Healthcare Series

Inverted World: The Attractiveness of Short-Term Tiers for Healthcare Systems

A healthcare system’s investment structure is intentionally aligned to match varying enterprise needs over the short, intermediate, and long term. Most have gravitated toward the use of tiers—pools of capital delineated as available immediately (operating cash), within the next few years (short-duration bonds), or strategically over time (long-term investment pools). However, the need for capital flexibility and liquidity has grown as the demands of providing care have become more complex. Fortunately, higher interest rates have made the return profile of highly liquid, short-duration tiers more attractive. As a result, we expect many hospitals will benefit from allocating any new funds that come available to short-term tiers, given the yields available in short rates and superior liquidity.

An Investment Perspective on Healthcare System Mergers

During the past decade, nonprofit healthcare providers have undergone a wave of accelerating consolidation. When systems combine, the new entity created will have new financial health metrics. A fresh review of how a transaction will impact the newly combined long-term investment pool (LTIP) is crucial. This paper examines key variables to assess and specific examples of how a LTIP might restructure post-merger.

Navigating Healthcare System Investments Through the Coronavirus Crisis

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has inflicted significant duress upon the operational and financial situations of nonprofit healthcare systems. An immediate response was necessary to escalate staffing, spending, and resources to provide emergency treatment to those affected by this highly contagious outbreak.

Structuring Healthcare System Investments for Success

Healthcare systems can benefit greatly by maximizing equity orientation and illiquidity while prudently managing risk. But a typical healthcare system may have investment assets in multiple accounts, due to mergers & acquisitions, capital projects, and fundraising, as well as operational and pension benefit growth. Investments can be curated—identified, categorized, and clustered—for optimal efficiency and cost savings. Similarly, defined benefit pension plans can be restructured to better manage pension risk and administration. This paper discusses strategies to simplify and streamline investment structures to make complexity more manageable for investment and financial executives.