Massachusetts hospitals are making money — I’m quoted

The Massachusetts Center for Health Information and Analysis has released its 2014 profile of hospital financial performance. Profits are up moderately overall by various measurers, despite drops in inpatient stays, outpatient visits, and emergency department utilization. What’s going on?

As I told the Boston Globe (State hospitals report $1.2 billion in earnings):

The Massachusetts Center for Health Information and Analysis has released its 2014 profile of hospital financial performance. Profits are up moderately overall by various measurers, despite drops in inpatient stays, outpatient visits, and emergency department utilization. What’s going on?

As I told the Boston Globe (State hospitals report $1.2 billion in earnings):

“The health care system as a whole and the state’s biggest hospitals in particular have gotten the message that they need to control expenses.”

Hospitals saw this coming and have been making serious efforts to increase efficiency and control expenses in the face of healthcare reform. It’s encouraging to see that they are passing their first tests, as there will be more to follow.

As usual, many of the comments on the Globe’s website lament the big money made in medicine. But to put things in perspective, the whole Massachusetts hospital industry made less money in 2014 than some individual hedge fund managers.

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By healthcare business consultant David E. Williams, president of Health Business Group.