Skip to main content

Healthcare Reform: Moody's Report Indicates Hospitals May Take It on the Chin

 |  By kminich-pourshadi@healthleadersmedia.com  
   May 03, 2010

Many a boxer has been able to dance around the ring again after a solid first blow. They may cough and sputter but they get moving; they put their fists up and they prepare to block and punch. It's when that second blow is delivered so close to the first that it can flatten all but a few prize-winning fighters. This recession has been a fight for most people and businesses. However, it seems the healthcare system in particular is taking a one-two punch. First, there was the variable bond market disaster, which nearly bankrupted many facilities (Pow!), then there was the healthcare reform act (Wham!).

The worst part is yet to come; most facilities haven't felt the sting of the second hit yet. Right now the fist is just in motion, so there is some time for you to still dodge, weave and block—unfortunately a few hospitals are going to take this one on the chin, as surmised by a recent Moody's Investors Service special comment, "Long-term Credit Challenges of Healthcare Reform Outweigh Benefits for Not-for-Profit Hospitals."

Here are a few of the problems Moody's anticipates for not-for-profit hospitals as Healthcare Reform takes effect in the next few years:

  • "The ultimate credit effect . . . will be negative despite reduced bad debt expense and charity care provided by expanded insurance coverage for previously uninsured patients.
  • The key longer-term challenge for not-for-profit hospitals is the reform's reliance on extracting long-term cost efficiencies from hospitals, probably resulting in diminished hospital revenues. The trend will become more pronounced over time as key provisions of the law do not become effective until 2014.
  • The effects will include more difficult negotiations with private health insurers due to increasing regulatory scrutiny of the insurers by federal regulators. Hospitals also will face reimbursement pressures from government payers as the reform includes provisions that squeeze savings out of Medicare and Medicaid, including initiatives to identify improved operating efficiency.
  • While the most efficiently operated health systems will take advantage of healthcare reform to leverage economies of scale, many not-for-profit hospitals, especially single site and small hospital systems, may struggle. Industry consolidation resulting in bigger health systems with greater access to credit—already encouraged by current market forces – likely will increase further under healthcare reform."

While the Moody's predictions aren't particularly shocking to most CFOs, they are nonetheless disconcerting. Still, as the saying goes, "There are no problems, only solutions that haven't been found yet."

To help give financial leaders additional insights and potentially alternative outcomes of this legislation, I touched base with David Burik, managing director in the Healthcare division at Navigant Consulting, a Chicago-based, international consulting firm. Here's what he's seeing:

Charity care and bad debt
There's little question that most facilities will see a decline in both of these areas as more coverage is rolled out to Americans. But, it seems Moody's and most folks in healthcare feel it the declines won't be enough to offset the rest of the losses the healthcare may experience based on healthcare reform legislation.

"I don't see a lot of people holding out a lot of hope for this [charity care and bad debt declines] doing much to help long-term. And, . . . if they are going to use the Medicare rates for payment, they're certainly not going to use commercial rates, then it's hard to see how this will be a net gain even though some hospitals will have the highest number of enrolled with benefits," Burik says.

Long-term efficiencies
A little cut here, a little trim there, none of it will be enough to offset the potentially daunting financial future brought on by healthcare reform. Hospitals must figure out where their money is going and how to keep more of it from leaking out. Burik says for years hospitals overlooked areas that weren't generating growth or profit, preferring to weigh lay the discussion under the header of "we'll get to it sooner or later." Well, later has now arrived.

"Now I'm starting to see active discussion of these projects," he says. "Hospitals have to look at structural costs that were carried in the good times for some of these [less fruitful] areas and question whether it makes sense to continue them."

The effort to maintain the status quo, Burik explains, is often what has held facilities back from dropping some programs altogether. "Since the announcement of healthcare reform I think a lot of hospitals recognize that things are no longer the same, so you can't maintain that status quo. They have to find new ways to do business and that could be as simple as outsourcing billing or patient referral lines."

Facilities need to take the time to really assess their programs' profitability, short and long term, against their long-term strategic hospital goals while factoring in the potential outcome that healthcare legislation may have on their facility. Additionally, look for the inefficiencies and eliminate them as swiftly as possible—now isn't the time to be shy about eliminating floundering programs.

Payer negotiations
As if negotiating with payers over the years hasn't been difficult enough, the new legislation is about to make it even harder. Financial leaders should pay close attention to Massachusetts hospitals and insurance companies and how their state's health insurance laws are affecting negotiations. Massachusetts government is getting more militant with local managed care organizations about whether they have been negotiating in the best interest of their clients. This, in turn, has meant more scrutiny on the hospital-payer contracts, Burik says.

That scenario is likely to be played out nationwide, Burik explains, as there is similar language in the healthcare reform bill—which the Moody's comment notes as well.

"Basically we're all paying more for administration cost and getting less. So the government is going to be watching that they don't allow rates to go up … and that leads to difficult climate for negotiations," he says.

Another good example, watch what's happening with WellPoint Inc., the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross, which backed down from a proposed 39% hike of health plan premiums for 800,000 Californians after state officials unveiled an audit showing "numerous and substantial errors" in a filing Anthem said justified the increase.

Hospital consolidation
Last, but certainly not least, is consolidation. "We always thought we'd be apart of something bigger and let's start the journey to get it done, and that's consolidation. A lot of it is to reduce costs," says Burik.

More than a few healthcare industry analyzers have noted that conditions are ripe for larger numbers of mergers, acquisitions, joint venture and partnerships. Consolidation can be used as a strategy to keep smaller hospitals afloat as well as physician groups.

"The irony is there are more conversations but the hurdles to complete a deal are higher; so the deal flow isn't indicative of the discussions taking place. We're sensing more activity on the part of private equity," Burik explains. "There may not be an appetite to do a full merger on the part of hospitals, but there is no hesitation to schedule a mutually beneficial partnership that delivers economies of scale."

Speaking of scales, it's best for hospitals to get to their fighting weights as quickly as possible. Healthcare reform is a heavyweight fighter that will really packs a wallop if you don't prepare—you'll need all the speed and strength you can muster to out maneuver this behemoth in the hospital financial ring and the prize is ultimately staying afloat.


Note: You can sign up to receive HealthLeaders Media Finance, a free weekly e-newsletter that reports on the top finance issues facing healthcare leaders.

Karen Minich-Pourshadi is a Senior Editor with HealthLeaders Media.
Twitter

Tagged Under:


Get the latest on healthcare leadership in your inbox.