SWEDISHAMERICAN HOSPITAL
1. Target Overview & Investment Thesis
SWEDISHAMERICAN HOSPITAL is a 324-bed suburban community hospital in WINNEBAGO, IL with $752.0M in net patient revenue and a -2.8% operating margin. The hospital serves a payer mix of 21.1% Medicare, 14.5% Medicaid, and 64.4% commercial.
Thesis: Undervalued. Our ML models identify $55.4M in annual EBITDA improvement potential from RCM optimization across 5 levers, lifting margin from -2.8% to 4.6% (+736bps).
| Net Revenue HCRIS | $752.0M |
| Current EBITDA COMPUTED | $-21.0M |
| Operating Margin COMPUTED | -2.8% |
| Occupancy HCRIS | 71.0% |
| Revenue / Bed COMPUTED | $2.3M |
| Net-to-Gross HCRIS | 18.0% |
| Distress Probability ML | 43.4% |
2. Market Context & Competitive Position
IL has 208 Medicare-certified hospitals with a median operating margin of -5.3%. The target's margin of -2.8% places it above the state median. Among 61 size-comparable peers (162-648 beds), the median margin is -8.0%. The target performs in line with or above peers.
3. RCM Performance Analysis — Comparable Hospitals
Comps selected by bed count (162-648), prioritizing same-state peers. 61 hospitals in the comp set.
| Hospital | State | Beds | Revenue | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWEDISHAMERICAN HOSPITAL (Target) | IL | 324 | $752.0M | -2.8% |
| RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER | IL | 598 | $2.30B | -20.3% |
| LOYOLA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENT | IL | 516 | $1.40B | -9.9% |
| CENTRAL DUPAGE HOSPITAL | IL | 347 | $1.30B | 16.4% |
| CARLE FOUNDATION HOSPITAL | IL | 433 | $1.22B | 11.8% |
| ANN & ROBERT H. LURIE CHILDREN | IL | 364 | $1.17B | -12.8% |
| BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVE | IL | 395 | $1.14B | -12.3% |
| ADVOCATE LUTHERAN GENERAL HOSP | IL | 543 | $1.08B | 15.6% |
| JOHN H. STROGER JR. HOSP OF CO | IL | 429 | $945.3M | -22.4% |
4. Predicted Improvement Opportunities
Improvement targets set at P75 of comparable peers with 60% gap closure assumption. Coefficients calibrated to published research bands. Total EBITDA uplift: $55.4M (736bps margin improvement).
| Lever | Current | Target | EBITDA Impact | Margin | Ramp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Collection Rate | 93.5% | 97.0% | $15.8M | +210bp | 18mo |
| Cost to Collect | 4.5% | 2.5% | $15.0M | +200bp | 12mo |
| Denial Rate Reduction | 12.0% | 6.5% | $14.9M | +198bp | 12mo |
| A/R Days Reduction | 5200.0% | 3800.0% | $9.2M | +122bp | 9mo |
| Clean Claim Rate | 88.0% | 96.0% | $481K | +6bp | 6mo |
5. EBITDA Bridge
| Current EBITDA | $-21.0M |
| + RCM Uplift | +$55.4M |
| Pro Forma EBITDA | $34.3M |
| Current Margin | -2.8% |
| Pro Forma Margin | 4.6% |
| WC Released (1x) | $28.8M |
6. Returns Analysis — Scenario Matrix
5-year hold, 5.5x leverage, 3% organic growth, 10%/yr debt paydown. Base case uses 100% of predicted RCM uplift. Bull case: 130% uplift at lower entry. Bear case: 50% uplift at higher entry.
| Scenario | Entry | Exit | Equity In | Equity Out | MOIC | IRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Case | 10.0x | 10.0x | $-32.4M | $414.8M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Base (11x exit) | 10.0x | 11.0x | $-32.4M | $445.7M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Bull Case | 9.0x | 11.0x | $-29.1M | $617.9M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Bull (12x exit) | 9.0x | 12.0x | $-29.1M | $665.4M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Bear Case | 11.0x | 10.0x | $-35.6M | $148.5M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Bear (11x exit) | 11.0x | 11.0x | $-35.6M | $151.8M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
7. Key Risks & Mitigants
| Severity | Risk Factor | Mitigant |
|---|---|---|
| High | Negative operating margin | RCM uplift bridge shows clear path to profitability; working capital release provides near-term cash cushion |
| Low | Low net-to-gross ratio | Large contractual allowances suggest pricing discipline issues. Mitigant: payer renegotiation is an additional upside lever |
8. Data Sources & Methodology Appendix
Data Sources
- CMS HCRIS Cost Reports (Medicare-certified hospitals)
- CMS Medicare Utilization (DRG-level volumes)
- CMS Chronic Conditions (county-level disease prevalence)
- HCRIS multi-year trend data (financial time series)
Comparable Selection
- 61 hospitals with 162-648 beds
- Same-state prioritization (n=62)
- Comp margins: P25=-14.5% / P50=-8.0% / P75=1.9%
Bridge Methodology
- Targets: P75 of comparable peers (60% gap closure)
- Denial: avoidable share = 35% of delta × NPR
- AR: bad debt coefficient = $0.65 per day per $1K NPR
- NCR: 60% coefficient on collection rate improvement
- CDI: 0.75% of Medicare revenue per 0.01 CMI point
Returns Assumptions
- Leverage: 5.5x entry (84.6% debt / 15.4% equity)
- Organic growth: 3% annual EBITDA growth
- Debt paydown: 10% of principal per year
- Hold period: 5 years
Generated by SeekingChartis on April 26, 2026. All predictions use public data only. Confidence intervals calibrated via split conformal prediction (90% coverage target). This memo is for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice.