Across the public hospital sector, M&A activity has increased significantly over the past decade. Given the current COVID-19 landscape, many are taking a hard look at their operations to garner a better understanding of what needs to be done to be regain level footing during a tough financial time, while also focusing on a need to uphold their community’s best interest. Broadly speaking, many public hospitals are the sole provider in their communities, so making the right M&A choice is vital – not only for them, but those they serve. Here we will discuss the pressures of public hospitals financially, the trends driving M&A and what external pressures are impacting these hospital’s decisions. For a deeper dive into the issues discussed here, listen to our podcast, Dealmaking in the Sunlight: Navigating Public Hospital M&A.

Financial Pressures

Standalone entities, like many public hospitals, often lack economies of scale and do not have the benefit of spreading risk across a larger organization to soften the economic blows impacting hospitals today. However, these struggles do not go unnoticed, as there are regulatory and legal frameworks in place to help public hospitals perform differently or better when needed. Certain government or municipal hospitals have immunity to antitrust laws, which allows them to partner with organizations within their market (“cross town competitors”).

M&A’s Potential Effect on Public Hospitals

M&A amongst hospitals and healthcare systems has been found to increase revenue, improve debt position, and attract resources to the community. Given that information, [...]

Continue Reading