Hospital margins and revenues continued to fall in November, while expenses remained above 2019 levels, according to Kaufman Hall's December Flash report, which examines metrics from the previous month.
The median hospital operating margin in November was 2.5 percent year to date with funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. Without the funds, the median hospital operating margin narrowed to -1.1 percent.
Skyrocketing COVID-19 cases are already stretching hospitals' capacity, and Kaufman Hall expects the situation to worsen in coming months as holiday gatherings and colder weather push case counts up even further.