Kaufman Hall analysis shows some improvement in revenues and volumes from April to May ‘22, but hospitals continue to perform below pre-pandemic levels.

Erik Swanson discusses the key findings from the most recent National Hospital Flash Report and the continued financial struggles of hospitals nationwide in a new Hospital Finance Podcast episode.

2022 is shaping up to be a difficult year for our clients. Hospital operating margins remained in the red for a fourth consecutive month in April as organizations struggle to rebound from the Omicron surge. Although volumes improved and costs abated slightly in March, this changed in April.

The pandemic and its complex social and economic effects have dislocated the modern workforce. The problem is especially profound in healthcare, where nearly 1 in 5 workers quit their jobs during the pandemic and one-third of nurses plan to leave their current roles by the end of 2022.

Physician practices nationwide had a busy start to 2022, as physician productivity, compensation, and revenues all rose with higher patient volumes from Q4 2021 to Q1 2022.

U.S. hospitals and health systems fared better in March following a difficult start to the year due to January’s devastating Omicron surge. While repercussions of the surge persist, hospitals saw early signs of relief as outpatient volumes and revenues returned and expenses eased with fewer high acuity patients.

COVID-19 continued to place a heavy financial burden on California’s hospitals through the second year of the pandemic, as they experienced financial losses of nearly $6 billion in 2021, more than triple previous projections.

2022 is off to a bad start for U.S. hospitals and health systems. Hospital operating margins remained in the red for a second consecutive month in February as healthcare providers...

The first month of 2022 was devastating for hospitals and health systems nationwide as they were hit full force by the Omicron tidal wave. COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations peaked at...