A theme has taken shape as hospitals posted a calendar-year-to-date operating margin index of 4.1% in July, according to Kaufman Hall's July "National Hospital Flash" report.
"The theme of 2024 has been stability," Erik Swanson, Kaufman Hall's senior vice president of data and analytics, said in a Sept. 4 news release.
The report, released Sept. 4, looks at recurring monthly basis data from more than 1,300 hospitals. The report's data sample also represented all U.S. hospitals from bed size and geographical standpoints.
Four takeaways from the report:
1. Key indicators that hospital finances continue to stabilize include improved outpatient revenue and shorter average length of stay.
2. The reduction in average length of stay has also led to declines in expenses.
3. The monthly operating margin index for hospitals was 3.8% in July, up from 3.3% in June.
4. The financial performance of health systems has been trending lower than that of hospitals alone.
Read the full report here.