IREDELL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
1. Target Overview & Investment Thesis
IREDELL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL is a 155-bed suburban community hospital in IREDELL, NC with $228.0M in net patient revenue and a 3.7% operating margin. The hospital serves a payer mix of 27.9% Medicare, 4.1% Medicaid, and 68.0% commercial.
Thesis: Undervalued. Our ML models identify $16.8M in annual EBITDA improvement potential from RCM optimization across 5 levers, lifting margin from 3.7% to 11.1% (+736bps).
| Net Revenue HCRIS | $228.0M |
| Current EBITDA COMPUTED | $8.5M |
| Operating Margin COMPUTED | 3.7% |
| Occupancy HCRIS | 65.1% |
| Revenue / Bed COMPUTED | $1.5M |
| Net-to-Gross HCRIS | 25.9% |
| Distress Probability ML | 44.0% |
2. Market Context & Competitive Position
NC has 129 Medicare-certified hospitals with a median operating margin of -2.0%. The target's margin of 3.7% places it above the state median. Among 51 size-comparable peers (78-310 beds), the median margin is -1.2%. The target performs in line with or above peers.
3. RCM Performance Analysis — Comparable Hospitals
Comps selected by bed count (78-310), prioritizing same-state peers. 51 hospitals in the comp set.
| Hospital | State | Beds | Revenue | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IREDELL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL (Target) | NC | 155 | $228.0M | 3.7% |
| DUKE RALEIGH HOSPITAL | NC | 186 | $683.0M | 3.7% |
| CATAWBA VALLEY MEDICAL CENTER | NC | 200 | $451.9M | 5.9% |
| DUKE REGIONAL HOSPITAL | NC | 301 | $421.0M | -19.8% |
| HIGH POINT MEDICAL CENTER | NC | 288 | $406.1M | 0.3% |
| MARGARET R. PARDEE MEMORIAL HO | NC | 160 | $341.3M | -5.7% |
| JOHNSTON HEALTH | NC | 179 | $331.7M | 9.6% |
| WAKE MED CARY HOSPITAL | NC | 189 | $318.1M | -3.6% |
| ATRIUM HEALTH CLEVELAND | NC | 308 | $305.8M | 1.8% |
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: $16.8M (736bps margin improvement).
| Lever | Current | Target | EBITDA Impact | Margin | Ramp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Collection Rate | 93.5% | 97.0% | $4.8M | +210bp | 18mo |
| Cost to Collect | 4.5% | 2.5% | $4.6M | +200bp | 12mo |
| Denial Rate Reduction | 12.0% | 6.5% | $4.5M | +198bp | 12mo |
| A/R Days Reduction | 5200.0% | 3800.0% | $2.8M | +122bp | 9mo |
| Clean Claim Rate | 88.0% | 96.0% | $146K | +6bp | 6mo |
5. EBITDA Bridge
| Current EBITDA | $8.5M |
| + RCM Uplift | +$16.8M |
| Pro Forma EBITDA | $25.3M |
| Current Margin | 3.7% |
| Pro Forma Margin | 11.1% |
| WC Released (1x) | $8.7M |
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 | $13.0M | $223.7M | 17.16x | 76.6% |
| Base (11x exit) | 10.0x | 11.0x | $13.0M | $250.3M | 19.20x | 80.6% |
| Bull Case | 9.0x | 11.0x | $11.7M | $309.9M | 26.42x | 92.5% |
| Bull (12x exit) | 9.0x | 12.0x | $11.7M | $341.5M | 29.11x | 96.2% |
| Bear Case | 11.0x | 10.0x | $14.3M | $135.6M | 9.45x | 56.7% |
| Bear (11x exit) | 11.0x | 11.0x | $14.3M | $153.8M | 10.72x | 60.7% |
7. Key Risks & Mitigants
| Severity | Risk Factor | Mitigant |
|---|---|---|
| Medium | Standard execution risk | RCM improvement requires management buy-in and 12-18 month implementation timeline |
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
- 51 hospitals with 78-310 beds
- Same-state prioritization (n=52)
- Comp margins: P25=-7.5% / P50=-1.2% / P75=8.4%
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.