A premerger profile of Columbia and HCA hospitals

This article profiles the premerger marketing, management, and mission characteristics of the combined Columbia and Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) entity relative to local market hospitals. The findings show that the Columbia/HCA hospitals had fewer Medicaid patients, lower proportion of outpatient revenues, higher operating cash flow per bed, lower occupancy rates, lower salary expense per discharge, higher debt to total assets, fewer beds, and a higher case-mix index relative to local competitors.