2022 was among the most financially challenging years hospitals and health systems have had to face!

That recovery remains challenging, according to a Sept. 27 report from the American Hospital Association.

Recent reports demonstrate how almost every metric of hospital and health system financial health — including verage debt to cash flow, operating margins, days cash on hand and median cash to debt —  declined last year. Because of that, more than 30 hospitals and health systems that received credit rating downgrades so far this year.

Critics often cherry-pick a select few health systems to make sweeping generalizations about the financial conditions of all hospitals and health systems. As we look back on the last three years, it is clear that 2021 was the eye of the hurricane — a brief period of stability bookended by extreme volatility with more to come!!