LONESTAR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
1. Target Overview & Investment Thesis
LONESTAR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH is a 24-bed safety-net/medicaid heavy in HARRIS, TX with $8.0M in net patient revenue and a 3.7% operating margin. The hospital serves a payer mix of 23.0% Medicare, 28.5% Medicaid, and 48.5% commercial.
Thesis: Turnaround. Our ML models identify $594K in annual EBITDA improvement potential from RCM optimization across 5 levers, lifting margin from 3.7% to 11.2% (+747bps).
| Net Revenue HCRIS | $8.0M |
| Current EBITDA COMPUTED | $294K |
| Operating Margin COMPUTED | 3.7% |
| Occupancy HCRIS | 43.9% |
| Revenue / Bed COMPUTED | $332K |
| Net-to-Gross HCRIS | 100.0% |
| Distress Probability ML | 63.9% |
2. Market Context & Competitive Position
TX has 583 Medicare-certified hospitals with a median operating margin of -0.7%. The target's margin of 3.7% places it above the state median. Among 246 size-comparable peers (12-48 beds), the median margin is -8.5%. The target performs in line with or above peers.
3. RCM Performance Analysis — Comparable Hospitals
Comps selected by bed count (12-48), prioritizing same-state peers. 246 hospitals in the comp set.
| Hospital | State | Beds | Revenue | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LONESTAR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH (Target) | TX | 24 | $8.0M | 3.7% |
| WISE HEALTH SYSTEM - PARKWAY | TX | 36 | $361.0M | -15.5% |
| CORYELL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL | TX | 25 | $305.9M | -1.5% |
| TEXAS ORTHOPEDIC HOSPITA | TX | 42 | $237.8M | 46.3% |
| METHODIST HOSPITAL FOR SURGERY | TX | 32 | $178.4M | 22.8% |
| TEXAS SPINE AND JOINT HOSPITAL | TX | 20 | $147.3M | 30.3% |
| NORTH CENTRAL SURGICAL HOSPITA | TX | 24 | $143.6M | 32.0% |
| SCOTT AND WHITE HOSPITAL TAYLO | TX | 25 | $139.7M | -47.5% |
| BAYLOR SURGICAL HOSPITAL AT FO | TX | 30 | $136.0M | 14.8% |
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: $594K (747bps margin improvement).
| Lever | Current | Target | EBITDA Impact | Margin | Ramp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Collection Rate | 93.5% | 97.0% | $167K | +210bp | 18mo |
| Denial Rate Reduction | 12.0% | 6.5% | $161K | +203bp | 12mo |
| Cost to Collect | 4.5% | 2.5% | $159K | +200bp | 12mo |
| A/R Days Reduction | 5200.0% | 3800.0% | $97K | +122bp | 9mo |
| Clean Claim Rate | 88.0% | 96.0% | $10K | +12bp | 6mo |
5. EBITDA Bridge
| Current EBITDA | $294K |
| + RCM Uplift | +$594K |
| Pro Forma EBITDA | $888K |
| Current Margin | 3.7% |
| Pro Forma Margin | 11.2% |
| WC Released (1x) | $305K |
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 | $453K | $7.9M | 17.41x | 77.1% |
| Base (11x exit) | 10.0x | 11.0x | $453K | $8.8M | 19.48x | 81.1% |
| Bull Case | 9.0x | 11.0x | $407K | $10.9M | 26.81x | 93.0% |
| Bull (12x exit) | 9.0x | 12.0x | $407K | $12.0M | 29.54x | 96.8% |
| Bear Case | 11.0x | 10.0x | $498K | $4.8M | 9.57x | 57.1% |
| Bear (11x exit) | 11.0x | 11.0x | $498K | $5.4M | 10.85x | 61.1% |
7. Key Risks & Mitigants
| Severity | Risk Factor | Mitigant |
|---|---|---|
| Medium | Elevated Medicaid exposure (28.5%) | Medicaid reimburses below cost in most states. Mitigant: denial reduction lever has highest impact on Medicaid claims |
| High | Elevated distress probability | Model estimates 63.9% 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
- 246 hospitals with 12-48 beds
- Same-state prioritization (n=247)
- Comp margins: P25=-37.8% / P50=-8.5% / P75=9.1%
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.