Executive Briefing Friday September 5th, 2025

 

National Daily Hospital Executive Briefing — Friday, Sept 5, 2025

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1) Hospital Margin / Revenue / Reimbursement

News: Moody’s reports nonprofit hospital median operating margins rose to 1.5% in FY 2024, up from 0.5% the prior year, though still below pre-pandemic levels.
Source: https://www.chiefhealthcareexecutive.com/view/in-a-change-hospital-revenue-growth-is-outpacing-expenses

Recommendations:

1. Strengthen cost controls and improve revenue cycle efficiency to capitalize on modest recovery.

2. Re-forecast FY25–26 budgets using updated margin data.

3. Benchmark against peers to identify gaps in profitability and cost structure.

Case Study: Analysis shows for-profit hospitals averaged + $218 profit per Medicare discharge, while nonprofits posted – $2,553 losses due to higher acuity and weaker payment-to-cost ratios.
Source: https://www.aamc.org/about-us/mission-areas/health-care/most-hospitals-routinely-lose-money-medicare-hospitalizations

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2) Hospital Inpatient Throughput

News: Hospitals face rising inpatient days and discharge delays, stressing capacity nationwide.
Source: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/care-coordination/hospital-capacity-in-2025-5-notes-on-volumes-boarding-and-length-of-stay/

Recommendations:

1. Conduct discharge time studies to pinpoint throughput bottlenecks.

2. Implement early discharge orders and multidisciplinary rounds.

3. Use predictive analytics to anticipate discharge barriers.

Case Study: A PDSA-based discharge program improved discharges outside peak hours from 28% → 36%, orders before 9 a.m. from 4% → 16%, and before 11 a.m. from 7% → 19%, without harming LOS or satisfaction.
Sources:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11838157/

https://journals.lww.com/pqs/fulltext/2025/03000/enhancing_hospital_throughput__a_multidisciplinary.1.aspx

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3) Hospital Emergency Department Throughput

News: Forecasts warn of sharp increases in inpatient and ED demand through 2035, heightening urgency for scalable solutions.
Source: https://www.vizientinc.com/insights/all/2025/from-every-angle-emergency-department-overcrowding

Recommendations:

1. Adopt split-flow or fast-track pathways for low-acuity patients.

2. Deploy predictive staffing tied to demand forecasts.

3. Address ED boarding as a systemwide hospital issue, not an isolated ED problem.

Case Study: Split-flow redesign improved door-to-clinician times, reduced wait times, lowered LWBS, and boosted satisfaction.
Source: https://soundphysicians.com/case-study/split-flow-model-reduces-ed-wait-times-and-throughput/

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4) Hospital Bed Placement Throughput

News: A JAMA Network Open analysis warns U.S. hospital occupancy could reach a critical 85% threshold by 2032.
Source: https://people.com/hospital-capacity-could-reach-dangerous-threshold-10-years-11683318

Recommendations:

1. Start long-term capacity planning tied to occupancy forecasts.

2. Use load-leveling across units to reduce boarding.

3. Expand post-acute pathways to accelerate inpatient discharges.

Case Study: Research shows load-leveling reduced ED boarding times by 7.8 hours on average.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0735675725005893

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5) Hospital Patient Satisfaction / Engagement

News: Press Ganey finds patient perceptions of safety strongly drive loyalty: LTR scores average 85.3 for high safety vs. 34.6 otherwise.
Source: https://info.pressganey.com/press-ganey-blog-healthcare-experience-insights/patient-experience-2025-new-trends

Recommendations:

1. Monitor safety perceptions alongside traditional HCAHPS scores.

2. Reinforce safety through visible communications and leadership rounding.

3. Use digital engagement platforms to improve patient confidence.

Case Study: Oliver Wyman reports engagement is shifting to proactive strategy, integrated into clinical and operational design from the start.
Source: https://www.oliverwyman.com/our-expertise/perspectives/health/2025/june/patient-engagement-will-be-healthcares-next-breakthrough.html

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6) Patient Safety / Culture of Safety

News: AHA–Vizient analysis shows safety outcomes (falls, infections) have rebounded to or surpassed pre-pandemic levels, linked to stronger culture and workforce resilience.
Source: https://www.aha.org/guidesreports/2025-03-11-improvement-safety-culture-linked-better-patient-and-staff-outcomes

Recommendations:

1. Conduct regular safety culture surveys (e.g., AHRQ SOPS).

2. Deploy TeamSTEPPS to strengthen teamwork and communication.

3. Use safety culture results to guide targeted unit-level interventions.

Case Study: Kuwait’s national safety culture survey (2025) showed strong scores for teamwork within units (87.2%) and organizational learning (87.5%), while highlighting improvement areas.
Source: https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-025-12668-y

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Quality Metrics to Share With Your Team

1. Median nonprofit hospital margin up to 1.5% in FY 2024.

2. For-profit hospitals earned + $218 per Medicare discharge vs. – $2,553 for nonprofits.

3. Discharges before 11 a.m. increased from 7% → 19% under structured program.

4. National inpatient capacity projected to hit 85% by 2032.

5. Load-leveling reduced ED boarding by 7.8 hours.

6. Patient safety perception boosts LTR scores (85.3 vs. 34.6).

7. National safety culture survey: teamwork 87.2%, learning 87.5%.

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Leadership Call to Action

1. Re-baseline FY25–26 budgets using updated margin and revenue data.

2. Implement day-one EDD and early discharge huddles.

3. Launch split-flow or fast-track ED pathways and predictive staffing.

4. Begin long-term capacity planning with load-leveling strategies.

5. Run safety culture surveys and act on results with targeted interventions.

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