The latest issue of the National Hospital Flash Report covers these and other key performance metrics.
Key Takeaways:
- Hospital performance remains under pressure in 2026. Mixed performance on key volume indicators, staffing challenges, and expense growth continue to pressure hospital operations, reinforcing the need for focused prioritization and strategic planning.
- Expense growth continues to outpace inflation. Drug and labor expense remains a key contributor to expense growth, driven by both cost and utilization as the population ages, underscoring the importance of strategic spend management across the board.
- Payer mix continues to erode. Year-over-year climbs in bad debt and charity care reflect broader shifts in payer mix, shifts in coverage, and growth in uninsured populations, requiring hospitals to proactively adapt and manage long-term revenue risks.
To view more insights on trends affecting hospitals and steps you can consider taking to address them, download the latest issue of the National Hospital Flash Report.
Erik Swanson is a Managing Director leading Kaufman Hall’s Data and Analytics Group where he focuses on providing cutting-edge data science tools to our clients to provide deeper and more timely insight, drive operational improvement, develop thought leadership, and produce the most meaningful outcomes.
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