Encompass Health reports results for fourth quarter 2021 and issues full-year 2022 guidance

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Feb. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE: EHC), a national leader in integrated healthcare, offering facility-based and home-based patient care through its network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and home health and hospice agencies, today reported its results of operations for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2021.

“We delivered solid financial results in 2021, including double-digit growth in consolidated revenue and Adjusted EBITDA in spite of the challenges related to the pandemic,” said President and Chief Executive Officer of Encompass Health Mark Tarr. “Our hospital and home care teams have continued to provide high quality, compassionate care to patients in need of our services. We remain confident in the long-term prospects for both of our businesses.”

Consolidated results

Revenue growth in the fourth quarter resulted from strong discharge growth and favorable pricing in our inpatient rehabilitation segment.

The increase in income from continuing operations attributable to Encompass Health per diluted share and adjusted earnings per share in 2021 primarily resulted from revenue growth.

Cash flows provided by operating activities grew 1.6% in 2021. Adjusted free cash flow decreased 14.0% as a result of increased working capital and cash tax payments.

See attached supplemental information for calculations of non-GAAP measures and reconciliations to their most comparable GAAP measure.

Inpatient rehabilitation segment results

 

• Revenue – Inpatient revenue growth resulted from increased volumes and pricing. Total discharge growth for the fourth quarter of 2021 was 9.6% with same-store growth of 6.0%. Revenue reserves related to bad debt as a percent of revenue increased 10 basis points, primarily attributable to a shift in payor mix.

  Growth in net patient revenue per discharge of 1.2% primarily resulted from an increase in reimbursement rates, partially offset by payor mix (faster growth in Managed Care and Medicare Advantage).

  The increase in outpatient and other revenue included an increase of $9.7 million in provider tax revenues (offset by an increase of approximately $4.7 million in provider tax expense included in other operating expenses).

• Adjusted EBITDA – The 8.4% increase in Adjusted EBITDA in the fourth quarter of 2021 primarily resulted from revenue growth. Higher compensation costs were partially offset by improved operating leverage in hospital operating expenses.

Home health and hospice segment results

 

• Revenue – Home health total admissions increased 4.7% and same-store total admissions increased 2.4%.

  Episodic admissions declined 7.2% in the quarter. Approximately 50% of the decline related to the conversion of admissions to non-episodic under a large managed care contract initiated in February 2021.

  Home health revenue per episode increased 4.4%, driven by an increase in Medicare reimbursement and patient mix.

• Adjusted EBITDA – The 5.2% decrease in Adjusted EBITDA resulted primarily from higher costs of services related to industry-wide staffing challenges.

General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses decreased as a percent of consolidated revenue primarily due to the increased revenue base year-over-year.

General and administrative expenses in the above table exclude $13.3 million in costs associated with the strategic alternatives review of the Company’s home health and hospice business for the fourth quarter of 2021.

Full-year consolidated results

See the attached supplemental information for additional details regarding these calculations.

Announced spin off of the home health and hospice business

On January 19, 2022, the Company announced its intention to spin off its home health and hospice business to form an independent, publicly traded company (the “HH&H Business”) and to rebrand the HH&H Business as Enhabit Home Health & Hospice.  The spin-off, which is expected to be tax-free to Encompass Health’s shareholders, will result in Encompass Health shareholders owning stock in both companies. The Company intends to consummate the spin-off in the first half of 2022, subject to various conditions, including the effectiveness of a Form 10 registration statement, regulatory approvals and receipt of a favorable IRS private letter ruling. Additional information regarding the spin-off is provided in the supplemental slides accompanying this release.

2022 guidance

The Company provided the following guidance for full-year 2022.

The Company’s 2022 guidance assumes the continuation of the current structure of the business for 2022. Guidance is not inclusive of any costs incurred in 2022 related to the preparations for the planned spin-off of Enhabit Home Health & Hospice including rebranding, professional fees, or personnel additions specifically required for an independent public company.

For additional considerations regarding the Company’s 2022 guidance ranges, see the supplemental information posted on the Company’s website at http://investor.encompasshealth.com. See also the “Other information” section below for an explanation of why the Company does not provide guidance for comparable GAAP measures for Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted earnings per share.

Earnings conference call and webcast

The Company will host an investor conference call at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 to discuss its results for the fourth quarter of 2021. For reference during the call, the Company will post certain supplemental information at http://investor.encompasshealth.com.

The conference call may be accessed by dialing 866 342-8591 and giving the pass code EHCQ421. International callers should dial 203 518-9713 and give the same pass code. Please call approximately ten minutes before the start of the call to ensure you are connected. The conference call will also be webcast live and will be available for on-line replay at http://investor.encompasshealth.com by clicking on an available link.

