Dear Readers,

Welcome to our second public issue. Thank you so much for all the feedback and positive comments. Based on the initial reception, our mission to deepen understanding of the current state of hospitals, drive performance improvement, and ultimately improve healthcare nationally seems to have resonated with many of you.

Our subscribers include a large number of CEOs and CFOs, as well as a diverse group of operational, financial, and clinical providers ranging from the c-suite to department level. Rating analysts, industry leaders, investors, investment bankers, lawyers, and academics have also signed up.

This month, we report on the third consecutive month of strong profitability, with rebounding volumes and effective expense control offsetting continually declining reimbursement. Despite the solid performance, Kaufman Hall has concerns, as detailed in this report.

One concern is with hospitals not being fully prepared for the impact of more transparent pricing of “shoppable” services in their market. In this month’s Spotlight, we demonstrate the real impact of price transparency on driving down prices and volumes.

If this is your first time reading the National Hospital Flash Report, previous issues are available through the archive link. Please contact us if you would like specific topics or metrics explored (click on “Talk to Us” at the end of the report).