A comparative financial analysis of multi-institutional organizations by ownership type.

Concern about future directions in healthcare exists, with corporate consolidation seen as likely and necessary. To understand this transformation, the author examines the financial growth trends among the nation's leading corporate providers. Investor-owned (IO) and not-for-profit (NFP) firms are compared using audited data on four financial accounts (assets, debt, equity and income) and three financial ratios (liquidity, leverage, and profitability). The author analyzes financial trends from 1978 to 1982 and looks beyond the significant differences in the balance sheet and income statement accounts to a significant similarity in ratio trends between the NFP and the IO firms' financial conditions. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of future forms of corporate providers.