About Encompass Health

As a national leader in integrated healthcare services, Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC) offers both facility-based and home-based patient care through its network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, home health agencies and hospice agencies. With a national footprint that includes 145 hospitals and 251 home health locations and 96 hospice locations in 42 states and Puerto Rico, the Company provides high-quality, cost-effective integrated healthcare. Encompass Health is ranked as one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit encompasshealth.com, or follow us on our newsroom, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Other information

The information in this press release is summarized and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 (the “2021 Form 10-K”), when filed, as well as the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 1, 2022 (the “Q4 Earnings Form 8-K”), to which this press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1. In addition, the Company will post supplemental information today on its website at http://investor.encompasshealth.com for reference during its February 2, 2022 earnings call.

The financial data contained in the press release and supplemental information include non-GAAP financial measures, including the Company’s adjusted earnings per share, leverage ratio, Adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted free cash flow. Reconciliations to their most comparable GAAP measure, except with regard to non-GAAP guidance, are included below or in the Q4 Earnings Form 8-K. Readers are encouraged to review the “Note Regarding Presentation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” included in the Q4 Earnings Form 8-K which provides further explanation and disclosure regarding the Company’s use of these non-GAAP financial measures.

Excluding net operating revenues, the Company does not provide guidance on a GAAP basis because it is unable to predict, with reasonable certainty, the future impact of items that are deemed to be outside the control of the Company or otherwise not indicative of its ongoing operating performance. Such items include government, class action, and related settlements; professional fees—accounting, tax, and legal; mark-to-market adjustments for stock appreciation rights; gains or losses related to hedging instruments; loss on early extinguishment of debt; adjustments to its income tax provision (such as valuation allowance adjustments and settlements of income tax claims); items related to corporate and facility restructurings; and certain other items the Company believes to be not indicative of its ongoing operations. These items cannot be reasonably predicted and will depend on several factors, including industry and market conditions, and could be material to the Company’s results computed in accordance with GAAP.

However, the following reasonably estimable GAAP measures for 2022 would be included in a reconciliation for Adjusted EBITDA if the other reconciling GAAP measures could be reasonably predicted:

• Interest expense and amortization of debt discounts and fees – estimate of $160 million to $170 million
• Amortization of debt-related items – approximately $10 million

The Q4 Earnings Form 8-K and, when filed, the 2021 Form 10-K can be found on the Company’s website at http://investor.encompasshealth.com and the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the three months ended December 31, 2021, net cash used in investing activities was $220.7 million and resulted primarily from capital expenditures. Net cash provided by financing activities during the three months ended December 31, 2021 was $42.3 million and resulted primarily from net debt borrowings offset by cash dividends paid on common stock and distributions to noncontrolling interests of consolidated affiliates.

For the three months ended December 31, 2020, net cash used in investing activities was $142.7 million and resulted primarily from capital expenditures. Net cash used in financing activities during the three months ended December 31, 2020 was $354.2 million and resulted primarily from net debt repayments, cash dividends paid on common stock, and distributions to noncontrolling interests of consolidated affiliates.

For the year ended December 31, 2021, net cash used in investing activities was $666.3 million and primarily resulted from capital expenditures and the acquisition of assets from Frontier Home Health and Hospice. Net cash used in financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2021 was $240.1 million and primarily resulted from net debt payments, cash dividends paid on common stock, and distributions to noncontrolling interests of consolidated affiliates.

For the year ended December 31, 2020, net cash used in investing activities was $407.5 million and primarily resulted from capital expenditures. Net cash used in financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2020 was $145.9 million and primarily resulted from the issuance of senior notes in May and October 2020 offset by the redemption of the Company’s 5.75% Senior Notes due 2024, the purchase of one-third of the rollover shares held by members of the home health and hospice management team, dividends paid common stock, and distributions paid to noncontrolling interests of consolidated affiliates.

