over the last several years to help bring our costs down—at the same time managing through the pandemic and continuing to provide high-quality, nationally recognized care.”

Sutter noted in the filing that it is or will be in labor negotiations with much of its unionized workforce, as 43% of its contract agreements have either expired or will be running their course within the year.

The filing also included notice of a handful of legal matters that have yet to be resolved. These include an antitrust verdict in favor of Sutter that is being appealed by the plaintiff, a lawsuit regarding an alleged privacy breach of two anonymous plaintiffs and two separate class-action complaints regarding employee retirement plan funding, among others.

“The organization continues to face financial headwinds like inflation and increased staffing costs, as evidenced by our near breakeven operating margin,” Sutter said in a statement. “Even still, we are encouraged that independent ratings agencies have recently acknowledged our efforts to date. In the second quarter, Moody’s, S&P and Fitch all affirmed the system’s existing ‘A’ category bond ratings.”

Much of Sutter’s pains are being felt across the industry. A recent Kaufman Hall industrywide report showed only marginal relief from expenses and middling non-COVID volume recovery through June, while a Fitch Ratings update on nonprofit hospitals warned that these challenges and broader inflation pressures will likely weigh down the sector through 2022.

Inpatient payment increase not enough, AHA says

Posted on by • Posted in American Hospital Association (AHA), Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Financial Performance, Financial Pressure, Financial Viability, Financially Distressed, Health Policy, Health System, Hospital, Hospital Industry, Medicare Reimbursement, Operating Expense Reduction, Operating Expenses, Operating Income, Operating Margin, Operating Metrics, Operating Model, Operating Performance, Operating Revenue, Transformation, Transformational Change • Leave a comment

https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/inpatient-payment-increase-not-enough-aha-says?mkt_tok=NDIwLVlOQS0yOTIAAAGGA2hNPoWk8cdzEHcBC5xk1t_79ltx5DUnzCdiUWpAvrtC-_vON29agi9pNZf0kUGl9cKeinq1FXBXdCEr_RCHDNPIsIG9WjhKw1KLwH8

Hospitals are forced to absorb inflationary expenses, particularly related to supporting their workforce, AHA says.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ increase in the inpatient payment rate for 2023 is welcome but not enough to offset expenses, according to the American Hospital Association.

CMS set a 4.1% market basket update for 2023 in its final rule released Monday, calling it the highest in the last 25 years. The increase was due to the higher cost in compensation for hospital workers.

The final rule gave inpatient hospitals a 4.3% increase for 2023, as opposed to the 3.2% increase in April’s proposed rule.

WHY THIS MATTERS

CMS used more recent data to calculate the market basket and disproportionate share hospital payments, a move that better reflects inflation and labor and supply cost pressures on hospitals, the AHA said.

“That said, this update still falls short of what hospitals and health systems need to continue to overcome the many challenges that threaten their ability to care for patients and provide essential services for their communities,” said AHA Executive Vice President Stacey Hughes. “This includes the extraordinary inflationary expenses in the cost of caring hospitals are being forced to absorb, particularly related to supporting their workforce while experiencing severe staff shortages.”

The AHA would continue to urge Congress to take action to support the hospital field, including by extending the low-volume adjustment and Medicare-dependent hospital programs, Hughes said.

In late July, Senate and House members urged CMS to increase the inpatient hospital payment.

Premier, which works with hospitals, also said the 4.3% payment update falls short of reflecting the rising labor costs that hospitals have experienced since the onset of the pandemic. 

“Coupled with record high inflation, this inadequate payment bump will only exacerbate the intense financial pressure on American hospitals,” said Soumi Saha, senior vice president of Government Affairs for Premier.

THE LARGER TREND

Recent studies show hospitals remain financially challenged since the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on revenue and supply chain and labor expenses. Piled onto that has been inflation that has added to soaring expenses.

Hospital margins were up slightly from May to June, but are still significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels, according to a Flash Report from Kaufman Hall.

The effects of the pandemic on the healthcare industry have been profound, resulting in the creation of new business models, according to a report from McKinsey.

Transformational change is necessary as hospitals have been hit hard by eroding margins due to cost inflation and expenses, Fitch found.

