LIVE MARKETS — TD Cowen says AI promises hospitals a margin cure

US equity index futures rise; S&P 500 up ~0.3% August PCE MM, YY 1%; bitcoin up >2% US 10-year Treasury yield dips to ~5.23% Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of markets brought to you reporters. You can share your thoughts with us at Td Cowen Says Ai Promises Hospitals A Margin Cure Artificial intelligence can boost US hospital profits by improving billing and cutting administrative work, while larger gains from making clinical staff more productive will take longer to materialize, TD Cowen says. The brokerage estimated AI could add about 240 basis points to acute-care hospital margins in its base case and as much as 430 basis points if hospitals achieve meaningful gains in clinical labor productivity, a scenario it described as a "holy grail." Billing and collections offer the clearest near-term opportunity, TD Cowen said. AI can improve medical records and billing codes, capture missed charges, prevent claim denials and detect underpayments, while automation can lower collection costs. Together with longer-term labor savings, the brokerage estimated AI could lift annual operating earnings by about 8% to 12% at HCA Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare and Universal.