UNIVERSAL HEALTH REALTY INCOME TRUST

General

We are a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) which commenced operations in 1986. We invest in healthcare and human-service related facilities currently including acute care hospitals, behavioral health care hospitals, a specialty facility, free-standing emergency departments, childcare centers and medical/office buildings. As of February 27, 2024, we have seventy-six real estate investments or commitments located in twenty-one states in the United States consisting of: (i) six hospital facilities including three acute care and three behavioral health care; (ii) sixty medical/office buildings; (iii) four free-standing emergency departments (“FEDs”); (iv) four preschool and childcare centers; (v) one specialty facility that is currently vacant, and; (vi) one property comprised of vacant land located in Chicago, Illinois (demolition of the previously existing building on this land was completed during 2023).

Available Information

We have our principal executive offices at Universal Corporate Center, 367 South Gulph Road, King of Prussia, PA 19406. Our telephone number is (610) 265-0688. Our website is located at http://www.uhrit.com. Copies of the annual, quarterly and current reports we file with the SEC, and any amendments to those reports, are available free of charge on our website. Our filings are also available to the public at the website maintained by the SEC, www.sec.gov. Additionally, we have adopted governance guidelines, a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to all of our officers and directors, a Code of Ethics for Senior Officers and charters for each of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Trustees. These documents are also available free of charge on our website. Copies of such reports and charters are available in print to any shareholder who makes a request. Such requests should be made to our Secretary at our King of Prussia, PA corporate headquarters. We intend to satisfy the disclosure requirement under Item 5.05 of Form 8-K relating to amendments to or waivers of any provision of our Code of Ethics for Senior Officers by promptly posting this information on our website. The information posted on our website is not incorporated into this Annual Report.

In accordance with Section 303A.12(a) of The New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual, we submitted our CEO’s Certification to the New York Stock Exchange in 2023. Additionally, contained in Exhibits 31.1 and 31.2 of this Annual Report are our CEO’s and CFO’s certifications regarding the quality of our public disclosure under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Overview of Facilities

As of February 27, 2024, we have investments in seventy-six facilities located in twenty-one states and consisting of the following:

(A)

Real estate assets owned by us and leased to subsidiaries of Universal Health Services, Inc. (“UHS”).

(B)

Real estate assets owned by us and leased to an unaffiliated third-party or parties.

(C)

Real estate assets owned by a limited liability company (“LLC”) or a limited partnership (“LP”) in which we have a non-controlling ownership interests and include tenants who are unaffiliated third-parties.

(D)

Real estate assets owned by us or an LLC in which we hold 100% ownership interests and include tenants who are subsidiaries of UHS.

(E)

Real estate assets owned by us or an LLC in which we hold 100% ownership interests and include tenants who are unaffiliated third parties.

(F)

This property was acquired during the third quarter of 2023 and is 100% master leased to McAllen Hospitals, L.P, a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS. The triple-net master lease is for twelve years and is scheduled to expire on August 31, 2035. The initial annual base rent is approximately $624,000.

(G)

The facility is vacant and being marketed.

(H)

Real estate assets owned by an LLC or an LP in which we have a noncontrolling ownership interest and include tenants who are subsidiaries of UHS.

(I)

Construction on this UHS-related MOB was substantially completed during March of 2023. The MOB is located on the campus of the Northern Nevada Sierra Medical Center, a newly constructed hospital that is owned and operated by a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS, which was completed during in April, 2022. In connection with this MOB, we entered into a ground lease and master flex-lease agreements (both of which commenced in March, 2023) with a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS. The master flex-lease agreement has a ten-year term scheduled to expire on March 31, 2033 and covers approximately 68% of the rentable square feet of the MOB, subject to reduction based upon the execution of third-party leases. The initial minimum rent pursuant to the master lease is $1.3 million annually, plus a pro-rata share of the common area maintenance expenses.

(J)

This property is leased to a joint venture between a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS and Catholic Health Initiatives-Iowa, Corp.

(K)

On December 31, 2021, pursuant to an asset purchase and sale agreement, as amended, with UHS and certain affiliates, a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS purchased the real estate assets of the Inland Valley Campus of Southwest Healthcare System from us; and we purchased from two wholly-owned subsidiaries of UHS, the real estate assets of Aiken Regional Medical Center (including a behavioral health pavilion) and Canyon Creek Behavioral Health. In connection with this transaction, we paid approximately $4.1 million in cash to UHS which was the amount by which the fair market values of Aiken Regional Medical Center and Canyon Creek Behavioral Health exceeded the fair market value of the Inland Valley Campus of Southwest Healthcare System. As we no longer have a controlling interest in Inland Valley Campus of Southwest Healthcare System, the transaction generated a gain of approximately $68.4 million which was included in our consolidated statement of income the year ended December 31, 2021. Please see Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements for further details surrounding this transaction.