HOSPITALS SEE NEGATIVE MARGINS FOR SIXTH CONSECUTIVE MONTH

Posted on by • Posted in Financial Distress, Financial Performance, Health System, Hospital, Hospital Industry, Labor Spend Management, Net Income, Nonoperating Income, Operating Expense Reduction, Operating Expenses, Operating Income, Operating Margin, Operating Metrics, Operating Model, Operating Performance, Operating Revenue, Physician Practice Management, Productivity • Leave a comment

https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/finance/hospitals-see-negative-margins-sixth-consecutive-month

Expenses are still weighing heavily on hospitals, health systems, and physician’s practices as the cost of care continues to rise.

Hospitals, health systems, and physician’s practices are still struggling under the weight of significant financial pressure, that the rise in patient volume and revenue can’t seem to outweigh.

The increase in patient volume and revenue has not been able to offset the historically high operating margins these organizations are facing, according to data from Kaufman Hall’s National Hospital Flash Report and Physician Flash Report. Hospitals, health systems, and physician’s practices dealt with negative margins in June for the sixth consecutive month this year.

“To say that 2022 has challenged healthcare providers is an understatement,” Erik Swanson, a senior vice president of data and analytics with Kaufman Hall, said in an email report. “It’s unlikely that hospitals and health systems can undo the damage caused by the COVID-19 waves of earlier this year, especially with material and labor costs at record highs this summer.”

The median Kaufman Hall year-to-date operating margin index for hospitals was -0.09% through June, for the sixth month of cumulative negative actual operating margins. However, the median change in operating margin in June was up 30.8% compared to May, but down 49.3% from June 2021.

Hospital revenues for June continued to trend upward, even as volumes evened out, according to the Kauffman Hall data. Organizations saw a 2.1% drop in patient length of stay. Both patient days and emergency department visits each dropped by 2.6% in June when compared to May. Hospital’s gross operating revenue was up 1.2% in June from May.

Expenses have been dragging down hospital margins for months, however, June saw a slight month-over-month improvement as total hospital expenses dropped 1.3%, despite this, year-over-year expenses are still up 7.5% from June 2021. Physician practices saw a drop in provider compensation, according to the Kaufman Hall data, however, this wasn’t enough to offset expenses. The competitive labor market for healthcare support staff resulted in a new high for total direct expense per provider FTE in Q2 2022 of $619,682—up 7% from the second quarter of 2021 and 12% from the second quarter of 2020.

“Given the trends in the data, physician practices need to focus on efficiency in the second half of 2022,” Matthew Bates, managing director and Physician Enterprise service line lead with Kaufman Hall, said in the email report. “Amid historically high expenses, shifting some services away from physicians to advanced practice providers like nurse practitioners or physician assistants could help rein in the costs of treating an increased patient load while taking some of the weight off the shoulders of physicians.”

Large nonprofit health systems in the spotlight again for not providing enough charity care

Posted on by • Posted in Charity Care, Community Benefit, Health Policy, Health System, Hospital, Hospital Industry, Tax Exempt Status • Leave a comment

https://mailchi.mp/ff342c47fa9e/the-weekly-gist-july-22-13699925?e=d1e747d2d8

A recent Wall Street Journal analysis, published this week, provides further evidence that large, nonprofit health systems often offer less charity care than their for-profit peers. It found that, on average, nonprofit systems spent 2.3 percent of their net patient revenue on financial aid for patients, whereas for-profit hospitals spent 3.4 percent.

The American Hospital Association criticized the analysis, arguing that it doesn’t fully capture the broader community benefits that nonprofit hospitals provide. Earlier this year the Lown Institute, a Boston-based think tank, also found that most nonprofit hospitals invest less in their communities and spend less on charity care than the amount they receive from tax exemptions.

The Gist: The issue of whether hospital systems should continue to enjoy tax-exempt status is a perennial stalking horse in the health policy community. The topic often gets conflated with whether nonprofit systems are truly “nonprofit”, since many larger systems make robust profits. 

There’s no question that nonprofit systems enjoy a huge economic advantage from not being subject to taxation, in return for which we should expect them to provide “community benefit” at a level commensurate with the status.

The difficulty is in defining and measuring community benefit— for example, should serving Medicaid patients count? Is it fair to count discounts for the uninsured as “charity care”, if we know prices are artificially inflated in the first place? These are thorny questions with no obvious answers, but ones that would benefit from clearer guidance and more transparency from policymakers.

