Howard Memorial Hospital Reports Mixed Financial Performance for March

Howard Memorial Hospital Board of Directors reviewed a mixed financial outlook during their regular monthly meeting, highlighting both strong patient volumes and ongoing budget challenges for the month ending March 31, 2026.

According to CFO Bill Craig’s report, the hospital cash receipts for March reached $4,325,190. The report also noted $114,728 in stimulus funding through ARPA, which has been applied toward the hospital’s 2026 capital budget.

Collectible revenue from patient services came in $69,785 above budget. However, officials noted that net revenue, after accounting for bad debt and charity care, was unfavorable for the month.

Patient volume showed several positive trends. Emergency department visits totaled 721, exceeding budget projections by 46 visits. Outpatient visits reached 2,660, while surgical cases totaled 133 compared to 115 budgeted cases.

On the expense side, total operating costs were $133,738 above budget, reflecting a 4.7% unfavorable variance. Contract labor costs contributed to this increase, coming in $30,846 over budget as the hospital relied on a third-party staffing agency to fill three full-time equivalent positions.

Despite those increases, salaries, benefits, and contract labor combined were $23,007 below budget.

In addition to financial matters, the board approved reappointments for several physicians, including Dr. Vance Wise, Dr. Marcus Brown, Dr. Steven Weiner, Dr. Stephen Penor, all in radiology and Dr. John R. Johnson.