Analysts have noted that quarterly admission growth across the nation’s hospitals is now regularly coming in at 1%-2%, about half that of two years ago before a topping out of newly insured under the Affordable Care Act and related Medicaid expansions.
Jefferies & Co. healthcare analyst Brian Tanquilut last week said that rate of growth is becoming “the new normal.”
The consequences are hitting hospitals’ bottom lines.
HCA reported net income of $1.57 billion on revenue of $21.4 billion in the second quarter compared with net income of $1.6 billion on revenue of $20.6 billion in the year-earlier period.
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Dave Barkholz is Modern Healthcare’s Southern Bureau Chief stationed in Nashville. He covers hospitals, doctors, suppliers and governance across the Southeast. A winner of numerous national journalism awards, Barkholz started his career at Modern Healthcare in 1984 covering the investor-owned hospital companies. He spent the past 10 years in Detroit at Automotive News, a sister Crain publication.