None of the credit pillars supporting healthcare funding are stable, Kaufman Hall said in an Aug. 12 report.
Such a scenario goes for bank credit at both a regional and national level, according to the report. And pressures facing the U.S. as a whole after Fitch downgraded the nation from "AAA" to "AA+" on Aug. 1 are reflected in healthcare, Managing Director Eric Jordahl wrote.
Healthcare leaders must therefore exhibit the best governance possible amid difficult headwinds, supported by good decision-making and strategic execution.
"Navigating the current cycle and positioning for the next requires planning that might be led by operations and strategy but that also lays out the playbook for an active and responsive balance sheet," he said. "The imperative is one unified view of strategy-operations-balance sheet that emerges from a coordinated and integrated planning process."