For-profit hospital company earnings announcements show economic headwinds are mounting

Posted on by • Posted in For-Profit, Health System, Hospital, Hospital Industry, Margin Improvement, Market Outlook, Market Trends, Net Income, Nonoperating Income, Operating Expense Reduction, Operating Expenses, Operating Income, Operating Margin, Operating Metrics, Operating Model, Operating Performance, Operating Revenue • Leave a comment

https://mailchi.mp/ff342c47fa9e/the-weekly-gist-july-22-13699925?e=d1e747d2d8

While for-profit health system giants HCA Healthcare and Tenet Healthcare reported reductions in contract labor usage last quarter, sustained higher labor costs and sluggish demand resulted in both of them, along with Community Health Systems and Universal Health Services, seeing their net income decline in the second quarter.

Like many systems, the for-profit chains seem to have successfully weaned themselves from earlier reliance on expensive temporary nurses, but are facing more structural increases in labor costs as salaries have risen to remain competitive in a very tight labor market.

The Gist: The earnings reports from for-profit companies are a canary in the coal mine for the overall margin performance of the industry. Although investor-owned companies are vastly outnumbered by their not-for-profit peers, they often move more quickly, and with more vigor, to reduce costs in order to meet the earnings expectations of Wall Street investors. They also typically rely more heavily on volume growth—particularly emergency department visits—as a driver of earnings. 

If for-profits are now finding it more difficult to pull those levers, we’d expect that the broader universe of nonprofit systems is experiencing even tougher sledding. That’s consistent with what we’re hearing anecdotally from health systems we work with.

Washington hospitals report $929M loss over 3 months

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https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/washington-hospitals-report-929m-loss-over-3-months.html?origin=BHRE&utm_source=BHRE&utm_medium=email&utm_content=newsletter&oly_enc_id=2893H2397267F7G

Washington State Hospital Association reported a $929 million net loss due to an increase in operating expenses and nonoperating investment losses, The News Tribune reported July 21. 

The review reflected January through March 2022 and showed operating revenue increased by 5 percent; however, operating expenses increased by 11 percent. 

“This combined with non-operating investment losses, resulted in a total margin of negative 13 percent,” WSHA said in a briefing of the review July 21. 

The losses were mainly seen in urban Washington hospitals, though rural hospitals were also affected. 

“All 52 urban hospitals/health systems reported negative margins and account for 86 percent of the losses statewide,” WSHA said. “Of the independent rural hospitals responding, 18 out of 32 had negative margins.”

WSHA said lower Medicaid reimbursements were part of the problem. In the first quarter, Medicaid reimbursements covered 42 percent of the cost of care delivery. 

Pandemic pressures also had a negative effect, according to WSHA. It said federal COVID-19 relief funds have been depleted. 

Additionally, WSHA said labor costs have continued to rise because of a need to retain staff and a reliance on travel nurses with high wages. 

HCA, Tenet profits sink: 10 things to know

Posted on by • Posted in For-Profit, Health System, Hospital, Hospital Industry, Net Income, Nonoperating Income, Operating Expense Reduction, Operating Expenses, Operating Income, Operating Margin, Operating Metrics, Operating Model, Operating Performance, Operating Revenue • Leave a comment
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/hca-tenet-profits-sink-10-things-to-know.html?origin=BHRE&utm_source=BHRE&utm_medium=email&utm_content=newsletter&oly_enc_id=2893H2397267F7G

HCA Healthcare and Tenet Healthcare, two of the largest for-profit hospital operators in the U.S., reported lower net income in the second quarter of this year than in the same period of 2021. 

HCA Healthcare

1. Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, a 182-hospital system, reported revenues of $14.82 billion in the second quarter of this year, up from $14.44 billion in the same period last year. 

2. HCA’s net income totaled $1.16 billion in the second quarter of 2022, down from $1.45 billion in the same period a year ago. The second quarter of this year included $32 million in losses on the sales of facilities and and losses on retirement of debt of $78 million. 

3. HCA said same-facility admissions declined 1.2 percent year over year in the second quarter of this year. Emergency room visits were up 7.3 percent year over year. 