(L)

Demolition of this facility was completed during 2023. We continue to market this vacant land. Please see Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements for further details surrounding this property.

(M)

This office building was acquired in May, 2021.

(N)

This MOB was acquired in January, 2022.

(O)

During the fourth quarter of 2021, we purchased the 5% minority interest held by a third-party partner in Grayson Properties, LP. As a result of the minority ownership purchase, we now own 100% of the LP.

(P)

This MOB was acquired in March, 2022.

Included in our portfolio at December 31, 2023, are six hospital facilities leased to subsidiaries of UHS comprised of three acute care hospitals and three behavioral health care hospitals (three of which were acquired as part of an asset purchase and sale agreement with UHS on December 31, 2021, as amended, as discussed herein). The combined revenues generated from the leases on these hospitals comprised approximately 25% and 26% of our consolidated revenues during 2023 and 2022, respectively. During 2021, the combined revenues generated from the leases on the hospitals leased to subsidiaries of UHS was approximately 25% of our consolidated revenues. As of January 1, 2024, leases on the six acute and behavioral health care hospitals have fixed terms with an average of 8.6 years remaining and include renewal options ranging from one to seven, five or ten-year terms. The remaining lease terms for each hospital, which vary by hospital, are included herein in Item 2. Properties.

We believe a facility’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and lease rental expense (“EBITDAR”) and a facility’s EBITDAR divided by the sum of minimum rent plus additional rent payable to us (“Coverage Ratio”), which are non-GAAP financial measures, are helpful to us and our investors as a measure of the operating performance of a hospital facility. EBITDAR, which is used as an indicator of a facility’s estimated cash flow generated from operations (before rent expense, capital additions and debt service), is used by us in evaluating a facility’s financial viability and its ability to pay rent. For the six hospitals owned by us at the end of 2023 (all of which were leased to subsidiaries of UHS), the combined weighted average Coverage Ratio was approximately 5.5 (ranging from -0.4 to 10.0, with one of the behavioral health care hospitals that opened during the fourth quarter of 2020 having a negative Coverage Ratio). For the six occupied hospitals owned by us at the end of 2022, all of which were leased to subsidiaries of UHS, the combined weighted average Coverage Ratio was approximately 4.5 (ranging from -1.0 to 9.7, with two behavioral health care hospitals that opened during the fourth quarter of 2020 having negative Coverage Ratios).

Pursuant to the terms of the leases for our hospital facilities, free-standing emergency departments, some single-tenant MOBs and the preschool and childcare centers, each lessee, including subsidiaries of UHS, is responsible for building operations, maintenance, renovations and property insurance. We, or the LLCs in which we have invested, are responsible for the building operations, maintenance and renovations of the remaining MOBs, however, a portion, or in some cases all, of the expenses associated with the MOBs are passed on directly to the tenants. Cash reserves may be established to fund required building maintenance and renovations at the multi-tenant MOBs. Lessees are required to maintain all risk, replacement cost and commercial property insurance policies on the leased properties and we, or the LLC in which we have invested, are also named insureds on these policies. In addition, we, UHS or the LLCs in which we have invested, maintain property insurance on all properties. For additional information on the terms of our leases, see “Relationship with Universal Health Services, Inc.”

See our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for our total assets, liabilities, debt, revenues, income and other operating information.

Relationship with Universal Health Services, Inc. (“UHS”)

Leases: We commenced operations in 1986 by purchasing certain properties from subsidiaries of UHS and immediately leasing the properties back to the respective subsidiaries. The base rentals and lease and renewal terms for each of the hospitals leased to subsidiaries of UHS as of January 1, 2024, are provided below. The base rents are paid monthly. The lease on McAllen Medical Center also provides for bonus rent which is paid quarterly based upon a computation that compares the hospital’s current quarter revenue to a corresponding quarter in the base year. The hospital leases with subsidiaries of UHS, with the exception of the lease on Clive Behavioral Health Hospital (which is operated by UHS in a joint venture with an unrelated third party), are unconditionally guaranteed by UHS and are cross-defaulted with one another. The lease for Clive Behavioral Health is guaranteed on a several basis by UHS (52%) and Catholic Health Initiatives-Iowa (48%).

