Q4 2021 Premier Inc Earnings Call
[music].
Yeah.
Welcome to Premier's fiscal 2021 fourth quarter and full year conference call. Our speakers. This morning are Mike Alkire, our president and CEO.
And correct Mckesson, our chief administrative and financial officer before we begin.
I want to remind everyone that our earnings release and the supplemental slides accompanying this conference call are available in their pet's strong relations section of our website investor that Premier Inc. Dotcom instruments remarks today contain certain forward looking statements and actual results could differ materially from those discussed today.
These forward looking statements speak as of today, and we undertake no obligation to update them.
There's that might affect future results are discussed in our filings with the S. E C.
Our Form 10-K for the fiscal year, which we expect to file soon.
Encourage you to review these detailed safe harbor and risk factor disclosures.
Also where appropriate we will refer to adjusted or other non-GAAP financial measures such as free cash flow to evaluate our business.
Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP financial measures are included in our earnings release and the appendix of the supplemental slides accompanying this presentation.
In the appendix of the supplemental slides accompanying presentation and our earnings form 8-K, which we expect to furnish to the SEC Soon I would now like to turn the call over to Mike Alkire.
Thank you and welcome to Premier's fiscal 2021 fourth quarter and full year conference call. Our speakers. This morning are Mike Al-qaeda.
Our president and CEO, and Craig Mckesson, our chief administrative and financial Officer before we get started I want to remind everyone that our earnings release and the supplemental slides accompanying this conference call are available in the Investor Relations section of our website at investors adopt Premier Inc. Dot Com man.
<unk> remarks today contain certain forward looking statements and actual results could differ materially from those discussed today. These forward looking statements speak as of today and we undertake no obligation to update them.
Factors that might affect future results are discussed in our filings with the SEC, including our Form 10-K for the fiscal year, which we expect to file soon we encourage you to review these detailed safe harbor and risk factor disclosures.
Also where appropriate.
We will refer to adjusted or other non-GAAP financial measures such as free cash flow to evaluate our business reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP financial measures are included in our earnings release and the appendix of the supplemental slides accompanying this presentation and in our earnings form.
<unk> 8-K, which we expect to furnish to the SEC soon I will now turn the call over to Mike Alkire.
Thanks, Dan.
Thank you for joining us today.
This morning, we will provide an update on the progress we are making to advance our strategy to achieve our longer term goals.
To our stockholders.
He will also discuss for fiscal 2021 fourth quarter and full year results.
And our outlook and guidance for fiscal 2022.
We are pleased with our fourth quarter results, which reflect another quarter of solid execution.
Compared with the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020.
Our total net revenue grew 40%.
Supply chain services segment net revenue increased 51%.
Performance of this segment net revenue grew 9%.
And profitability was in line with our expectations.
Craig will discuss our operational and financial results in more detail and walk you through our fiscal 2022 financial guidance in his remarks.
We continue to operate in a very dynamic environment brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our employees have really stepped up during this time and we are.
<unk>.
And supporting our members.
They focus on the safety and protection of their staff, while delivering high quality cost effective health care to their patients.
Our members are informed by insights gleaned from our member network, reflecting the power of our Hawaiian.
As well as our predictive data to effectively manage significant increases in patient utilization.
<unk> hospitalizations, particularly in southern states that have resulted from the rapid spread of the Delta there.
The pandemic highlighted weaknesses in the health care supply chain.
Evolution of our supply chain direct sourcing and analytics capabilities have enabled us to advance our strategy to build a more resilient healthcare supply chain in the United States.
In addition to co investing with our members to support the domestic manufacturing of critically needed face masks and gowns, we recently announced our collaboration with Honeywell to expand the U S production of Nitrolic Sam gloves.
Critical category for care delivery.
These unique initiatives will help to protect our health care providers from shortages drive supply chain innovation and increase both domestic and nearshore manufacturing of critical products.
Our supply chain services strategy is focused on building a technology enabled end to end supply chain.
With a set of unique capabilities that span the front end e-commerce.
Tumor like web based catalog ordering.
Back in invoicing and E payables solutions.
In March we achieved a critical step in advancing the strategy through our acquisition of the assets of invoice delivery services.
With the addition of <unk>, an element of our E invoicing and eat payable strategy, we have branded these capabilities re metro.
<unk> is a key component of our overall supply chain strategy. It is managed within our performance services segment to enhance connectivity with our broader suite of AI enabled technology and consulting capabilities.
We are looking forward to the value. We believe we will deliver in the upcoming years, including diversifying our revenue.
The profitable growth and increasing visibility in the total number of spend and increased member retention and recruitment.
Turning to our performance services business, we launched a new brand for our comprehensive technology and consulting services platform last week called Pink.
Our performance our performance services segment now consists of three separate pink.
Re metro and <unk> health.
This realignment, but it reflects our current product offerings and strategy to expand and incorporate artificial intelligence, including machine learning and natural language processing.
Out of our portfolio.