4. “Many aspects of our business were positive considering the challenges we faced with the labor market and other inflationary pressures on costs,” Sam Hazen, CEO of HCA, said in a July 22 earnings release. “Our teams executed well as they have in the past through other difficult environments. Again, I want to thank them for their dedication and excellent work.”

5. For the six months ended June 30, HCA reported net income of $2.43 billion on revenues of $29.77 billion. In the same period a year earlier, the company posted net income of $2.87 billion on revenues of $28.41 billion. 

Tenet Healthcare

1. Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare reported revenues of $4.64 billion in the second quarter of this year, down from $4.95 billion in the same period a year earlier. The decrease was primarily attributed to the sale of the company’s Miami-area hospitals in the third quarter of 2021 and the impact of a cybersecurity incident. 

2. The 60-hospital system ended the second quarter of this year with net income of $38 million, down from $119 million in the same quarter last year. 

3. Same-hospital admissions adjusted for outpatient activity were down 5.3 percent year over year in the second quarter of this year. Tenet said a cybersecurity incident in April that temporarily disrupted some acute care operations contributed to the decline. 

4. “We demonstrated resilience in the face of a disruptive cyber attack and discipline through challenging market conditions,” Saum Sutaria, MD, CEO of Tenet, said in a July 21 earnings release. “The ongoing diversification of Tenet driven by our capital efficient ambulatory expansion is a key differentiator that presents compelling opportunities for growth in earnings and free cash flows.”

5. Looking at the six months ended June 30, Tenet reported net income of $178 million on revenues of $9.38 billion. In the same period of 2021, the company reported net income of $216 million on revenues of $9.74 billion. 

New Jersey hospital evacuates ED after A/C breaks

Posted on by • Posted in Emergency Back Up, Emergency Care, Equipment Failure, Health System, Hospital, Hospital Evacuation • Leave a comment
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/care-coordination/new-jersey-hospital-evacuates-ed-after-a-c-breaks.html?utm_medium=email&utm_content=newsletter

Hackensack Meridian Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, N.J., part of Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health, evacuated patients July 20 after two air-conditioning units went offline, which affected the emergency department and intensive care unit.

The hospital confirmed the issue in a statement shared with Becker’s and said team members immediately acted to ensure affected patients were safely moved into unaffected areas of the facility. Some patients were also transferred to neighboring Hackensack Meridian Health facilities.

“Fortunately, our teams were able to restore air conditioning capabilities to our emergency department and ICU,” Riverview Medical said.

Although some areas of the facility remained offline July 20, the hospital estimated that service will be fully restored by the afternoon of July 21.

The air-conditioning issue at Riverview Medical comes as states across the country are facing extreme heat. As of July 20, heat warnings and advisories were issued affecting 28 states, according to the National Weather Service. 

10 health systems with strong finances

Posted on by • Posted in Credit Quality, Credit Ratings, Financial Performance, Financial Ratios, Financial Strength, Financial Viability, Health System, Hospital, Hospital Industry, Net Income, Nonoperating Income, Operating Expenses, Operating Income, Operating Margin, Operating Metrics, Operating Model, Operating Performance, Operating Revenue • Leave a comment
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/10-health-systems-with-strong-finances-0720.html?origin=BHRE&utm_source=BHRE&utm_medium=email&utm_content=newsletter&oly_enc_id=1727F7626990D7P

Here are 10 health systems with strong operational metrics and solid financial positions, according to reports from Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.

1. AnMed Health has an “AA-” rating and stable outlook with Fitch. The Anderson, S.C.-based system has a leading market share in most service lines, strong operating performance and very solid EBITDA margins, Fitch said. 

2. Banner Health has an “AA-” rating and stable outlook with Fitch. The Phoenix-based health system’s core hospital delivery system and growth of its insurance division combine to make it a successful highly integrated delivery system, Fitch said. The credit rating agency said it expects Banner to maintain operating EBITDA margins of about 8 percent on an annual basis, reflecting the growing revenues from the system’s insurance division and large employed physician base. 

3. Franciscan Alliance has an “AA” rating and stable outlook with Fitch. The Mishawaka, Ind.-based health system has a very strong cash position and maintains leading market shares in seven of its nine defined primary service areas, Fitch said. The health system benefits from a good payer mix, the credit rating agency said. 

