Monday, March 28, 2022

Not enough COVID? Hospitals complain there are too many beds unfilled and they're losing money

Rather remarkable article.  We had a huge COVID surge in January, but apparently this corresponded to fewer admissions.  Inpatient revenue declined 19%.  I thought that was a good thing:  the huge Omicron wave was relatively mild.  Also, some patients have stopped trusting the medical system.  Hospitals won't admit that yet.  Not that there are lots of choices when you need a hospital.

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/hospital-margins-well-below-sustainable-levels-kaufman-hall.html

Hospitals across the U.S. saw their operating margins remain negative for the second consecutive month in February as they continued to feel the repercussions of the winter omicron surge, according to Kaufman Hall's "National Hospital Flash Report: March 2022" posted March 28.

The median operating margin in February was -3.45 percent, up from -4.52 percent in January, but "still well below sustainable levels," Kaufman Hall said. 

Kaufman Hall said the improvement in hospital margin was driven by disproportionate increases among several hospitals that saw margin gains, but most hospitals reported margin declines in February. Specifically, the median operating margin was down 11.8 percent month over month...

Hospitals' gross operating revenue also decreased 7.4 percent compared to January 2022, with outpatient revenue falling 5 percent and inpatient revenue declining 19.3 percent.

Kaufman Hall noted that hospitals saw some improvement month over month in terms of expenses. Total expenses per adjusted discharge fell 4.5 percent compared to January, labor expense per adjusted discharge fell 6.1 percent and non-labor expenses per adjusted discharge was down 3.6 percent...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It seems the practice of medicine has become a for profit growth industry. Treatment always will be the most expensive and the most profitable. Some of the large hospitals in this country look like small cities. M.D. Anderson, for example. Spend a day there and see what your bill is.

Do I trust most doctors? NO!!! And, with good reason based on my personal experience. Most doctors are not all doctors however. We are seeing dedicated doctors, who care about health and wellness, speak out during the last two years.

I wonder if the hospitals will get the message. Don't 70% of doctors now work for hospitals/corporations? Seems I heard that recently. If that is correct, it should be clear what is going on.

Anonymous said...

Yesterday, I saw a woman at the grocer in pink scrubs. What is her job? Why is she wearing scrubs in the grocery store!?

Forget covid. That’s just gross.

Last I had heard visitors were still not allowed in Maine hospitals. Why are hospital staff allowed in public places in their scrubs?