Today pick AI enables more than 300000 physician to deliver high quality care, while safely reducing waste and other inefficiencies.
It's robust dataset, which includes visibility to more than 45% of U S Hospital discharges.
Technology and services platform and a large network of providers, we believe Pinky I can scale to advance collaborative patient centric innovation and helped drive our growth in adjacent markets in the coming years.
We also continue to make progress in advancing our strategy to drive growth and diversify our revenue streams through deeper penetration of the provider market through our consulting and technology businesses and further expansion into adjacent markets, including the payer and life Sciences and employer markets.
For example, in our life Sciences business, we are focused on better connecting providers and life Sciences companies with data driven research leading to real world evidence and advancements in patient identification for clinical trials.
In fiscal 2021, we expanded our capabilities to include new data sources natural language processing solutions for improved clinical trial recruitment and expanded member partnerships.
And our <unk> health business, which focuses on direct provider to employer solutions, we continue to make progress in fiscal 2021.
We completed the integration of health design, plus through managed lives by more than 20% and achieved 100% customer retention.
We have several key initiatives underway for <unk> health in fiscal 2022.
For example, we continue to expand our centers of excellence that work and other networks to meet the needs of our employer customers.
Technology enablement to improve health outcomes <unk>.
Provider connectivity and access to care.
We also expect to enhance our health plan administration capabilities with several key platform improvements.
This includes advanced analytics that combine planes with clinical data to drive deeper insights and actions and drive continuous clinical quality improvement.
We also continued to advance our environmental social and governance efforts.
Last week conductive or business that helps our members optimize purchase services.
Luna and.
The diversity equity and inclusion initiatives using AI powered analytics technology lumen helps our customers.
Identify and implement inclusive supplier sourcing strategies.
Efficiently increases span with diverse suppliers.
Meet their broader diversity equity and inclusion goals.
And importantly support local economies by choosing local qualified and diverse suppliers for their third party service needs.
Premier was also recently honored to be named the recipient of the achievers annual.
50, most engaged workplaces.
International Award for our commitment to creating an engaged workforce through our many employees centered programs.
Also reinforcing our focus on building an engaged workplace through and in an environment of diversity equity inclusion and belonging earlier. This month. We received two 2021 diversity impact awards from the global <unk> network.
In addition, we plan to publish our inaugural sustainability report this fall.
I'd like to take this opportunity to recognize our members and frontline workers for their tireless commitment and dedication to addressing the pandemic and continuing to provide care in their communities.
I also like to thank premier employees for their continued commitment and supporting each other our members and other customers. During these unprecedented times.
To support our members have received during this critical time was reflected in our fiscal 2021 annual CEO member survey in which we received a 98%.
Overall satisfaction rate and more than 90% of our members your premier as a strategic partner.
In summary, we are excited about the strategic path. We're on as we continued to transform health care from the inside.
Our evolution to a full service performance improvement company will be powered by our engaged member network.
Broad data assets and the continued advancement and innovation of our AI based technology to provide a deeper and more actionable insights for our stakeholders.
We remain focused on executing our strategies and creating value for all our stakeholders.
I will now turn the call over to Craig Mckesson for a discussion of our operational financial performance and fiscal 'twenty two.
Our financial guidance.
Thanks, Mike.
This morning, we reported fiscal fourth quarter and full year 2021 results that reflect a year of solid execution.
Even in the face of challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, I will walk through our fiscal 2021 fourth quarter results highlight our capital allocation priorities and then discuss our fiscal 2022 financial outlook, including initial guidance and key assumptions in more detail.
For the fourth quarter of 2021, and as compared with the prior year period total net revenue was $481.5 million an increase of 40%.
Supply chain services segment revenue was $389.7 million, an increase of 51% and performance services segment revenue was $91.8 million an increase of 9%.
And our supply chain services segment net administrative fees revenue declined slightly compared with the prior year quarter and was mainly affected by three factors.
First as we expected our amended and extended GPO agreements with most of our members which were effective July one 2020 reflect reduced net administrative fees revenue by approximately $33 million in the fourth quarter compared with the prior year quarter.
The $115 million impact of the amended agreements in fiscal 2021 was $5 million higher than our original top end estimate communicated last August due to changes in the actual level and mix of member purchasing throughout the year.
Second this decrease was partially offset by a less significant impact from the pandemic compared to last year and third growth in net administrative fees revenue due to the ramp up from the addition of new GPO members during fiscal 2021, including Virginia Mason Health risk.
<unk> services and community health system.
And further penetration of existing members spend.
The increased penetration of existing members spend was driven in part by growth in our highly committed purchasing programs for which the combined purchasing spend represented by the participating members grew from $27 billion to more than $30 billion in fiscal 2021.
We also continued to broaden the GPO contract portfolio with the addition of new contract categories and suppliers across both our acute and alternate site businesses as we leverage our technology enablement to identify potential contract opportunities.
Products revenue increased 127% from the prior year quarter, mainly due to $168 million and incremental revenue related to growth and ongoing demand for commodity products. As a result of the nature and duration of the pandemic our fourth quarter revenue was higher than we expect.
