The Margin Squeeze

Hospital operating margins dropped again in August.;The median year-to-date (YTD) operating margin dropped from 2.1% in July to 1.9% in August, according to a new report Health Systems Operating Margins Declined In August.;These margin changes varied by region, with hospitals in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic seeing the biggest decrease, at 1.1 percentage-point year-over-year (YOY), and hospitals in the South seeing the biggest increase, at 1.9 percentage points.;From July to August 2024, inpatient admissions decreased 0.7%, but outpatient visits rose slightly, up 0.4%.

Interestingly . . .