Health Information Management

Searching the Web

Web search engines can be effective tools for locating the financial reports of healthcare provider. The most straightforward approach it to combine the name of the provider with terminology that is typically used to describe financial reporting using AND.

For example, try searching for: Stanford health care AND financial statements

EMMA

Nonprofit hospitals sometimes raise capital by selling debt in the form of bonds. When hospitals do this they agree to provide a variety of financial information to the public on a regular basis for transparency purposes. These disclosures are reported in a variety of places, including the Electronic Municipal Market Access System, also called EMMA.

Using Emma

1. Click on “Advanced Search” in the blue bar below the EMMA logo at top left
2. In the search area there is a State pull-down. Select the appropriate state
3. In the search area there is an Issue Description search box. Enter terms related to the name of your hospital. Abbreviations are sometimes used in bond descriptions, so try using as few words as possible in this search.
4. Click the green “RUN SEARCH” button at top right.
5. Your results list will show a list of bonds. Look at the “Security Description” column and look for recent bonds that include your organization’s name in the title. You can use the arrows next to “Maturity Date” or “Dated Date” to help sort to recent bonds if there are a number of them.
6. Click on the “Security Description” of a bond you are interested in. You will be brought to a details page.
7. Scrolling down will bring you to an area with tabs for “Trade Activity,” “Ratings,” “Disclosure Documents,” etc. Click on the “Disclosure Documents” tab.
8. You will see a variety of disclosure information including “Quarterly / Monthly Financial Information” and “Audited Financial Statements or CAFR.”

GuideStar

Most tax-exempt organizations in the United States must file some form of the IRS Form 990 on an annual basis to provide the public with financial information and to prevent organizations from abusing their tax-exempt status. It is often the only source of financial information available on these organizations.

EDGAR

For-profit healthcare providers that are publicly traded need to file regular disclosure reports with the Security and Exchange Commission. The annual 10-K report is frequently consulted as it provides a comprehensive overview of the company's business and financial condition and includes audited financial statements.

Using EDGAR

1. On the main EDGAR page click on the "Search for Company Filings" link in the box near the center of the page.
2. On the next page, click on "Company or fund name, ticker symbol, CIK (Central Index Key), file number, state, country, or SIC (Standard Industrial Classification)" to bring up the search page.
3. Enter your company's name in the search box and click "Search." Try to use the full name of your company, as results lists for just a few words may be extensive.
4. Click on the number in the "CIK" column next to the name of your company in the results list.
5. You can use the "Filing Type" window to search for specific filings, such as 10-K, 10-Q, or 8-K.
6. Click on the "Documents" button next to the filing you wish to view. Some filings will also have "Interactive Data."
7. You will then see the selected document or portions of the document in various file types. The "Printable PDF" of the complete document is often easiest to work with.