Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan, formerly known as Mercy Regional Health Center before it became part of Ascension Health, saw an increase in outpatient volume in 2015, particularly through physician visits.
The Manhattan, Kan.-based hospital has added more than a dozen physicians over the past year, which helped boost outpatient revenue in fiscal 2015. However, inpatient volume and revenue failed to keep pace. An increase in its expenses also strained its operating margin for the year, which ended June 30.
Physician visits increased 97.1% year over year while total outpatient volume was up 12.7%. Outpatient revenue similarly increased 12.8%.
Occupancy at Via Christi, however, fell to 37.5% in fiscal 2015, down from 39.6% the previous year. Admissions decreased 4.1% and patient days were down 5.4%. Inpatient revenue was reduced by 1.4% year over year.
In total, Via Christi reported an operating surplus of $11.5 million on $107.1 million in revenue for fiscal 2015. In fiscal 2014, it had an operating surplus of $14.6 million on $106.6 million in revenue.
Its operating margin was 10.7% compared with the prior year's 13.7%.
The consolidated results also include the hospital's stakes in two joint ventures: its 51% ownership in Wamego Hospital Association, a critical-access facility, and its 75% stake in Mercy Imaging.
The hospital received a two-notch credit rating upgrade from Fitch Ratings in December, moving to an A+ rating from A-. The agency cited the hospital's strong operating performance and dominant market share as the only acute-care hospital in Manhattan.
Ascension subsidiary Via Christi assumed full ownership of the Manhattan hospital in February 2014 after previously operating it as part of a 50/50 joint venture with the Memorial Hospital Association.
