- A new Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) analysis is the latest to sound alarms over rural hospitals’ finances in the coming year, especially if those hospitals are operating in the 11 states that haven’t opted to expand Medicaid. KFF found median operating margins between July 2021 and June 2022 dropped to 3.3 percent and, when excluding documented funding, 0.8 percent. That dip came as hospitals nationwide saw their operations stumble thanks to a combination of higher acuity COVID patients, labor shortages, and rising costs. Between the dipping margins, a slowdown of government relief funding, and Medicaid redeterminations, KFF echoed recent concerns from the Chartis Group that closures could pick up in 2023. (Article here)
February 24, 2023
Providers | Tea Leaves