Did a quarter ago, primarily due to higher demand for certain items than we initially expected and a lower than anticipated impact from certain port and logistics challenges prevailing in the market over the past six months.
Looking ahead, we continue to expect our products revenue will gradually normalize to pre pandemic levels in fiscal 2022 as excessive demand subsides from the broader market dynamics and the fact that our members have largely established theyre necessary inventory stockpiles at this point in time.
In our performance services segment revenue growth in the fourth quarter was primarily driven by <unk> health and incremental revenue from health design plus acquired in May 2020, and growth in our consulting business in fiscal 2021 performance services grew 9% compared with fiscal 2012.
<unk>.
We are pleased with the performance of our adjacent markets businesses, which consist of our applied Sciences, contango health remit Tara and clinical decision support businesses.
Which contributed more than $64 million in revenue for the full year.
With respect to profitability GAAP net income was $50.7 million for the quarter.
As we expected adjusted EBITDA of $116.5 million in the fourth quarter decreased 3% from the prior year quarter. As a result of the following supply chain services adjusted EBITDA of $128.3 million increased quarter over quarter, primarily as a result of.
<unk> profitability associated with the direct sourcing and supply chain co management businesses, which was partially offset by the anticipated lower net administrative fees and performance services segment adjusted EBITDA of $22.6 million decrease from the prior year quarter due to timing in <unk>.
Ignition of revenue throughout the fiscal year as well as an increase in selling general and administrative expense primarily related to investment in additional head count to support growth in contango health and our technology business as well as incremental expense related to room Metro.
Adjusted net income of $74 million increased 4% from a year ago and adjusted earnings per share increased 3% to 60.
From a liquidity and balance sheet perspective cash flow from operations for the year ended June 32021 was 407.4 million compared with $339.9 million for the prior year the.
The increase was primarily due to the year over year impact of the prior year payment of the acuity prepaid contract administrative fee share in connection with that prior year acquisition.
Primarily reduced by changes in networking capital of purchases of PPE related to the pandemic as well as lower net administrative fees revenue in the current year.
Free cash flow for the year ended June 32021 was $240.3 million compared with $266.5 million for the same period a year ago.
The decrease was primarily due to payments made to former limited partners a premier LP in connection with the early termination of the tax receivable agreement, which were partially offset by the elimination of tax distributions.
Both of which occurred as part of the company's restructure in August 2020.
Free cash flow for fiscal 2021 represented 51% of adjusted EBITDA, which was higher than we originally expected due to the timing of capital outlays and cash collections related to our efforts to secure PPE and other critical items for our members during the pandemic and fiscal 2000.
'twenty two we expect that free cash flow will continue to normalize if and when the pandemic abates to a range of 35% to 50% of adjusted EBITDA for the year.
Cash and cash equivalents totaled $129.1 million at June 32021, compared with $99.3 million at June 32020, our five year $1 billion revolving credit facility had an outstanding balance of $75 million as of June 30, which was repaid in <unk>.
Full subsequent to quarter end and there is currently no amount outstanding on the credit facility.
With respect to capital deployment, we expect to continue to take a balanced approach with our priorities being first to invest in the future growth of our businesses. This could include a combination of organic reinvestment in the business to drive growth as well as acquisitions and other investments to strengthen.
Our existing capabilities and differentiate our offerings in the marketplace.
And second returning capital to stockholders on August five 2021, Premier's Board of directors approved a new $250 million share repurchase program for fiscal 2022, and a five 3% increase to our quarterly cash dividend with the declaration of a dividend of <unk> <unk>.
<unk> per share payable on September 15, 2021 to stockholders of record as of September <unk>.
Okay.
Now, let's turn to our financial guidance and.
And follow up to our early view into fiscal 2022 provided on our third quarter earnings call. We are now introducing our fiscal 2022 full year guidance based on our historical performance and current expectations for this year.
This guidance incorporates certain key assumptions related to the market and our business and consistent with prior years. It does not incorporate the impact of any future significant acquisitions that we may undertake.
In developing our guidance, we factored in the expected realization of approximately 123 billion in estimated revenue that is available under contract for fiscal 2022. This represents approximately 86% to 93% of our total net revenue guidance range.
Consistent with prior years and assumes the continuation of historical GPO retention and SaaS institutional renewal rates.
With these key assumptions in mind, our specific fiscal 2022 full year guidance ranges are as follows.
Supply chain services segment net revenue of $925 million to $1.1 billion, primarily comprised of GPO net administrative fees revenue of $572.590 million and direct sourcing products revenue of 350 to 300.
$90 million.
Performance services segment, net revenue of $395 million to $420 million.
Together. These produced total net revenue of $1 three two to 143 billion, we expect adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of 483 to $500.500 million and adjusted earnings per share excluding the impact of any share repurchase.
<unk> under our $250 million authorization to be in the range of $2.50.
To $2.60.
