From bedside to balance sheets: A post-lunch conversation [Video]

This afternoon, after lunch, a group of us infection specialists, working in various hospitals across the country, found ourselves engaged in a discussion we rarely dive into: hospital business strategies. One of my colleagues had shared a news article comparing the Average Revenue Per Occupied Bed (ARPOB) of several hospital chains in India, and the numbers were intriguing. Despite vastly different business models, hospitals like Apollo Hospitals and Narayana Hrudayalaya (NH) had reported similar ARPOB figures.

Apollo Hospitals, known for its premium services, reported an ARPOB of Rs 56,823 per bed per day, while NH, recognised for its affordable care, had a comparable ARPOB at Rs 50,000 per bed per day. This piqued our curiosity: How could two institutions with such different approaches to healthcare achieve similar financial outcomes?

As infection specialists, our daily concerns usually revolve around issues like infection control, antibiotic stewardship, and the global challenges posed by …