A final report card on the health of the hospital business was compiled at the end of 2007 by the American Hospital Association.1 The report card shows several trends. Hospitals’ profits set another record, topping the $28.9 billion posted in 2005. Hospitals profits in 2006 were $35.2 billion, nearly 22% more than in 2005. The growth in overall profits was also reflected in a continued trend upward in profit margins, a trend that began in 2002.
