Major for-profit hospital operators produced mixed financial results in the fourth quarter of 2017.
1. Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare's revenue increased 8.7 percent year over year to $11.6 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017. HCA said operating expenses totaled $9.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017, up 9 percent from $8.4 billion in the same period of 2016. After factoring in a $301 million charge related to the recently passed tax reform plan, HCA ended the fourth quarter of 2017 with net income of $474 million, down 48.5 percent from net income of $920 million in the same period of the year prior.
2. Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare ended the fourth quarter of 2017 with revenue of $5 billion, up from $4.9 billion in the same period of the year prior. After factoring in operating expenses, a $252 million write-down of the company's deferred tax assets due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and a $22 million year-over-year increase in noncontrolling interest expense, Tenet reported a net loss of $230 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. That's compared to the fourth quarter of 2016, when the company posted a $79 million net loss.
3. Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems posted a net loss of $2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared to a net loss of $220 million in the same period of the year prior. CHS said revenue dipped to $3.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017, down 31.6 percent from $4.5 billion in the same period of 2016. An 18.6 percent increase in expenses as well as one-time charges took a toll on the company's bottom line. CHS said its fourth quarter financial results included nearly $1.8 billion in impairment charges and losses related to the sale of some of its hospitals.
4. King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services said revenue climbed 6.7 percent year over year to $2.6 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017. The company saw expenses rise to $2.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017, up from $2.2 billion in the same period of the year prior. UHS ended the fourth quarter of 2017 with net income of $219.6 million, up from $174.2 million in the same period of 2016.
5. Brentwood, Tenn.-based LifePoint Health recorded revenue of $1.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017, down slightly from $1.6 billion in the same period of the year prior. After factoring in expenses, LifePoint ended the fourth quarter of 2017 with a net loss of $27.5 million. That's compared to the fourth quarter of 2016, when the company posted net income of $43.9 million. The company's fourth-quarter financials included aggregate impairment charges of $43.2 million, $4.8 million in severance costs, and other nonoperational adjustments.
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