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April 3, 2024
Toolkit
Nathan Pauly
Lauren Sears
Amy Zhan
Kevin McAvey
Sarah Kinsler
Peter Hayes
Christopher Romero-Gutierrez
Michael Bailit
Publication
Nov 11, 2025
Oct 16, 2025
Sep 15, 2025
As states seek ways to improve health care affordability and access, it’s important that they understand health system finances, including hospital revenue and cost drivers. A new series of Peterson-Milbank analytics support resources offers insight into how to use publicly available data sources to examine the financial condition of hospitals, as well as identify opportunities to reduce health care spending growth while avoiding any unintended consequences that might result.
The new resources include:
Check out a recording of an April 9, 2024 webinar with the guide authors and a panel of experts.
Developed by Manatt Health and Bailit Health, this guide provides state analysts with direction on how to use Audited Financial Statements, IRS Form 990 Filings, and Medicare Cost Reports (MCRs) to better understand the financial health of their local health systems and hospitals.
This companion set of illustrative case studies of three health systems from Bailit Health shows how to use a framework of key financial indicators to analyze Audited Financial Statements and interpret their findings. The Financial Analysis Template is available for download.
Developed by Manatt Health, this guide is designed to help analysts create meaningful and comparative categories for these types of services, which often drive increased utilization and spending.
Watch this video for guidance from Bailit Health on using the Financial Analysis Template to analyze hospitals’ Audited Financial Statements and assess financial stability.
Drawing on the Peterson-Milbank hospital financial analysis guides, this slide deck explains how rising hospital spending is driving health care spending growth. It outlines policy options to help contain hospital spending growth, and why understanding the financial health of a state’s health systems should inform policy choices designed to improve the affordability of health care.
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