The Houston healthcare sector has gotten off to a slow start in 2017. Financial concerns are impacting several healthcare systems as they adapt to a changing marketplace. Industry challenges such as increasing technology costs, as well as changes in payer mixes and reimbursement rates, have impacted organizations’ operating models as a whole. While the majority of organizations have effectively adjusted or are adapting to the change, companies such as CHI St. Luke’s Health, Adeptus Health Inc. and Foundation Healthcare have not fared as well, resulting in a sluggish start to the year. In late March, CHI St. Luke’s announced another round of layoffs, stating that it would eliminate more than 459 jobs and an additional 161 vacant positions statewide. This is the fourth round of layoffs CHI has announced over the previous two years as the company continues to struggle with lower patient volumes, reduced reimbursement via Medicaid and Medicare, and increased technology-related operating costs. Adeptus Health, a freestanding emergency room operator with more than 29 Houston-area locations, appears to be headed for bankruptcy, having announced in March that it would be hiring a restructuring chief. Adeptus has grown rapidly over the past several years, initially opening facilities that lacked …
