How profitable are California's 1-star hospitals?

California holds more hospitals than any other state except Texas, and CMS rated 22 of them with one star, based on five quality categories.

Despite the undesirable distinction, most of them appear to be profitable, according to data from Sage Transparency, which was launched by the Employers' Forum of Indiana. San Joaquin General Hospital in French Camp tops the list.

The database lists a hospital's total facility cost (the average amount paid for its services, weighted by volume of claims, as a percentage of what Medicare would have paid) and its breakeven point, shown as the average amount a hospital needs to be paid for its services, as a percentage of what Medicare would pay, to end up with no profit and no loss.

The difference between the two figures — what the hospital is paid versus its breakeven price — represents its relative profitability.

Note: Total facility cost is based on 2018-2020 data. Breakeven points were determined by the National Academy for State Health Policy through an analysis of each hospital's 2019 Medicare Cost Reports. As newer data becomes available, these figures will be updated.

*as a percent of what Medicare would reimburse for the hospital's cumulative service output