FAULKTON AREA MEDICAL CENTER
1. Target Overview & Investment Thesis
FAULKTON AREA MEDICAL CENTER is a 12-bed rural/critical access in FAULK, SD with $10.3M in net patient revenue and a -10.3% operating margin. The hospital serves a payer mix of 91.1% Medicare, 2.1% Medicaid, and 6.8% commercial.
Thesis: Turnaround. Our ML models identify $762K in annual EBITDA improvement potential from RCM optimization across 5 levers, lifting margin from -10.3% to -2.9% (+742bps).
| Net Revenue HCRIS | $10.3M |
| Current EBITDA COMPUTED | $-1.1M |
| Operating Margin COMPUTED | -10.3% |
| Occupancy HCRIS | 20.5% |
| Revenue / Bed COMPUTED | $856K |
| Net-to-Gross HCRIS | 88.2% |
| Distress Probability ML | 63.5% |
2. Market Context & Competitive Position
SD has 63 Medicare-certified hospitals with a median operating margin of -3.2%. The target's margin of -10.3% places it below the state median. Among 20 size-comparable peers (6-24 beds), the median margin is -1.1%. The target's below-peer margin suggests operational improvement opportunity.
3. RCM Performance Analysis — Comparable Hospitals
Comps selected by bed count (6-24), prioritizing same-state peers. 20 hospitals in the comp set.
| Hospital | State | Beds | Revenue | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAULKTON AREA MEDICAL CENTER (Target) | SD | 12 | $10.3M | -10.3% |
| MADISON REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM | SD | 22 | $33.8M | -1.6% |
| MONUMENT HEALTH CUSTER HOSPITA | SD | 12 | $27.8M | -7.3% |
| MONUMENT HEALTH LEAD-DEADWOOD | SD | 18 | $20.2M | -0.6% |
| PHILIP HEALTH SERVICES INC | SD | 18 | $17.6M | 1.9% |
| AVERA GREGORY HOSPITAL | SD | 13 | $17.5M | -23.5% |
| PLATTE HEALTH CENTER INC. | SD | 17 | $17.1M | 2.4% |
| WAGNER COMMUNITY MEMORIAL HOSP | SD | 20 | $14.2M | -1.5% |
| SSH - SIOUX FALLS INC | SD | 24 | $13.6M | 16.4% |
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: $762K (742bps margin improvement).
| Lever | Current | Target | EBITDA Impact | Margin | Ramp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Collection Rate | 93.5% | 97.0% | $216K | +210bp | 18mo |
| Denial Rate Reduction | 12.0% | 6.5% | $206K | +201bp | 12mo |
| Cost to Collect | 4.5% | 2.5% | $205K | +200bp | 12mo |
| A/R Days Reduction | 5200.0% | 3800.0% | $125K | +122bp | 9mo |
| Clean Claim Rate | 88.0% | 96.0% | $10K | +9bp | 6mo |
5. EBITDA Bridge
| Current EBITDA | $-1.1M |
| + RCM Uplift | +$762K |
| Pro Forma EBITDA | $-294K |
| Current Margin | -10.3% |
| Pro Forma Margin | -2.9% |
| WC Released (1x) | $394K |
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 | $-1.6M | $652K | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Base (11x exit) | 10.0x | 11.0x | $-1.6M | $189K | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Bull Case | 9.0x | 11.0x | $-1.5M | $2.2M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Bull (12x exit) | 9.0x | 12.0x | $-1.5M | $1.9M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Bear Case | 11.0x | 10.0x | $-1.8M | $-2.6M | 0.00x | -100.0% |
| Bear (11x exit) | 11.0x | 11.0x | $-1.8M | $-3.5M | 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 |
| Medium | Heavy Medicare dependence | Medicare comprises 91.1% of days; rate updates may lag inflation. Mitigant: CDI/CMI lever directly increases Medicare reimbursement |
| Medium | Low occupancy | At 20.5%, fixed costs are spread over fewer patient days. Mitigant: volume growth is an additional upside lever not modeled in base case |
| High | Elevated distress probability | Model estimates 63.5% probability of financial distress. Mitigant: distressed entry pricing (7-9x) compensates for risk |
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
- 20 hospitals with 6-24 beds
- Same-state prioritization (n=26)
- Comp margins: P25=-11.8% / P50=-1.1% / P75=5.1%
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.