title: Chasm grows between rich and poor. Top hospital performers get stronger as weaker competitors stumble, new research indicates.
abstract: Although recent studies show hospital operating margins dropped 45% in the fourth quarter of 1998, compared with the year-ago period, a new analysis of industrywide financial ratios reveals that the "average" hospital may be less representative of the whole. Instead, a chasm is widening around the median, with strong hospitals getting stronger and weak hospitals showing further decline.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D002017:Budgets / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D002201:Capital Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002391:Catchment Area, Health / Q000191:economics; D002641:Chicago; D003625:Data Collection; D004469:Economics, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D005377:Financial Management, Hospital / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006743:Hospital Bed Capacity, under 100; D006764:Hospitals, Community / Q000191:economics; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016344:Medicare Part A / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014481:United States