WEST JEFFERSON MEDICAL CENTER
1. Target Overview & Investment Thesis
WEST JEFFERSON MEDICAL CENTER is a 199-bed suburban community hospital in nan, LA with $329.9M in net patient revenue and a -11.9% operating margin. The hospital serves a payer mix of 14.8% Medicare, 1.2% Medicaid, and 84.0% commercial.
Thesis: Undervalued. Our ML models identify $24.3M in annual EBITDA improvement potential from RCM optimization across 5 levers, lifting margin from -11.9% to -4.5% (+736bps).
| Net Revenue HCRIS | $329.9M |
| Current EBITDA COMPUTED | $-39.3M |
| Operating Margin COMPUTED | -11.9% |
| Occupancy HCRIS | 74.1% |
| Revenue / Bed COMPUTED | $1.7M |
| Net-to-Gross HCRIS | 19.1% |
| Distress Probability ML | 39.9% |
2. Market Context & Competitive Position
LA has 212 Medicare-certified hospitals with a median operating margin of -3.5%. The target's margin of -11.9% places it below the state median. Among 42 size-comparable peers (100-398 beds), the median margin is -5.9%. The target's below-peer margin suggests operational improvement opportunity.
3. RCM Performance Analysis — Comparable Hospitals
Comps selected by bed count (100-398), prioritizing same-state peers. 42 hospitals in the comp set.
| Hospital | State | Beds | Revenue | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEST JEFFERSON MEDICAL CENTER (Target) | LA | 199 | $329.9M | -11.9% |
| UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CTR. AT NEW | LA | 310 | $671.3M | -22.4% |
| CHILDRENS HOSPITAL | LA | 189 | $523.4M | 6.7% |
| OUR LADY OF LOURDES RMC | LA | 363 | $509.6M | 8.9% |
| LAFAYETTE GENERAL MEDICAL CENT | LA | 390 | $480.2M | -16.4% |
| BATON ROUGE GENERAL | LA | 251 | $445.5M | -6.7% |
| ST. TAMMANY PARISH HOSPITAL | LA | 213 | $434.6M | 4.5% |
| OCHSNER LSU HEALTH SHREVEPORT | LA | 273 | $395.6M | -50.0% |
| OCHSNER MEDICAL CENTER - BATON | LA | 171 | $371.4M | -11.5% |
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: $24.3M (736bps margin improvement).
| Lever | Current | Target | EBITDA Impact | Margin | Ramp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Collection Rate | 93.5% | 97.0% | $6.9M | +210bp | 18mo |
| Cost to Collect | 4.5% | 2.5% | $6.6M | +200bp | 12mo |
| Denial Rate Reduction | 12.0% | 6.5% | $6.5M | +198bp | 12mo |
| A/R Days Reduction | 5200.0% | 3800.0% | $4.0M | +122bp | 9mo |
| Clean Claim Rate | 88.0% | 96.0% | $211K | +6bp | 6mo |
5. EBITDA Bridge
| Current EBITDA | $-39.3M |
| + RCM Uplift | +$24.3M |
| Pro Forma EBITDA | $-15.0M |
| Current Margin | -11.9% |
| Pro Forma Margin | -4.5% |
| WC Released (1x) | $12.7M |
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 | $-60.4M | $-16.1M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Base (11x exit) | 10.0x | 11.0x | $-60.4M | $-37.3M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Bull Case | 9.0x | 11.0x | $-54.4M | $23.2M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Bull (12x exit) | 9.0x | 12.0x | $-54.4M | $9.2M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Bear Case | 11.0x | 10.0x | $-66.4M | $-117.9M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Bear (11x exit) | 11.0x | 11.0x | $-66.4M | $-151.3M | 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
- 42 hospitals with 100-398 beds
- Same-state prioritization (n=43)
- Comp margins: P25=-17.7% / P50=-5.9% / P75=1.3%
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.