About The Study: In 348 California hospitals, hospital financial performance was highly variable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Losses were reduced by COVID-19 relief funding and strong equities market performance starting in the second quarter of 2020. Non–safety net hospitals maintained positive operating margins throughout the pandemic, while safety-net hospitals experienced large losses. Between the first quarter of 2020 and the second quarter of 2021, California safety-net hospitals' net operating losses were more than $3.2 billion.
Authors: Yu Wang, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina in Wilmington, is the corresponding author.
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(doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2022.3056)