The Leading Business Education Network for Doctors, Financial Advisors and Health Industry Consultants

Understanding the Liquidity Crunch -with- Publisher’s Interview

By Calvin W. Weise; MBA, CMA, CPA

www.HealthcareFinancials.com

Hospital are struggling in the current financial crisis, and like most of us, liquidity is scarce. In general, hospitals have three sources of capital: equity from earnings, equity from donations, and long-term debt.

Equity from Earnings

Earnings generate cash, and a portion of that cash is available to fund capital investments. Besides funding capital investments, cash generated from earnings is used to fund working capital. As operations grow, more working capital is required to fund the difference between the operating receivables and operating payables since days of revenue in receivables tend to be a good deal higher than days of expense in payables. Additionally, cash on hand should increase as operations grow so that days of cash remain constant or increase. Once working capital has been adequately funded, any remaining cash generated from earnings is available to invest in capital.

Donations

Most not-for-profit hospitals engage in active fundraising to generate donations. Donations are a good source of capital in certain markets. Often, fundraising initiatives are less useful than they appear due to the costs expended in the fundraising activities. It is important to ensure that all the costs incurred in fundraising activities are properly attributed.

Long-Term Debt

Borrowing long-term debt has been an important source of capital for hospitals and will continue to be. Debt is particularly attractive due to the low cost associated with borrowing on a tax-exempt basis. Long-term debt, borrowed on a tax-exempt basis, is probably the lowest cost form of capital available to hospitals. Tax-exempt borrowing is fairly complex due to the tax regulations affecting it. Because of its complexity, the costs associated with these transactions are quite high, making it less practical for small borrowings.

Assessment

Tax-exempt borrowing transactions require many lawyers and high-priced investment bankers. Credit rating agencies and credit enhancers are also typically involved. Accessing the tax-exempt markets requires a good bit of sophistication and expertise. Despite these requirements, this capital is highly attractive to hospitals and should be used whenever possible.

Interview

Read: Dr. David Edward Marcinko’s recent interview on the current status of hospitals.

Link [unedited version]: https://healthcarefinancials.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/medical-news-of-arkansas-interviews-dr-marcinko/?preview=true&preview_id=9094&preview_nonce=d9039cf076

Link [edited version]: http://www.arkansasmedicalnews.com/news.php?viewStory=738

Conclusion

And so, your thoughts and comments on this Medical Executive-Post are appreciated. What is the financial status of your hospital, today? How has the cash flow crisis affected it; and your practice? Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, be sure to subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.

Link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/HealthcareFinancialsthePostForcxos

Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com  or Bio: www.stpub.com/pubs/authors/MARCINKO.htm

Get our Widget: Get this widget!

Our Other Print Books and Related Information Sources:

Practice Management: http://www.springerpub.com/prod.aspx?prod_id=23759

Physician Financial Planning: http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/0763745790

Medical Risk Management: http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/9780763733421

Healthcare Organizations: www.HealthcareFinancials.com

Health Administration Terms: www.HealthDictionarySeries.com

Physician Advisors: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.com

Subscribe Now: Did you like this Medical Executive-Post, or find it helpful, interesting and informative? Want to get the latest ME-Ps delivered to your email box each morning? Just subscribe using the link below. You can unsubscribe at any time. Security is assured.

Link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/HealthcareFinancialsthePostForcxos

Sponsors Welcomed

And, credible sponsors and like-minded advertisers are always welcomed.

Link: https://healthcarefinancials.wordpress.com/2007/11/11/advertise

Filed under: "Doctors Only", Health Economics, Healthcare Finance, iMBA, Inc., Investing, Risk Management, Sponsors | Tagged: calvin weise, charity care, david marcinko, for-profit hospitals, HealthcareFinancials.com, Hill-Burton Act, hospital capital sources, hospital capitalization, not-for-profit hospitals, pro-bono healthcare, SHIPs, tax-exempt hospitals | 2 Comments »