Statements contained in this press release and the supplemental information which are not historical facts, such as those relating to the timing and effects, such as the tax-free treatment and the incremental costs, of the spin-off and rebranding of the home health and hospice business and its impact on the business model, outlook and guidance, the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on Encompass Health’s business and financial assumptions, legislative and regulatory developments, financial guidance, balance sheet and cash flow plans, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In addition, Encompass Health, through its senior management, may from time to time make forward-looking public statements concerning the matters described herein. All such estimates, projections, and forward-looking information speak only as of the date hereof, and Encompass Health undertakes no duty to publicly update or revise such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates based upon current information, involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and relate to, among other things, future events, Encompass Health’s plan to repurchase its debt or equity securities, dividend strategies, effective income tax rates, its business strategy, its financial plans, its future financial performance, its projected business results or model, its ability to return value to shareholders, its projected capital expenditures, its leverage ratio, its acquisition opportunities, and the impact of future legislation or regulation. Actual events or results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors. While it is impossible to identify all such factors, factors which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those estimated by Encompass Health include, but are not limited to, the possibility that the Company may not be able to realize higher values for its home health and hospice business through strategic transactions; the possibility that the Company may decide not to undertake a transaction following the review of strategic alternatives or that it is not able to consummate any proposed transactions resulting from the review due to, among other things, market, regulatory and other factors; the potential for disruption to the Company’s business resulting from the review of strategic alternatives or the undertaking of any transactions following the review; the continued spread of COVID-19, including the speed, depth, geographic reach and duration of the spread, which could decrease our patient volumes and revenues and lead to staffing and supply shortages and associated cost increases; actions to be taken by the Company in response to the pandemic; the legal, regulatory and administrative developments that occur at the federal, state and local levels; the Company’s infectious disease prevention and control efforts; the demand for the Company’s services, including based on any downturns in the economy, consumer confidence, or the capital markets and unemployment among family members; the price of Encompass Health’s common stock as it affects the Company’s willingness and ability to repurchase shares and the financial and accounting effects of any repurchases; any adverse outcome of various lawsuits, claims, and legal or regulatory proceedings involving Encompass Health, including any matters related to yet undiscovered issues, if any, in acquired operations; Encompass Health’s ability to attract and retain key management personnel; any adverse effects on Encompass Health’s stock price resulting from the integration of acquired operations; potential disruptions, breaches, or other incidents affecting the proper operation, availability, or security of Encompass Health’s or its vendors’ information systems, including unauthorized access to or theft of patient, business associate, or other sensitive information or inability to provide patient care because of system unavailability as well as unforeseen issues, if any, related to integration of acquired systems; the ability to successfully integrate acquired operations, including realization of anticipated tax benefits, revenues, and cost savings, minimizing the negative impact on margins arising from the changes in staffing and other operating practices, and avoidance of unforeseen exposure to liabilities; Encompass Health’s ability to successfully complete and integrate de novo developments, acquisitions, investments, and joint ventures consistent with its growth strategy; increases in Medicare audit activity, including increased use of sampling and extrapolation, resulting in additional unpaid reimbursement claims and an increase in the backlog of appealed claims denials; changes, delays in (including in connection with resolution of Medicare payment reviews or appeals), or suspension of reimbursement for Encompass Health’s services by governmental or private payors; changes in the regulation of the healthcare industry at either or both of the federal and state levels, including as part of national healthcare reform and deficit reduction (such as the Patient-Driven Groupings Model for home health) and Encompass Health’s ability to adapt operations to those changes; competitive pressures in the healthcare industry and Encompass Health’s response thereto; Encompass Health’s ability to obtain and retain favorable arrangements with third-party payors; Encompass Health’s ability to control costs, particularly labor and employee benefit costs, including group medical expenses; adverse effects resulting from coverage determinations made by Medicare Administrative Contractors regarding its Medicare reimbursement claims and lengthening delays in Encompass Health’s ability to recover improperly denied claims through the administrative appeals process on a timely basis; Encompass Health’s ability to adapt to changes in the healthcare delivery system, including value-based purchasing and involvement in coordinated care initiatives or programs that may arise with its referral sources; Encompass Health’s ability to attract and retain nurses, therapists, and other healthcare professionals in a highly competitive environment with often severe staffing shortages, which may be worsened by the pandemic, and the impact on Encompass Health’s labor expenses from potential union activity and staffing shortages; general conditions in the economy and capital markets, including any instability or uncertainty related to armed conflict or an act of terrorism, governmental impasse over approval of the United States federal budget, an increase in the debt ceiling, or an international sovereign debt crisis; the increase in the costs of defending and insuring against alleged professional liability claims, including claims associated with patient and employee exposures to COVID-19, and Encompass Health’s ability to predict the estimated costs related to such claims; and other factors which may be identified from time to time in Encompass Health’s SEC filings and other public announcements, including Encompass Health’s Form 10–K for the year ended December 31, 2021, when filed.

Media Contact
Casey Winger, 205 447-6410
casey.winger@encompasshealth.com

Investor Relations Contact
Mark Miller, 205 970-5860
mark.miller@encompasshealth.com

SOURCE Encompass Health Corp.