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Becker's list: WVU Medicine's revenue rank among 63 health systems, and what it means
Becker's list: WVU Medicine's revenue rank among 63 health systems, and what it means

Dominion Post

time31-07-2025

  • Business
  • Dominion Post

Becker's list: WVU Medicine's revenue rank among 63 health systems, and what it means

dbeard@ MORGANTOWN – Becker's Hospital Review recently compiled a list ranking 63 health systems by annual revenue. WVU Medicine ranked 48th, at $6 billion. Nick Barcellona, WVU Medicine chief financial officer, talked to The Dominion Post about what that number means. 'We've been growing pretty dramatically,' he said. With Weirton Medical Center joining the system this year, WVUM now has 25 hospitals. Becker's observed at the top of its list, 'Most health systems saw revenue climb in 2024 as patient volumes rebounded and provider productivity improved – a sign of recovery across the industry.' Barcellona provided a chart WVUM prepared for the 2025 Barclay's Not-For-Profit Healthcare Investor Conference that show's the system's revenue growth from 2015 – showing steady growth through 2020, and more dramatic growth as nine regional hospitals joined from 2021 and WVUM Children's opened on the Morgantown campus in 2022. Revenue grew from $1.652 billion in 2015 to $3.123 billion in 2020; then $4.050 billion in 2021, $4.664 billion in 2022, $6.009 billion in 2023, and $6.764 billion in 2024. They will be north of $7 billion this year. A quick aside: WVUM had given Becker's its 2023 figure for the list. Its 2024 revenue would have moved it up seven notches to 41st. Among those it would have passed, neighboring No. 43 University Hospitals in Cleveland and No. 44 OhioHealth in Columbus would have bumped down to 44th and 45th, respectively. Back to Barcellona, who said WVUM's operating margin, cash flow and revenue have remained stable and are growing. 'Which is pretty unusual for organizations that go through periods of growth the way we've gone through. That's core to our strategy.' They integrate hospitals and put them on the WVUM systems – electronic medical records and such. For example, Weirton joined in January and quickly adopted WVUM's EPIC medical record system. 'That sort of seamless integration is, we think, key to our success and continued growth.' Bur revenue growth isn't the central issue, he said. 'Having scale in a business that runs very thin operating margins is' Scale helps drive cost savings and efficiencies to better deliver care and improve outcomes. Barcellona emphasized that there's a misconception that being a nonprofit means you shouldn't make a profit. It means you should make as much as possible and reinvest it back in the mission. 'That's really what we're trying to do.' WVUM's operating margin, he showed in one of the Barclay's charts, is about 2.5%. 'In our industry, in healthcare, that's pretty good. In any other sector that's terrible.' Asked about WVUM's place on the ranking list, he said that's not too important. They're not seeking accolades. 'We're out there trying to deliver high level care and great service.' To West Virginia's west, Cleveland Clinic ranks 16th, at $15.9 billion. We told Barcellona that we were surprised that WVUM's immediate neighbor to the north, UPMC, ranked 6th at $29.9 billion. We knew UPMC was bigger, but not that it's nearly five times bigger. He put that into perspective. Virtually all of WVUM's revenue is driven by its 25 hospitals, he said. UPMC has more than 40 hospitals, but $17 billion of its total revenue comes from its insurance plan – UPMC Insurance Services, with more than 4 million subscribers (according to UPMC). So that makes the UPMC system only about 2 times bigger, he said. UPMC recently gained a foothold in Morgantown, and 14 other sites across West Virginia, after acquiring the MedExpress chain from Optum last October. The UPMC logo can be seen on what was MedExpress at the corner of 705 and Pineview – between the Ruby hospital and Mon Health campuses. Barcellona said it's too soon to tell what that might mean – but they haven't seen or felt any impact at this point. We wound up the conversation with what's next for WVUM. 'Growth for growth's sake is never a good thing,' he said. 'Continuing to invest in breadth and depth across our footprint is really important for our future.' He talked about investing in regions – instead of one Morgantown hub with small spokes, WVUM is evolving with Morgantown becoming a hub of hubs – including Martinsburg, Parkersburg and Wheeling/Weirton. On that subject, we reported earlier this year that WVU Health System announced in mid-April $460 million worth of capital projects – following a round of $400 million worth announced in April 2024. This year's projects range across the system – including both panhandles, Bridgeport and Summersville. 'Really changing the way that we're growing, and of growing out more in these regions is the next phase of our evolution,' he said. 'And the beauty of that is it stays true to our mission.' That two-prong mission is to improve the health trajectory of West Virginia and support the teaching mission of WVU. The regional approach, he said, brings care closer to home for people around the state instead of bringing them to Morgantown.

