Here are six things to know from the report, which is based on data from more than 900 hospitals:
1. Roughly half of U.S. hospitals finished the year with a negative margin.
2. December was the only month where hospitals realized a positive operating margin at 0.2 percent.
3. Hospital labor expenses grew by 2 percent from November to December.
4. Total direct expense per provider grew to $592,430 in the fourth quarter — a 5 percent increase compared to the fourth quarter of 2021.
5. The net patient revenue per provider rose to $397,493 — an 8 percent increase year over year.
6. Hospitals experienced increased patient volumes in outpatient settings as hospitals move procedures to ASCs and hospital outpatient departments.
