Healthcare Council recently released the Flash Survey for the Fourth Quarter 2019 to participating members. The year-end report, which covers the 12-month period beginning July 1, 2018, and ending June 30, 2019, shows similar trends from the past few years.
A growing number of hospitals are experiencing a loss from operations. In 2018, 24 hospitals or 39 percent, experienced a loss from operations compared to 30 hospitals, or 49 percent, in 2019.
In addition, increasing levels of high deductibles, coinsurance and copays have continued to result in decreasing volumes of surgery cases and emergency room visits.
Hospitals in the region continue to care for a large proportion of Medicare and Medical Assistance patients. The combined Medicare and Medical Assistance volume percentages are 72 percent for inpatients and 58 percent for outpatients.
Average operating margins were 4.41 percent in Fiscal Year 2018 and 3.94 percent in Fiscal Year 2019. Average operating margins for hospitals under 100 beds were negative 2.37 percent in Fiscal Year 2018 and negative 2.30 percent in 2019.
