Revenue and Earnings Growth
Consolidated revenue grew 9.6% year-over-year in Q1 2026. Adjusted EBITDA (net of NCI) increased 8.4% and adjusted EPS rose 16.1% versus Q1 2025. Reported net income attributable to UHS per diluted share was $5.65 and adjusted EPS was $5.62.
Strong Acute Segment Pricing and EBITDA
Acute care same-facility net revenues increased 8.2% (6.2% excluding health plan impact). Same-facility revenue per adjusted admission rose 6.3% (4.9% after excluding ~$30M prior-period supplemental program benefit). Same-facility acute segment EBITDA grew 11.7%.
Behavioral Segment Momentum
Behavioral health same-facility net revenues increased 7.3% with same-facility revenue per adjusted patient day up 5.8% and adjusted patient days up 1.6%. Same-facility behavioral segment EBITDA increased 8.4% (normalized core behavioral EBITDA growth ~4.3% after excluding prior-period supplemental payments).
Talkspace Acquisition — Strategic and Financial Upside
Announced acquisition of Talkspace (network of ~6,000 clinicians across all 50 states). Management expects the deal to be accretive to earnings in the first 12 months post-close and increasingly accretive thereafter, with an expected effective EBITDA multiple in the single digits by year three. Strategic rationale includes accelerating virtual outpatient capabilities and bidirectional revenue synergies (e.g., virtual IOPs).
Operating Cash Flow, CapEx, and Capital Return
Operating cash flow for Q1 2026 was $402 million versus $360 million in Q1 2025. Capital expenditures were $217 million for the quarter. The company repurchased 675,000 shares for $127 million in Q1 and has $1.3 billion of repurchase authorization remaining; management reiterated an annual buyback target of at least $800–$900 million.
Balance Sheet and Liquidity Actions
Expanded aggregate credit facility capacity by $900 million to support the pending Talkspace transaction and M&A flexibility. Revolver borrowings were $373 million as of 03/31/2026 and revolver capacity was expanded to $1.5 billion.
Margin and Expense Discipline
Same-facility acute salaries, wages and benefits expense per adjusted admission rose 3.1% and supply expense per adjusted admission rose 3.5%, while contract labor in acute was 2.3% of segment revenues (40 bps lower Y/Y). Management emphasized expense control, pricing contribution, and operational efficiency driving results.
AI and Digital Deployment
Deployed and scaled eight AI use cases in revenue cycle operations in 2025 (improving denials management and revenue capture). 2026 roadmap focuses on clinical AI use cases (patient experience and hospital-level efficiency) with partners such as Hippocratic AI; management expects incremental margin and quality benefits over time.