Hospitals of All Sizes Experience Profitability Declines in August

Both expense and volume performance were mixed for the month, according to Kaufman Hall.

For only the second time this year, hospitals of all sizes experienced monthly profitability declines, primarily due to "softening volumes," according to a Kaufman Hall report released Tuesday.

In the month of August, both overall hospital operating EBITDA margins and operating margins fell by 9.4% and 11.4% year-over-year, respectively.

Kaufman Hall compared the August stagnation to the challenges hospitals faced in June, specifically referencing the ineffective approaches to adjust expenses when patient volumes sputter.

Related: Hospital Volumes Down in 2018, While Profitability Grows

Delving into geographic differences, Midwest hospitals continue to show more resiliency than other areas, according to the report.

Hospitals in the northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions witnessed the largest declines in August, a 15.8% year-over-year drop in operating EBITDA margin, while the Great Plains posted profitability of 16.7% above budget.

Despite a relatively promising year thus far where hospitals rebounded from market volatility in 2018, provider organizations hit the financial skids in August due to inconsistent volume metrics.

Related: Nonprofit Hospital Operating Margins Improve for First Time Since 2016

Most volume metrics took a hit, with discharges, adjusted discharges, emergency department visits, and operating room minutes falling by more than 1.2% each.

Meanwhile, adjusted patient days and average length of stay increased by more than 1.6% as well.

Additionally, expense metrics were mixed for most hospitals, as total expenses per adjusted discharge rose 4% year-over-year, while labor expenses for the same metric increased 2.4%. 

Purchased service expenses per adjusted discharge rose 6.1% while non-labor expenses and supply expenses for the same metric rose more than 3.5%.

Related: 3 Strategic Differences Between Nonprofit and For-Profit Hospitals

On the non-operating side, the U.S. labor market continued its strong performance in the face of global headwinds and fears about a potential recession in the coming months.

Kaufman Hall described August as "weak month" for investment assets, noting that investment portfolio returns for hospitals declined 0.46%, the first monthly decline since May.