CHRISTUS SPOHN ALICE
1. Target Overview & Investment Thesis
CHRISTUS SPOHN ALICE is a 72-bed suburban community hospital in JIM WELLS, TX with $65.2M in net patient revenue and a 13.6% operating margin. The hospital serves a payer mix of 21.1% Medicare, 1.3% Medicaid, and 77.6% commercial.
Thesis: Turnaround. Our ML models identify $4.8M in annual EBITDA improvement potential from RCM optimization across 5 levers, lifting margin from 13.6% to 21.0% (+736bps).
| Net Revenue HCRIS | $65.2M |
| Current EBITDA COMPUTED | $8.9M |
| Operating Margin COMPUTED | 13.6% |
| Occupancy HCRIS | 25.9% |
| Revenue / Bed COMPUTED | $906K |
| Net-to-Gross HCRIS | 13.7% |
| Distress Probability ML | 51.3% |
2. Market Context & Competitive Position
TX has 583 Medicare-certified hospitals with a median operating margin of -0.7%. The target's margin of 13.6% places it above the state median. Among 219 size-comparable peers (36-144 beds), the median margin is 1.0%. The target performs in line with or above peers.
3. RCM Performance Analysis — Comparable Hospitals
Comps selected by bed count (36-144), prioritizing same-state peers. 219 hospitals in the comp set.
| Hospital | State | Beds | Revenue | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHRISTUS SPOHN ALICE (Target) | TX | 72 | $65.2M | 13.6% |
| THE HEART HOSPITAL BAYLOR PLAN | TX | 109 | $464.6M | 25.7% |
| COLLEGE STATION HOSPITAL | TX | 135 | $397.7M | -0.9% |
| DECATUR COMMUNITY HOSPITAL | TX | 81 | $361.0M | -15.5% |
| WISE HEALTH SYSTEM - PARKWAY | TX | 36 | $361.0M | -15.5% |
| CHILDRENS MEDICAL CENTER OF PL | TX | 72 | $336.7M | 20.9% |
| BAYLOR SW MEDICAL CENTER- WAXA | TX | 123 | $273.6M | 15.9% |
| BAYLOR HEART AND VASCULAR HOSP | TX | 53 | $255.0M | 30.0% |
| TEXAS ORTHOPEDIC HOSPITA | TX | 42 | $237.8M | 46.3% |
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: $4.8M (736bps margin improvement).
| Lever | Current | Target | EBITDA Impact | Margin | Ramp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Collection Rate | 93.5% | 97.0% | $1.4M | +210bp | 18mo |
| Cost to Collect | 4.5% | 2.5% | $1.3M | +200bp | 12mo |
| Denial Rate Reduction | 12.0% | 6.5% | $1.3M | +198bp | 12mo |
| A/R Days Reduction | 5200.0% | 3800.0% | $794K | +122bp | 9mo |
| Clean Claim Rate | 88.0% | 96.0% | $42K | +6bp | 6mo |
5. EBITDA Bridge
| Current EBITDA | $8.9M |
| + RCM Uplift | +$4.8M |
| Pro Forma EBITDA | $13.7M |
| Current Margin | 13.6% |
| Pro Forma Margin | 21.0% |
| WC Released (1x) | $2.5M |
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 | $13.7M | $106.7M | 7.79x | 50.8% |
| Base (11x exit) | 10.0x | 11.0x | $13.7M | $121.9M | 8.90x | 54.8% |
| Bull Case | 9.0x | 11.0x | $12.3M | $142.2M | 11.53x | 63.1% |
| Bull (12x exit) | 9.0x | 12.0x | $12.3M | $158.7M | 12.88x | 66.7% |
| Bear Case | 11.0x | 10.0x | $15.1M | $78.3M | 5.20x | 39.0% |
| Bear (11x exit) | 11.0x | 11.0x | $15.1M | $91.0M | 6.04x | 43.3% |
7. Key Risks & Mitigants
| Severity | Risk Factor | Mitigant |
|---|---|---|
| Medium | Low occupancy | At 25.9%, 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 51.3% probability of financial distress. Mitigant: distressed entry pricing (7-9x) compensates for risk |
| 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
- 219 hospitals with 36-144 beds
- Same-state prioritization (n=220)
- Comp margins: P25=-14.3% / P50=1.0% / P75=10.8%
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.