Hospital admissions, which plummeted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, are slowly bouncing back from a steep low at the beginning of the year. But they'll still be down by year's end, with the Kaiser Family Foundation finding that admissions will be down 10.5% for the full year as compared to 2019. The drop in admissions suggests revenue losses that may be difficult for some hospitals to weather. Hospitals' financial strength differs widely. One recent study found that the median hospital had enough cash on hand to pay its operating expenses for 53 days in 2018, but the 25th percentile hospital only had enough cash on hand for 8 days. Smaller hospitals and rural hospitals are among those most likely to face financial challenges in the wake of revenue loss related to COVID-19. These hospitals may be more likely to close or merge if they do not have the financial resources to make up for declines in revenue caused by the drop in admissions.

Source: Healthcare IT