This week, HCA Healthcare, the publicly traded health system, released its fourth quarter of 2021 earnings report. Although the “Omicron surge started to influence [its] business in early December,” HCA made it through the final three months of 2021 just fine. The health system’s revenues increased to $15.1 billion, from $14.29 billion in the fourth quarter of 2020. Net income attributable to HCA totaled $1.81 billion, or $5.75 per diluted share, compared to $1.43 billion, or $4.13 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2020. Results for the fourth quarter of 2021 include gains on sales of facilities of $563 million, or $1.33 per diluted share.
Adjusted EBITDA totaled $3.15 billion, compared to $3.12 billion in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Same facility admissions and same facility equivalent admissions increased 0.6 percent and 4.1 percent, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2021 compared to the prior-year period. Same facility emergency room visits increased 19.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to the prior-year period. Same facility inpatient surgeries declined 1.2 percent, and same facility outpatient surgeries increased 5.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to the same period of 2020. Same facility revenue per equivalent admission increased 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to the fourth quarter of 2020.
Annual revenue also increased for the company, rising to $58.8 billion in 2021, compared to $51.5 billion in the year ended December 31, 2020. For 2021, adjusted EBITDA totaled $12.64 billion, compared to $10.04 billion in 2020.
For shareholders, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.56 per share on the Company’s common stock. The dividend will be paid on March 31, 2022, to stockholders of record at the close of business on March 17, 2022.
As for acquisitions, HCA didn’t announce much in the fourth quarter. The company revealed in its Q3:21 report, announced in October, that it purchased an undisclosed hospital in New Hamsphire for $380 million and two hospitals (one in southern Georgia and the other in Tennessee) for $67 million. HCA focused on divestitures throughout the year, especially in the Atlanta area. Maybe on the tailwind of strong financials and a receding pandemic (hopefully), HCA will look to keep expanding its network once more.