4. Gundersen Health System has an “AA-” rating and stable outlook with Fitch. The La Crosse, Wis.-based health system has strong balance sheet metrics and a leading market position and expanding operating platform in its service area, Fitch said. The credit rating agency expects the health system to return to strong operating performance as it emerges from disruption related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

5. Hackensack Meridian Health has an “AA-” rating and stable outlook with Fitch. The Edison, N.J.-based health system has shown consistent year-over-year increases in market share and has a solid liquidity position, Fitch said. 

6. Falls Church, Va.-based Inova Health System has an “Aa2” rating and stable outlook with Moody’s. The health system has a consistently strong operating cash flow margin and ample balance sheet resources, Moody’s said. Inova’s financial excellence will remain undergirded by its favorable regulatory and economic environment, the credit rating agency said. 

7. Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare has an “Aa1” rating and stable outlook with Moody’s. The health system has exceptional credit quality, which will continue to benefit from its leading market position in Utah, Moody’s said. The credit rating agency said the health system’s merger with Broomfield, Colo.-based SCL Health will give Intermountain greater geographic reach. 

8. Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Parkview Health has an “Aa3” rating and stable outlook with Moody’s. The health system has a leading market position with expansive tertiary and quaternary clinical services in northeastern Indiana and northwestern Ohio, Moody’s said. The credit rating agency said the stable outlook reflects management’s ability to generate strong operating performance during the pandement and with less favorable reimbursement rates. 

9. UnityPoint Health has an “AA-” rating and stable outlook with Fitch. The Des Moines, Iowa-based health system has strong leverage metrics and cash position, Fitch said. The credit rating agency expects the health system’s balance sheet and debt service coverage metrics to remain robust. 

10. Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health has an “AA-” rating and stable outlook with Fitch. The health system’s turnaround efforts, brand recognition and market presence will help it return to strong operating

Megadeals lift healthcare M&A revenues to record in Q2

Posted on by • Posted in Health System, Hospital, Hospital Industry, Market Consolidation, Market Trends, Nursing Home, Specialty Care • Leave a comment

https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/Kaufman-Hall-second-quarter-healthcare-report-megadeal/627260/

Dive Brief:

  • Healthcare mergers reached a record-high $19.2 billion in total transacted revenue in the second quarter of this year, led by the planned tie-up of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health and several other large deals, according to the latest quarterly M&A report from Kaufman Hall.
  • Still, the number of healthcare transactions announced during the second quarter remained below pre-pandemic levels at just 13 deals, one more than the record-low total seen in the first quarter of this year. Activity so far in 2022 underscores what could be a longer-term shift toward fewer but larger hospital deals, the industry consultants said.
  • Kaufman Hall also predicted continued interest in partnerships between health systems and skilled nursing facilities that can offer new services or more specialized care. Such facilities can support patients’ earlier discharge from inpatient care to a lower-cost setting and can help reduce hospital re-admissions, the report said.

Dive Insight:

Dealmaking in the first half of the year continues a sluggish pace established in 2021, when just 49 health system mergers were announced all year. Last year’s tally marked the lowest annual deal total in a decade, according to Kaufman Hall.

But deals are getting larger. The second quarter’s $19.2 billion in transacted revenue is more than double the total of $8.5 billion seen in the second quarter of 2021, when a similar number of transactions was announced.

Megamergers, in which the seller’s annual revenue tops $1 billion, remain an ongoing trend. Kaufman Hall tracked two such deals in the second quarter: the Advocate-Atrium transaction and Trinity Health’s planned acquisition of Iowa-based MercyOne.

The second quarter saw two additional transactions with smaller-party revenue above $500 million: Bellin Health System’s merger with Gundersen Health System and George Washington University Hospital’s combination with Universal Health Services.

All told, the average size of the smaller party in a deal reached a record $1.5 billion in the second quarter. This was more than double 2021’s record average size of $619 million, Kaufman Hall found.

A couple of recent transactions illustrate the trend toward partnerships with skilled nursing facilities, the report noted. Hackensack Meridian Health announced in late March that the majority of its long-term care facilities would be acquired by Complete Care, and in April, Virtua Health announced the sale of its two skilled nursing facilities to Tryko Partners. Kaufman Hall advised Virtua Health in the transaction.