Our guidance is also based on the following assumptions and expectations and.
In our GPO business, we expect to continue experiencing some impact from the pandemic, including the impact of the current surge in cases due to the Delta variant. In addition, as we previously communicated we expect an impact to net administrative fees revenue in fiscal 2022 as a result of the small.
A number of members that did not agree to amended and extended GPO agreements at the time of our restructure in August 2020.
With respect to net administrative fees revenue growth. This year, we expect to continue to drive further contract penetration of existing members spend as well as to add and ramp up new members, including the recent additions of unity health and Christiana care.
We are also currently assuming that patient utilization remains near pre pandemic levels and that the impact of the Delta variant on health care utilization and elective procedures is short lived to the extent that utilization is higher or lower than those levels. It could represent a potential headwind.
Our tailwind to our expectations.
And our direct sourcing products business, we expect that the elevated prices and levels of purchasing in fiscal 2021 associated with higher use and establishment of stockpiles as a result of the pandemic will continue to gradually return down to more normalized levels throughout this fiscal year.
We believe our members have generally established necessary inventory stockpiles and currently have sufficient levels of PPE on hand, given this we expect a sequential step down of $120 million to $140 million in the first quarter.
In our performance services business, we expect our healthcare provider technology and consulting businesses to grow in the low to mid single digit range with respect to our adjacent markets business. We anticipate that our continued investments and expansion in adjacent markets will produce approximately 25.
<unk> revenue growth over fiscal 2021.
In addition, and as we have communicated previously due to the timing and magnitude of enterprise analytics license agreements and certain consulting arrangements. There may be periodic variability and the recognition of the revenue and profitability associated with these engagements between quarters during <unk>.
Any given fiscal year.
With this in mind, we currently expect year over year growth in the first quarter to be in the low single digit range with a higher growth rate for the remaining nine months of fiscal 2022.
From an income tax perspective, we currently anticipate our fiscal 2022 effective tax rate of 23% as a result of tax planning strategies being implemented and follow up to the August 2020, restructuring, which enabled a 22% effective tax rate for fiscal 2021.
One.
Beyond fiscal 2022, we would expect our effective tax rate to return to a more normalized 27% level.
Finally, we expect capital expenditures to be in the range of $100 million to $110 million for the fiscal year. Our investment in capital expenditures is primarily focused on further enabling our technology capabilities for our growth initiatives, including clinical decision support <unk>.
Health and re metro.
As we look forward to fiscal 2022 and beyond we are excited about the path. We're on and we remain vigilantly focused on executing our strategy to further strengthen grow and position premier for sustainable long term success and adjusted for the <unk>.
Fact of the COVID-19 pandemic to achieve our targeted multi year compound annual growth rates up mid to high single digits for total net revenue adjusted EBITDA and adjusted earnings per share.
Thank you for your time today, operator, we will now open the call up for questions.
Thank you as a reminder to ask a question you will need to press star one on your telephone.
Draw your question press the pound key again.
Star one to ask a question.
Our first question comes from Irish Lange with Baird. Your line is open.
Hi, good morning, Thanks for taking my question.
So I guess my first question is on pink.
I'm wondering if you can talk a little bit more about the rationale of the brand.
Performance burgers as charter into <unk> and maybe if you can just talk about what are some of the goals that you want to achieve here and then along the same line as we think about your go to market strategy.
Are you, making any changes to that.
Yes. Thank you Iris this is Mike.
First of all let me just step back and say that the whole focus of Pink AI was really.
To realign our performance services technology and consulting offerings.
So the focus was really to create a single identity with a single message to the market that makes our value proposition very clear for both our members as well as our stakeholders.
We believe that the PKI model supports a consolidated commercial model for performance services business, which enables us to more efficiently be perceived as a one stop shop.
Help our healthcare systems.
<unk> performance improvement and also to support their focus on innovation innovating and driving innovative models in healthcare, but we also believe that take AI focus is really sort of that underpinning using our data and our technology.
Helps us sort of think about diversifying our revenue streams and to adjacent markets, which includes working more closely with payers to automate.
Administrative task like prior authorization those kinds of things. We think it's also an opportunity for us to work more closely with life Sciences company to accelerate evidenced to the action.
Also for our <unk> brand to help create this technology enables high performing network concept that we've been talking about over the last couple of quarters. So that's really the focus it's really this the rebranding of all of our technology and services capabilities under that one label.
Okay, and just to follow up I E.
So Mitchell any changes to your go to market <unk> or just in general.
Think about sales and marketing maybe argue I'm planning to increase the sales and marketing spend a bit.
Yes. So again this allows us really have a bunch of different options from a marketing standpoint right. So.
We could talk about the various businesses that Craig mentioned, our growth businesses like re metra in contango in those but we can say powered by pink.
The message is really this underlying technology and services specifically as it relates to marketing, yes, we will be using becoming much more aggressive in the social platforms.
The message out and those kinds of things.
And then obviously just continue to look at market reaction and make determination to make.
