A study on receivables in terms of liquidity dynamics in businesses in the hospital services sector

Hospitals in the health sector are the businesses that have the highest cost in terms of therapeutic steps. Its difference from other businesses is that it provides protection, treatment and rehabilitation services for social benefit rather than profitability. Apart from this feature, they have the same financial structure as other businesses. Businesses in the hospital sector need to regularly analyze their financial performance in order to make effective decisions in planning and auditing processes. The most sensitive duty of managers in these businesses should be to analyze the current and past periods in terms of financial situation and to make comments by comparing their own data with the data of other businesses in the same sector. In this context; in this research on receivables in terms of liquidity dynamics in businesses in the hospital services sector in Türkiye; The relations of the receivables with the cash ratio, current ratio, liquidity ratio, NWC and liquid assets that affect liquidity, the Türkiye Republic Central Bank Real Sector Statistics, Human Health and Social Service Activities, Hospital Services of Human Health Services data for the years 2009-2020 were evaluated and the trade short term receivables included in the receivables were evaluated, has emerged as a significant share. As a result of the investigations; It is also accepted that the share of short term trade receivables in the current assets (CA) owned by businesses between 2009 and 2020 has a significant value, constituting almost half of the 12-year average with a share of 43.28%, when looking at the 12-year average of the current ratios, liquidity ratios and cash ratios of the businesses. It caused problems in paying its short-term debts by remaining below the minimum acceptable values, it collected its receivables on an average of 4.43 times a year on a sectoral basis and the average collection period was 82 days, and in the amounts of doubtful trade receivables and provision for doubtful trade receivables in short term trade receivables between these years. It has also been determined that there was an increase even a little in the total liabilities and the short term liabilities (STL) in total liabilities increased between 2009 and 2018. In order to cope with these problems, businesses tried to shorten the average collection period of their receivables and to meet their short-term debts with long-term debts in these years. Additionally, in terms of the common characteristics of the variables we used in the analysis; STL and CA constitute the basic variables of liquidity. STL is the most critical account item among all balance sheet items, and it is important to determine which equation containing their variables will yield a better result and where to focus. Focusing on short-term debts is automatic for businesses, and these debts need to be paid. However, focusing on the assets of businesses that can be converted into money within 1 year is an indirect method. The main purpose of this study is to prove that the seemingly indirect method is more critical.