Hospitals nationwide showed a modest but solid uptick in operating margins in April, according to the latest report from hospital and higher education consultancy firm Kaufman Hall. Although March was when hospitals first achieved positive margins even without federal assistance, April's data…
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Hospitals nationwide showed a modest but solid uptick in operating margins in April, according to the latest report from hospital and higher education consultancy firm Kaufman Hall. Although March was when hospitals first achieved positive margins even without federal assistance, April s data affirmed an upward trend.
The Chicago-based firm last week released its National Hospital Flash Report Summary: May 2021, a report on hospital performance across the country. It reviewed April s financial data for over 900 hospitals nationwide, including margins, patient volume, revenue, expenses and other nonoperating data.
Slowly, the financial health of the nation's healthcare institutions are improving. Hospitals and health systems continued to see performance improvements in April compared to the devastating losses experienced in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospital margins, volumes, and revenues were up across most performance metrics both year-to-date and year-over-year, but
Dive Brief:
The finances of U.S. hospitals continue to improve as the coronavirus pandemic wanes, following months of steep losses last year, according to a new report from Kaufman Hall.
In April, hospital margins, volumes and revenues were up across most performance metrics year to date and year over year, though they were down compared to March, the consultancy found.
Researchers called the results encouraging, but noted they were more indicative of a recovering industry following the record-low performance seen in the first two months of COVID-19 in 2020, rather than strong performance overall this year.
Dive Insight:
Hospitals struggled last year as COVID-19 dampened volumes and increased expenses, though many large chains, at least on paper, seem to be in better financial shape than they were before the pandemic.