Lalani Karima, Helton Jeffrey, Vega Francine R, Cardenas-Turanzas Marylou, Champagne-Langabeer Tiffany, Langabeer James R
Center for Health Systems Analytics, D. Bradley McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston), Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Department of Health Administration, University of Colorado at Denver Business School, Denver, CO 80202, USA.
Healthcare (Basel). 2023 Jul 11;11(14):1996. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11141996.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted hospital operations. Anecdotal evidence suggests financial performance likewise suffered, yet little empirical research supports this claim. This study aimed to explore the impact of the pandemic on the financial performance of the most prominent academic hospitals in the United States. Data from the 115 largest major teaching hospitals in the United States were extracted from the American Hospital Directory for three years (2019-2021). We hypothesized that the year and region would moderate the relationship between a hospital's return on assets (financial performance) and specific operational variables. We found evidence through descriptive statistics and multivariate moderated regressions that financial positions rebounded in 2021, mainly through reductions in adjusted full-time employees and liabilities and an increase in non-operating income. Our results also found that the Midwest region significantly outperformed the other three regions, particularly in terms of lower salaries and operational expenses. These findings suggest potential for future initiatives encouraging efficiency and finding alternate sources of income beyond patient income. Hospitals should focus on improving financial reserves, building out non-operational revenue streams, and implementing operational efficiencies to foster better financial resiliency. These suggestions may enable healthcare administrators and facilities to adapt to future pandemics and environmental turbulence.
新冠疫情扰乱了医院运营。轶事证据表明财务表现同样受到了影响，但很少有实证研究支持这一说法。本研究旨在探讨疫情对美国最著名的学术医院财务表现的影响。从《美国医院名录》中提取了美国115家最大的主要教学医院三年（2019 - 2021年）的数据。我们假设年份和地区会调节医院资产回报率（财务表现）与特定运营变量之间的关系。通过描述性统计和多元调节回归，我们发现2021年财务状况有所反弹，主要是通过减少调整后的全职员工和负债以及增加非营业收入实现的。我们的结果还发现，中西部地区显著优于其他三个地区，尤其是在较低的薪资和运营费用方面。这些发现表明，未来有可能采取举措鼓励提高效率，并找到除患者收入之外的其他收入来源。医院应专注于提高财务储备、建立非运营收入流以及实施运营效率提升措施，以增强财务弹性。这些建议可能使医疗保健管理人员和机构能够适应未来的疫情和环境动荡。