<unk> determination as to whether we need to continue to elevate our spend to get the brand out.
Mike This is Craig Irish the only thing I would add is that we believe will continue to have our focus of sort of a go to market approach and sales force that is focused on our provider market and then we have dedicated sales efforts around our remit tomorrow contango brands to actually drive those independently to those adjacent market channels.
Okay, great. Thank you.
Yes.
Thank you. Our next question comes from Eric Percher with Nephron. Your line is open.
Eric Please check your mute button.
Thank you apologies there.
To ask a question around as we think about 'twenty two as a base for long term growth.
The headwind in 'twenty, one from admin fees, you made pretty clear and it sounds like new client growth and compliance purchasing health. There is there a way to help size the ongoing impact into 'twenty, two and the way that you're bearing in the guidance that you provided today.
Sure. Eric This is Craig I'll be happy to handle that so so as we talked about when we gave our early view last quarter.
We are I think the headwind in 'twenty two that we're facing is the incremental slight step up due to the small number of members that did not agreed to the amended and extended agreements effective at the beginning of fiscal 2021, so that's impacting because our our administrative fee share moved as we'd previously arts.
<unk> from the high <unk> into the low <unk>, we believe that will stabilize because that'll be in place. Once we're through 2022, and then we will have a stable low fifty's.
Fee share moving forward and then get the benefit of the topline growth that we have to drive our mid to high single digit growth moving forward.
Okay and is there.
Think about 'twenty two.
Is there any way to kind of give us a sense for the scale of that remainder versus the scale.
Hit in 'twenty, one, yes, we haven't specifically sized it because it does depend on sort of overall growth in the change.
But I think based on the guidance.
We'll get to more low to mid single digit growth in net administrative fees on a prospective basis versus a little bit more of a headwind in fiscal 'twenty two given that additional sort of implication of the restructuring impacting us.
Okay. Thank you for that.
Thank you. Our next question comes from Gentleman Jack.
<unk> with credit Suisse. Your line is open.
Okay. Thank you and good morning, everyone.
Want to understand your fiscal 'twenty, two outlook, a little bit better.
12 months back you guys did not issue youre already at guidance given the COVID-19 related uncertainty. The COVID-19 situation is still fluid with Elekta is being canceled in several of our parks across the country helped us understand the visibility and confidence you have in your outlook. This time compared with what you thought heading into fiscal 'twenty one.
Sure John This is Craig thanks for the question.
I think our perspective is that a lot more is known today broadly even despite the delta variant than 12 months ago. At this time there was complete uncertainty last summer in terms of what was going to happen with the economy. What states. We're doing what the federal government was going to do we think that Theres a lot more insight and knowledge at this point and.
Terms of how the country is handling the implications of the pandemic as I mentioned in my remarks, we do believe despite the spike in Delta variant at this time. Despite the fact and we are in daily interaction with our members about the implications of the variance and what it's causing.
That we believe that generally will be shorter lived than we were experiencing a year ago. At this time. When there was just complete uncertainty and so that gave us a lot more confidence and ability to provide guidance for fiscal 2022.
Obviously, it is subject to if things were to very very.
Very significantly from our underlying expectations, but based on our ongoing interactions.
Our perspective is health care providers are going to continue to provide services they've learned how to manage COVID-19 patients much more effectively and continue to try and provide the other services they need to yes, there have been some delays in elective.
Procedures in certain geographic parts of the country.
But for the most part we think that that business will continue to operate and we have seen in the other parts of our business.
The alternate sites.
Business and industry type components start to come back a bit as well, whereas last year those were still completely shutdown at this point in time.
Okay, Great and my follow up on the two contracts you announced yesterday I believe unity point in Christiana care with all other services, including maybe more so on the unit at Barnes side are those contracts being renewed at similar terms or have there been any changes to share back as part of the GPO side and maybe also if you can share some high let.
Cogs on what you are seeing from the business RFP pipeline perspective on the GPO side.
I didn't catch the last part of the question.
Just curious on the RFP pipeline in general for the GPO business just like how we are seeing are you seeing a lot of activity there.
Got it. Thank you I appreciate the clarification I'll start and then Mike can add any color relative to the recent.
Wins of Unity point in Christiana care, we don't get into individual contract terms.
But we are excited about the opportunity that we have moving forward with those accounts on a go forward basis.
And certainly our guidance as we've talked about in terms of overall performance.
And expectations around future are not any different as a result of the addition of those engagements.
Want to talk about the market. Thanks, Craig.
Our pipeline remains very strong we've got a couple a few that are fairly close that were hopefully going to be announcing in the next quarter or so.
To answer your question May have been sort of this all in approach.
Thank.
What's sort of creating differentiation in the market for premier.
Obviously as our.
<unk> foundational group purchasing and are committed programs that are driving great price points, but it's also our investment in technology and I think our ability to continue to deploy capital as well as make investments in technology really is.
