Rural hospitals in the US have been facing a prolonged, multifaceted crisis. The literature presents several reasons for why healthcare facilities in rural areas struggle, including shrinking budgets, rising chronic illness and public health issues like addiction and obesity, poor telehealth and broadband access, aging populations, deteriorating mental health, and…

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Editor's Note The median hospital margin of 3.8% for April is an improvement over the previous month and year-over-year, according to the latest National Hospital Flash Report from Kaufman Hall. Compiled by Kaufman and Syntellis Performance Solutions (now part of Strata), the monthly report analyzes 3 years’ worth of both…

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Editor's Note Solid operating margins and an improved payer mix contributed to robust financial outcomes for HCA Healthcare in the first quarter of 2024, including “significant growth” in inpatient admissions, surgeries and emergency room visits, according to an April 29 article on Investing.com. According to the report, outpatient surgery revenue…

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Editor's Note Private payers initially deny reimbursement on 15% of claims, only to later approve more than half of those initial denials, according to a national survey of healthcare institutions published March 21 by Premiere, Inc. Additionally, the denied claims on average tend to be more prevalent for higher-cost treatments…

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Editor's Note Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) specializing in orthopedic and spine procedures are seeing a surge in growth, Orthopedics This Week April 2 reports. An "Impact of Change Forecast" report from Sg2, a Vizient Inc company, forecasts a 12% increase in orthopedics/spine ASCs in the next 5 years and a…

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Editor's Note Data collected from more than 1,300 hospitals nationwide for Kaufman Hall’s National Hospital Flash Report shows strong margins—averaging 3.9% in February—but does not account for significant, near-term headwinds, according to a March 28 article from HealthLeaders. Revenue growth is primarily from outpatient care, and inpatient revenue continues to…

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Editor's Note More CEOs are considering rural emergency hospital (REH) designation, according to a February 12 article in Becker’s Hospital CFO Report. In January 2023, REH was established as a new Medicare provider type to enable struggling rural hospitals to continue operating with outpatient and emergency services only, instead of…

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Editor's Note “Can cost and resiliency co-exist?” Michael Schiller, CMRP, executive director (interim) of the Association for Healthcare Resources and Materials Management—a professional membership group of the American Hospital Association—asked this session’s audience on the last day of the OR Business Management Conference. “They can co-exist,” he said, “but resiliency…

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Takeaways • Perioperative business managers can make significant contributions to a hospital’s financial health, but more than half of hospitals do not have this role. • Business managers’ earnings have increased in the past 5 years, while the number of direct reports has risen slightly. • The bachelor’s degree has…

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Editor's Note:  Investors see particular opportunity for mergers in healthcare and life sciences companies, Chief Healthcare Executive reported January 5. Citing the 2024 outlook of audit, tax, and advisory firm KPMG, the report notes that 61% of investors expect deal-making to increase in these sectors, while only 9% expect to…

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