After a bumpy ride, US hospitals reported recorded record profits in 2004, the last year American Hospital Association financial performance data is available. "Indications are," USA Today reports, "that 2005 performance was just as good." Hospitals reported average profit margins of 5.2 percent, according to the AHA's Rick Wade. Wade says only about 25 percent of member hospitals are in the red, a drop of about 5 percent over a year ago. A good year on Wall Street, decreases in expenses, and a continuation of the shift in the balance of power between hospitals and insurers are key factors in the turnaround.
- see this article from USA Today