Sort of illuminating the opportunity that not only can we help our arent. These healthcare systems drive down price for products, but we can also help them become more efficient as they manage their supply chain and then finally, we are getting quite a bit of response from non member healthcare systems in terms of what we're doing to.
<unk> the supply chain and the investments that we're making both domestically nearshore and internationally to create a more resilient supply chain. So these recent announcements with prestige ameritech on masks and isolation gowns.
Announcement as well as the most recent announcement.
Nitrile exam gloves.
I do think continues to create differentiation for us in the marketplace. So we're going to continue to.
Sleep.
Improve that strategy grow that strategy and continue to focus on.
Creating a more resilient supply chain. Thank you for the question.
Great. Thanks, a lot.
Yes.
Thank you. Our next question comes from Brian Tim Quillin with Jefferies. Your line is open.
Hey, good morning, it's Jack Levine on for Bryan.
Just wanted to.
Focus a little bit more on performance services.
I appreciate the color kind of breaking out the three pillars of that segment now as you see it going forward.
But wanted to touch on on what the organic growth outlook. You guys are thinking about for that business going forward and perhaps kind of how youre thinking about each of those three buckets contributing to that organic growth outlook.
And then lastly, how.
The contribution of those buckets to organic growth, that's going to inform the margin profile going forward. Thanks.
Sure. This is Craig I'll start and Mike can add any color that you would like afterwards, so as we talked about the organic guidance for fiscal 2022 for that segment is.
5% to 11% effective growth over fiscal 2021, so the mid to high single digit growth that we previously talked about that segment achieving.
That is comprised as I talked about in my prepared remarks from more kind of mid single digit type growth low to mid single digit type growth in the.
Kind of core historic.
Provider component of the business and then much higher growth in the emerging parts for Metro contango, but also our clinical decision support and applied Sciences businesses, where I did indicate those are anticipated to grow 25% level in fiscal 2022. So the combination of those is what gets us to the guidance range that.
We've talked about in terms of the top line.
In fiscal 2021, our applied Sciences business as an example grew in excess of 25% our clinical decision support business grew 20%.
So remix of our brand, new but a lot of opportunity and expectations to grow that business at.
At a very high level, so feeling very good about those newer growth areas and the combination of those with the stable platform of the provider business is what will get us to that overall level in terms of overall EBITDA margins for the segment at this point, we're not getting into breaking down the margin profiles of the every single piece of the business, what I will tell you and as you.
Would expect as we are making investments in those earlier stage businesses. So they do not have the EBITDA margin and profitability of the overarching core provider business, but our overall expectation is that we'll continue to have sort of mid 30 EBITDA margins for the performance services business overall, incorporating the investments that we're making into the <unk>.
High growth assets on a go forward basis, and I think the tailwind that that's really pushing the growth within performance services, specifically as it relates to our healthcare system is this focus towards the transition to value based care.
And really the whole area of provider accountability on on improving quality and reducing cost and incentivizing.
More efficient more innovative ways to drive care. So key drivers. If you think about like the Medicare advantage programs Medicaid managed care plan.
<unk> insurance exchange plans and those kinds of things. So that's sort of a tailwind thats driving sort of the need for the technology and the services on the provider side in life Sciences.
We're still getting significant interest in our ability to help them through world real World evidence.
Also our focus on helping them with patient identification and patient activation for.
Post trials for <unk>.
Payer standpoint, our market, we're seeing very very nice growth in our <unk>.
Focus around prior authorization as Craig said in <unk> health that the whole focus on continuing to evolve the centers of excellence program and building out the high value network of care.
Also is creating a bit of tailwind further growth there and then as Craig said, our remit your offering even though it has just been announced we've got a couple of.
Groups of our healthcare systems that are working with us to really think through what are the right service offerings and capabilities that we continue to evolve and develop to help them become more efficient as they are thinking about invoicing and payments.
Awesome. Thanks, I appreciate all the color there and then just a quick follow up on on capital deployment.
<unk> that the $250 million share purchase program is not included in the guide.
Can you just talk about your appetite to.
Utilize that share repurchase program versus.
Uh huh.
Kind of going after maybe inorganic growth initiatives or kind of how youre thinking about.
The balance between those two sides of things as it relates to capital deployment going forward.
Sure. This is Craig I'll be happy to take that so relative and as I mentioned in my prepared remarks, we continue to have a balanced approach.
With the share repurchase we still have.
Substantial and sufficient level of capital to grow the business, both organically and Inorganically. So we will continue to look for opportunities to deploy capital to expand our capabilities and to drive future growth and as indicated we will balance that with the share repurchase in terms of appetite to use it.
Our history has been when we put a share repurchase authorization in place we have actually executed upon that.
But it's obviously subject to being done under applicable law ability to put the plan in place all those types of things, but our expectation is we would do that and still continue to have a focus on deploying capital to grow the business.
Awesome. Thank you. Thank you.
We have a question from John Ransom with Raymond James Your line is open.
Hi, everyone. This is <unk> in for John Ransom.
Go back off the prior question can you just add some color as to your decision to not repurchased any class a shares in fiscal 'twenty, one and perhaps what took priority there.
