While many hospitals are in a better place financially than they were a year ago, plenty of systems continue to face difficulties.
Health systems are seeing more stable margins, but many underperformed in June, according to the National Hospital Flash Report released by Kaufman Hall, Chief Healthcare Executive reports.
More disturbingly, the firm sees a growing gap between hospitals that are financially strong and those that are struggling.
Healthcare leaders need to make choices about focusing on areas of growth, such as outpatient care, says Erik Swanson, senior vice president of data and analytics with Kaufman Hall.
“This ‘new normal’ is an incredibly challenging environment for hospitals,” Swanson said in a statement. “It’s time for hospital and health system leaders to begin developing and implementing a strategy for long-term sustainability, including expanding their outpatient footprint and re-evaluating where finite resources are being utilized.” Read more.
