CareMax, Inc. (NASDAQ:CMAX) Q3 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

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Carlos de Solo: Yes, this is Carlos. Yes, I think it’s a good point. I think given the environment, what we are going to focus on for 2024 is operations, efficiency and cash flow. So I think when we think about giving guidance for 2024 and the incremental growth that was expected, it’s something that we’re definitely going to take into account. We’re probably — what I can tell you now is that we’re going to be a lot more focused on quality and making sure that we’re integrating the membership that we currently have and that it’s profitable business more than anything else, and that’s going to be prioritized over everything else in our business.

Jessica Tassan: Got it. Thanks.

Operator: [Operator Instructions] Our next question comes from Brian Tanquilut with Jefferies. Please go ahead.

Jack Slevin: Hey good morning guys. Thanks for taking my question. It’s Jack Slevin on for Brian. I wanted to touch back on the commentary on 2024 MER, just to make sure I’m understanding it correctly. So when you’re giving commentary that you’d be roughly flat to 2023, benefit cards maybe being one thing we can keep to the side here — pretty good detail on that front that you gave. But just understanding PYD and what the assumptions are baked in there. I guess, is the thought that the changes you made operationally are going to minimize PYD and that’s it? Is there more reserving that’s done in this year in the back half with the guidance change that’s going to help for next year? Just some thoughts, I guess, on both Q4 PYD and then how we should be thinking about that versus your MER commentary.

Carlos de Solo: Yes. I think that’s right. We’re already ingesting 95% of our claims data through all of the MSO members that we’ve brought on board. So a lot of work has been done on the CareOptimize platform that helps us assess and more accurately determine what the accruals are going to be. We believe that, that will significantly minimize the PPD and PYD that we experienced this year. If you remember, and I talked a little bit about it earlier, we ingested a lot of a lot of membership, not just in the MSO, but also in the Florida region over the last couple of years. So bringing all that and integrating that whole process I think led to for several different reasons, a little bit more PYD and PPD than what we would anticipate. But we have a much higher degree of confidence that we’ve mitigated most of that. I’ll turn it over to Kevin there just to add — I think he was saying something.

Kevin Wirges: Yes, that’s right. As we look at our medical expenses, I think probably the best way to look at it is from an MER standpoint, we don’t anticipate the benefit cards going away anytime soon, right? So the reason we provide that slide is really to get a sense of the underlying historical performance versus the current performance on more of an apples-to-apples comparative from what the benefits look like. However, as we look into the future, we have to take that in consideration. So I would say MERs are probably going to be — we’re assuming at this point, potentially relatively consistent, obviously, excluding prior year type development. When we closed the quarter, we’re always looking at the best available data that we have, working with our actuaries and making sure that our assumptions are actuarily sound. So we never anticipate PPD or PYD because as we close the quarter, we believe we are adequately reserved.

Jack Slevin: Got it, that’s helpful. Then maybe touching back on the thoughts for 2024. I just want to make sure I’m understanding your commentary correctly. So it sounds like perhaps the approach on the MA side is going to be– really ramp the centers you’ve built out already, a little bit more measured approach on de novo openings or more selective perhaps? Then as it relates to the MSO, it sounded like maybe not as much flipping on full risk as you’ve talked about previously, but a focus on upside only or payment for GAAP closure in some of the contracts to help the profitability. Is that the right way to think about it?

Carlos de Solo: Yes, I think that’s exactly right. We’re going to be focused very much on making sure that we have these — we’re only focused on the de novos that have a capital-light structure, meaning tuck-ins [Ph] or acqua [Ph] hires, right? Then as we think about the ingestion of membership, either partial risk of full risk, we’re going to be very — pretty thoughtful about the members that we add on in 2024. I think just given the changes in the environment, cost of capital, et cetera, we want to make sure that we really pivot and focus the organization to producing cash flow and making sure that we’re really thinking about the membership that we’re adding on to the platform. So I think that’s going to be the theme of 2024 for the organization.

Jack Slevin: Got it. And then last one for me. Just on the fourth quarter, I guess, trying to pull the two pieces apart, it seems like the sub benefit impact or the sub card impact should be relatively the same. On the other side of things, if you — the performance you’ve seen year-to-date and does it sort of track with historical trend in terms of what we should expect on stop-loss kicking in, in the fourth quarter? It seems to be implied in your guidance, but just any commentary there would be helpful.

Kevin Wirges:

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