Sure well I think during fiscal 'twenty, one and the uncertainty of the Covid pandemic really made us want to ensure that we have sufficient capital with the uncertainty of the business and so now that we're feeling more confident in terms of the future direction. We thought it was appropriate to put a repurchase back in place and.
Again continue to look for opportunities to deploy capital to grow the business as well.
Great. Thank you.
Thank you.
Our next question comes from Jessica <unk> with Piper Sandler Your line is open.
Hi, Thank you for taking the question.
We were impressed with that can take our revenue retention in the managed lives growth.
But can you just help us understand kind of the geographic scope of that business and then I think you guys mentioned plans to add a center of excellence capacity for where do you feel like you have adequate density.
And are you building out in response to employer demand.
Should we potentially think about those.
<unk> as a catalyst for.
Performance services growth in the back half.
Thank you.
Yes. This is Mike. Thanks for the question. So first of all the whole program really is nationally based and so as we think about centers of excellence. What our focus is is to try to continue to expand the model, meaning we want to make sure that we're offering many centers of excellence as opposed to a singular.
Center of excellence, depending on what the diseases. So it has spread geographically.
Over the entire country now I think your question may be focused around the high value network.
Of care, which we are continuing to build out and evolve and just as a quick reminder, the focus behind that initiative is to help large employers have consistent care across the entire country and so we're working with all of our health care systems, where we think that there might be some gaps to continue to help.
Them evolve.
And working very closely with obviously employers and what their needs are and those kinds of things and providing them insights and technology and performance improvements capability to help them become part of that high value network of care, but to specifically answer your question. It is spread across the entire country from a geographic standpoint.
And Mike the only color I would add to your question about sort of front half back half of the year as the nature of an employee benefits business Benny do operate on a calendar year basis. So we would generally expect that you will see a ramp up in the back half of our fiscal year as some of the new lives come under management.
That have already been procured, but they won't start until January one thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Our next question comes from Eric Coldwell with Baird. Your line is open.
Sure.
Hey, good morning, Thanks, guys.
At least compared to our model it looks like some of the supply chain services EBITDA performance came from direct sourcing you did cite direct sourcing as a upside.
Outside driver of profit in the quarter.
Was hoping you could.
Expand on that talk about maybe the margin profile of direct sourcing in the quarter rank the drivers of upside.
Perhaps relative to your expectations on the profit side, there and then talk about if there is anything unusual either on the timing side on <unk>.
<unk> of procurement versus sales et cetera mix. If there was anything unusual that drove that upside in the quarter.
In other words things that may be unsustainable on the margin side of direct sourcing the product business. Thanks very much.
Sure. This is Craig I'll be happy to address that we did see improvement as I indicated in direct sourcing.
Given the ramp up in business and margin improvement we did have.
Earlier in the year and the height of the pandemic, we were doing everything we could to ensure that members had supply.
There were some higher freight charges is trying to get things here and all those kinds of things that impacted us earlier in the year, but we continue to improve upon our kind of operational oversight of the business and did see an improvement back to sort of mid single digit.
<unk>.
EBITDA margins in that business in Q4, Eric So there was a step up there at the end of the year I think on a go forward basis, we would continue to expect that to be a low to mid single digit EBITDA margin business. As we are looking to have it be clearly.
Clearly profitable, but our our strategy has continued to be not to look too actually I'll say gouge or make excess profits up arm off our members with products that we directly source directly contract manufacturer for.
It is really an extension of our supply chain services overall strategy to really take cost down for health care providers.
And so we will continue to focus on that.
And yes, it did offset lower EBITDA that we saw in the GPO given the impact of the pandemic and the restructuring that we undertook during the year.
Thanks very much.
Could jump in with another one here.
The tougher question to ask because I'm, not really sure directionally, how to how to lay it out but.
We're looking at I think admin fee guidance for fiscal 'twenty. Two is maybe below street expectations performance services revenue looks to be in line or below street expectations.
And you just as you just said the direct sourcing profit was a little better than <unk> comes back down to low single digits, maybe in fiscal 'twenty two.
And you're making a lot of investments so with all of that Fray.
Framework your EBITDA guidance actually aligns very well with the majority of analysts and I'm just I'm wondering what how you get there.
What's the what's the ability to get to the EBITDA guidance that aligns with the street when.
Several areas, we could point to seem to be.
Perhaps a bit below expectations at least compared to the majority of analyst models.
This is Craig so so relative to our business, we feel confident in the expectations for fiscal 2022, and our ability to deliver the guidance ranges that we've provided we clearly we will focus on every potential opportunity to grow the top line more than than we.
We have provided in our guidance ranges.
But we're going to continue to focus on making the key investments in the areas that we need to to drive future growth. While also looking for opportunities to be as efficient and effective in the more core based parts of the business that are growing it as fast of a clip to ensure that we continue to deliver the expected profitability of the business on a go forward base.
