August 2019

National Hospital Flash Report

Based on July Data from Over 600 Hospitals

Dear Readers, Welcome to the August issue of the National Hospital Flash Report. Hospitals across the nation rebounded nicely from poor performance in June. Relative to last month, profitability was up, volumes were up, average length of stay was down, revenue performance was up, and expenses were down. Despite these favorable gains, expenses continued to rise on a year-over-year basis and will need to be monitored going forward. In this month’s Spotlight, we address clinical cost transformation and how hospitals need to have a better understanding of physician costs. To gain insights into physician costs, leaders must be willing to move beyond traditional cost accounting methods, to a cost accounting solution that addresses many of the traditional limitations. As expenses continue to rise, physician costs should be an integral part of any health system’s performance improvement and cost transition efforts. As always, we aim to shape the National Hospital Flash Report to suit the needs of our readers, so please continue to send your comments and feedback so that we can incorporate them into future issues.

Real Data. Real Insight. Real Time.

Overview