Briefs

Universal Health Services, based in King of Prussia, Pa., saw a 2% to 3% reduction in its uninsured patient volumes,

with a commensurate increase in Medicaid and commercial volumes, as a result of healthcare reform, company officials said on an earnings call Friday. The effect was most pronounced in California, which has pushed hard to promote its insurance exchanges. The District of Columbia saw strong numbers, as did Nevada, which has had strong Medicaid enrollment, the company said. UHS was the first publicly traded chain to report earnings on Thursday for a quarter that reflected the impact of insurance expansion as of Jan. 1.

Healthcare reform has been a bigger boost to the bottom line at LifePoint Hospitals than it expected,

the Brentwood, Tenn.based chain reported Friday. LifePoint, the smallest publicly traded hospital operator, reported a 14.9% increase in net income in the first quarter, reaching $37.1 million, compared with $32.3 million during the prior-year period. Revenue from continuing operations increased to $1 billion, up 8.2% from $931.1 million in the first quarter of 2013.

Aetna remains wary about expanding its presence in public insurance exchanges for 2015 because of lingering uncertainties about the emerging marketplaces, the company’s CEO said. That news came as the Hartford, Conn.-based insurer reported that it significantly exceeded profit expectations during the first quarter of 2014, and is projecting higher earnings for the year. Aetna added 230,000 paid members through the exchanges, for coverage effective during the first quarter of the year. But that was offset by a 130,000 reduction in individual enrollments outside of the exchanges. So far this year, 600,000 individuals have signed up for Aetna plans through the government-run marketplaces. Of those, roughly 500,000 have followed through with their first premium payments, the insurer said.