So Craig is it safe to say that maybe some cost actions or just better productivity efficiency in the core is offsetting some of these investments and maybe that's the hidden piece that we're missing correct. Okay. Thank you very much I really appreciate it.
Our next question comes from Stephanie Davis with SBB Leerink. Your line is open.
Hey, guys. Thank you for taking my question.
First off.
I was hoping you tell us more about the markets for <unk>.
So you touched on some of the markets outside provider, but I was hoping you could maybe get more granular and rank the sizing and the stages for each of our payer and life Sciences and employer markets.
That feels like a pivot somebody's got to this type of event.
First thanks for the question Stephanie So obviously Craig went through the growth numbers for all of the businesses I think compete go help if we could just start there.
We think that obviously the whole peak AI capability that technology enablement.
<unk> ability to truly.
Right potential protocols into the workflow really is going to differentiate the way that we think that centers of excellence will continue to expand it will also help our healthcare systems to participate in those high value networks. So we think theres sort of an opportunity for revenue growth associated with <unk>.
Selling additional technology and services to support our health care systems, but also we think that <unk> is going to have.
Obviously, a differentiated offering to help health care systems work more closely with employers so I would start there.
I would also then I'd go to Craig mentioned re Metro I think.
We think about the <unk> offering we continue to talk about it as an efficiency play for our healthcare systems to help them become more efficient.
Is there.
Along with their invoicing in their payment.
Functionality.
Healthcare systems become more complex, it's very very hard to manage invoices across not only their acute settings, but theyre not acute settings their affiliations and all those kinds of things. So we think that this technology enablement is going to allow for the centralized capability to manage invoicing. So obviously, we think thats going to be key.
Differentiator thats going to allow US also penetration into non premier members right to then begin to potentially sell our services and capabilities as well and then re metro also has a significant value towards.
The suppliers that are part of that network because at their fingertips as we build out these portals, they're going to be able to see what kinds of products have been sold were to.
To which health systems and the value in those kinds of things that have that information at their fingertips. So we believe there is growth obviously from a revenue standpoint, with our with our health care systems and then finally also with the suppliers and then Craig also mentioned our life Sciences business, we do think our technology.
He is very very unique our capabilities are very unique to help with this real world evidence and as pharma is continuing to launch the discovery of new therapies the need for real World evidence. We think is going to create a tailwind for that that part of our business and then the whole area of patient identification because of the uniqueness.
<unk> of our technology and our ability.
Two at the point.
<unk> of care between the physician and the patient as they are talking about what are the next steps from a protocol standpoint to manage the disease one of the opportunities might be to participate in a trial, we think that thats very very unique to our capabilities as well.
And I guess, a follow up on that how long.
How deep are you in some of these other end markets that you already have life sciences clients that are in dengue real world evidence side of the world.
Something you're currently selling right now what what stage IV businesses.
So life Sciences, probably a couple of years old. So we have a lot of that capability. That's been we've been working with large life sciences companies over the last couple of years re metros are bit more nascent I would say in the last probably six to eight months, having said that the product the technology that we bought idea has.
Been out in the market for the last few years. So we want to continue to leverage.
Those toe holds into some of those customers and continue to build out that functionality.
And then <unk> I think Stephanie you are aware, we've been focused on that for the last couple three years in terms of building out our capabilities.
Super helpful guys sneak in a quick modeling one for Craig.
Sure.
There is obviously a ton of moving pieces on the 'twenty guidance at CSI, We just looked at it in a more normalized basis ex <unk>.
Hello agreement headwinds.
How would that grades to your long term mid to high single digit growth target is that in that guidance range is it out of it below it helped me think about that.
It's a good question. So I think we haven't changed what we've historically said that if you were to sort of strip out the implications of Covid, we've been dealing with for the past year and a half on a on a normal year post restructuring everything behind us the GPO business and supply chain will grow low to mid single digits and direct.
Sourcing normalized back to pre Covid levels would grow at high single to low double digit level and the combination of those gets you to the mid to high single digit guidance that we've bridged and so thats. If you think about the direct sourcing business absent Covid was about a.
200 to $220 million to $30 million business pre COVID-19, if that had grown sort of 8% to 10% a year. That's what it would've done this year absent Covid and then absent COVID-19, that's what it would do in the future on a go forward basis.
Thank you you bet. Thank you.
We have a question from Richard close with Canaccord Genuity. Your line is open.
Yes. Thank you a lot of the questions have been asked but hey, Mike I'm just curious in some of these newer businesses life Sciences Center of excellence.
And whatnot.
Grow I'm curious have you guys ever about monetizing.
Those in terms of maybe spinning them out or anything along those lines.
Yeah.
We've.
Always looking at ways to create total shareholder value and we've had obviously conversations over the last couple of years with the board to really figure out what's the best structure to create the most amount of total shareholder return.
Okay. Thank you. Thank you.
That's all the time, we have for questions.
This concludes today's conference call. Thank you for participating you may now disconnect.
[music].
Yes.
[music].
[music].
[music].
[music].