Hospital Association, Mon Health oppose new micro-hospital Certificate of Need bill
Hospital Association, Mon Health oppose new micro-hospital Certificate of Need bill

Yahoo

time27-03-2025

  • Health
  • Yahoo

Hospital Association, Mon Health oppose new micro-hospital Certificate of Need bill

Mar. 26—dbeard @ MORGANTOWN — While the governor's bill to repeal the Certificate of Need process died in February, some delegates are making a stab at doing away with CON for what they term micro-hospitals. And as with the prior bill, the West Virginia Hospital Association and Mon Health oppose this one. The House Health Committee held its informational hearing on HB 3487 on Tuesday. It would eliminate from CON requirements construction or acquisition of a small format or micro-hospital owned by a system with one or more existing licensed hospitals in the state. The new facility would have to be located to increase care capacity without jeopardizing any nearby critical access hospitals. It could include up to 25 in-patient beds, up to 25 emergency room beds (there was confusion if the bill meant 25 total or 50 beds total, and the bill sponsor wasn't sure but guessed 50), a CT scanner, an MRI scanner and other services. The cost could not exceed $100 million. Lead sponsor Wayne Clark, R-Jefferson, said this is the third year they've tried to move this bill. The Eastern Panhandle has a bed shortage, with just WVU Medicine's critical access Jefferson Medical Center and WVUM's 160-bed Berkeley Medical Center serving 250, 000 people. "Many of us that live in border states have to go out of state for our services, " he said. In his area, the go to Maryland and Virginia. The bill, he said, would expand local care, bring more providers into the state, and keep money in the state that's going elsewhere. Jim Kaufman, president and CEO of the WVHA, explained their opposition. The effect of the bill, he said, would be to eliminate CON altogether. Under legislation passed two years ago, a company could build a micro-hospital then immediately expand to 1, 000 beds without a CON. The average critical access hospital (located in a rural area either more than 35 miles from the nearest hospital or more than 15 miles in areas with mountainous terrain or only secondary roads ; maintain no more than 25 inpatient beds that can be used for either inpatient or swing-bed services ; and furnish 24-hour emergency care services seven days a week) provides 90 % of its services on an outpatient basis and can expand those services without a CON, he said. The sometimes testy questioning by Eastern Panhandle delegates focused on beds versus services. The delegate maintained that the bill will expand care in the panhandle. Kaufman maintained that systems must make business decisions based on various factors. They could expand services without beds — as WVUM is planning at Jefferson, without affecting federally established critical access status. They could add beds to a critical access hospital and lose the increased Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements in exchange for volume. Or they could — as Mon Health did in Marion and Harrison counties — obtain CONs to build new small-format hospitals. Or they could build another critical access hospital. Part of the decision, he said. Would hinge on the payer makeup — how much money comes from the government and how much from commercial insurance. The panhandle delegates argued that more facilities is better. Kaufman countered that existing facilities have a responsibility to remain economically viable in order to go on offering care. Mon Health comments Asked for thoughts on this bill, David Goldberg, president and CEO of Mon Health System and Davis Health System — Vandalia Health Northern Region, and executive vice president of Vandalia Health, told The Dominion Post, "A small-format hospital — some say micro-hospital — is a hospital. It meets all Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) licensure requirements, state rules and regulations, and life safety standards expected of a hospital. "We have a successful demonstration model with Mon Marion Neighborhood Hospital and the soon-to-be-opened Mon Harrison Neighborhood Hospital, " he said. "Both went through the CON process and faced no opposition or issues in receiving state approval. No one should be exempt from following the state process. Apply and prove the feasibility and need. "We did, demonstrating to both the community we serve and the state the need and the justified rationale for its approval, " Goldberg said. "Mon Marion Neighborhood Hospital is recognized by Becker's Healthcare as the fastest ER in the state and among the top 10 in the country. We have had no infections or hospital-acquired conditions since opening and served 15, 000 ER patients in 2024. We support maintaining the laws as written, and this form of hospital should be held to the same standards as those applied by the federal government for a licensed hospital." WVU Medicine did not wish to comment at this time. HB 3487 on the committee's Thursday agenda for markup and passage for recommendation to the full House. It would need to pass out of the House to the Senate by April 2, Crossover Day, the 50th day of the session. when bills need to leave their house of origin.

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