MARY FREE BED REHAB HOSPITAL
1. Target Overview & Investment Thesis
MARY FREE BED REHAB HOSPITAL is a 119-bed suburban community hospital in KENT, MI with $110.4M in net patient revenue and a -3.4% operating margin. The hospital serves a payer mix of 16.1% Medicare, 3.4% Medicaid, and 80.5% commercial.
Thesis: Undervalued. Our ML models identify $8.1M in annual EBITDA improvement potential from RCM optimization across 5 levers, lifting margin from -3.4% to 3.9% (+736bps).
| Net Revenue HCRIS | $110.4M |
| Current EBITDA COMPUTED | $-3.8M |
| Operating Margin COMPUTED | -3.4% |
| Occupancy HCRIS | 92.2% |
| Revenue / Bed COMPUTED | $928K |
| Net-to-Gross HCRIS | 45.8% |
| Distress Probability ML | 40.0% |
2. Market Context & Competitive Position
MI has 163 Medicare-certified hospitals with a median operating margin of -5.2%. The target's margin of -3.4% places it above the state median. Among 49 size-comparable peers (60-238 beds), the median margin is -7.9%. The target performs in line with or above peers.
3. RCM Performance Analysis — Comparable Hospitals
Comps selected by bed count (60-238), prioritizing same-state peers. 49 hospitals in the comp set.
| Hospital | State | Beds | Revenue | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MARY FREE BED REHAB HOSPITAL (Target) | MI | 119 | $110.4M | -3.4% |
| MYMICHIGAN MEDICAL CENTER MIDL | MI | 195 | $537.8M | -9.6% |
| METROPOLITAN HOSPITAL | MI | 201 | $512.0M | -11.3% |
| LAKELAND MEDICAL CENTER ST. J | MI | 235 | $488.2M | -3.6% |
| HENRY FORD WEST BLOOMFIELD HOS | MI | 191 | $446.0M | 5.5% |
| BEAUMONT HOSPITAL- FARMINGTON | MI | 225 | $434.2M | 3.3% |
| CHILDRENS HOSPITAL OF MICHIGAN | MI | 227 | $393.0M | -0.4% |
| MCLAREN GREATER LANSING | MI | 185 | $384.2M | -9.8% |
| HARPER- HUTZEL HOSPITAL | MI | 237 | $376.3M | -13.6% |
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: $8.1M (736bps margin improvement).
| Lever | Current | Target | EBITDA Impact | Margin | Ramp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Collection Rate | 93.5% | 97.0% | $2.3M | +210bp | 18mo |
| Cost to Collect | 4.5% | 2.5% | $2.2M | +200bp | 12mo |
| Denial Rate Reduction | 12.0% | 6.5% | $2.2M | +198bp | 12mo |
| A/R Days Reduction | 5200.0% | 3800.0% | $1.3M | +122bp | 9mo |
| Clean Claim Rate | 88.0% | 96.0% | $71K | +6bp | 6mo |
5. EBITDA Bridge
| Current EBITDA | $-3.8M |
| + RCM Uplift | +$8.1M |
| Pro Forma EBITDA | $4.4M |
| Current Margin | -3.4% |
| Pro Forma Margin | 3.9% |
| WC Released (1x) | $4.2M |
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 | $-5.8M | $56.4M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Base (11x exit) | 10.0x | 11.0x | $-5.8M | $60.1M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Bull Case | 9.0x | 11.0x | $-5.2M | $85.1M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Bull (12x exit) | 9.0x | 12.0x | $-5.2M | $91.3M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Bear Case | 11.0x | 10.0x | $-6.4M | $17.6M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Bear (11x exit) | 11.0x | 11.0x | $-6.4M | $17.3M | 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 |
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
- 49 hospitals with 60-238 beds
- Same-state prioritization (n=50)
- Comp margins: P25=-13.8% / P50=-7.9% / P75=0.5%
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.