The combined revenues generated from the leases on the three acute care and three behavioral health care hospital facilities leased to subsidiaries of UHS at December 31, 2023 and 2022, accounted for approximately 25% and 26% of our consolidated revenues for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. In addition to the six UHS hospital facilities, we have twenty-one properties consisting of medical/office buildings (including one newly constructed MOB that was substantially completed during the first quarter of 2023 and one MOB that was acquired during the third quarter of 2023), and FEDs that are either wholly or jointly-owned by us that include tenants that are subsidiaries of UHS. The aggregate revenues generated from UHS-related tenants comprised approximately 37% of our consolidated revenue for the five years ended December 31, 2023 (approximately 41%, 40% and 37% for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively).

•

a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS purchased from us, the real estate assets of the Inland Valley Campus of Southwest Healthcare System located in Wildomar, California, at its fair market value of $79.6 million.

•

o

Aiken Regional Medical Center, (“Aiken”), located in Aiken, South Carolina (which includes an acute care hospital and a behavioral health pavilion), at its fair-market value of approximately $57.7 million, and;

o

•

in connection with this transaction, since the fair-market value of Aiken and Canyon Creek, which totaled approximately $83.7 million in the aggregate, exceeded the $79.6 million fair-market value of the Inland Valley Campus of Southwest Healthcare System, we paid approximately $4.1 million in cash to UHS. This transaction generated a gain of approximately $68.4 million which is included in our consolidated statement of income for the year ended December 31, 2021.

As a result of UHS’ purchase option within the lease agreements of Aiken and Canyon Creek, the transaction is accounted for as a failed sale leaseback in accordance with U.S. GAAP and the properties acquired by us in connection with the asset purchase and sale agreement with UHS, as amended, were accounted for as financing arrangements and our consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 include financing receivables related to this transaction of $83.3 million and $83.6 million, respectively. Additionally, we structured the purchase and sale of the above-mentioned properties as a like-kind exchange of property under the provisions of Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

Also on December 31, 2021, Aiken and Canyon Creek (as lessees), entered into a master lease and individual property leases, as amended, (with us as lessor), for initial lease terms on each property of approximately twelve years, ending on December 31, 2033. Subject to the terms of the master lease, Aiken and Canyon Creek have the right to renew their leases, at the then current fair market rent (as defined in the master lease), for seven, five-year optional renewal terms. Pursuant to the leases, as amended during the first quarter of 2022, the aggregate annual rental rate on the acquired properties, which is payable to us on a monthly basis, was approximately $5.8 million during 2023 ($4.0 million related to Aiken and $1.8 million related to Canyon Creek) and $5.7 million during 2022 ($3.9 million related to Aiken and $1.8 million related to Canyon Creek). The portion of the lease payments that is included in our consolidated statements of income, and reflected as interest income on financing leases, was approximately $5.5 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. There is no bonus rental component applicable to either of these leases. Lease revenue will not be impacted by the lease payments received related to these two properties. Pursuant to the terms of the lease on the Inland Valley Campus, we earned $4.5 million of lease revenue during the year ended December 31, 2021 (consisting of $2.6 million in base rental and $1.9 million in bonus rental).

Pursuant to the terms of the master leases among us and certain subsidiaries of UHS, dated December 24, 1986 and December 31, 2021 (the “Master Leases”), which govern the leases of McAllen Medical Center, Wellington Regional Medical Center (governed by the Master Lease dated December 24, 1986), Aiken Regional Medical Center and Canyon Creek Behavioral Health (governed by the Master Lease dated December 31, 2021, as amended), all of which are hospital properties that are wholly-owned subsidiaries of UHS, UHS has the option, among other things, to renew the leases at the lease terms described below by providing notice to us at least 90 days prior to the termination of the then current term. UHS also has the right to purchase the respective leased facilities from us at their appraised fair market value upon any of the following: (i) at the end of the lease terms or any renewal terms; (ii) upon one month’s notice should a change of control of the Trust occur, or; (iii) within the time period as specified in the leases in the event that UHS provides notice to us of their intent to offer a substitution property/properties in exchange for one (or more) of the four wholly-owned UHS hospital facilities leased from us, should we be unable to reach an agreement with UHS on the properties to be substituted. Additionally, UHS has rights of first refusal to: (i) purchase the respective leased facilities during and for 180 days after the lease terms at the same price, terms and conditions of any third-party offer, or; (ii) renew the lease on the respective leased facility at the end of, and for 180 days after, the lease term at the same terms and conditions pursuant to any third-party offer.

In addition, a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS is the managing, majority member in a joint-venture with an unrelated third-party that operates, and leases from us, Clive Behavioral Health. This 100-bed behavioral health care facility is located in Clive, Iowa and was completed and opened in late December, 2020 and the hospital lease commenced on December 31, 2020. The lease on this facility is triple net and has an initial term of 20 years with five 10-year renewal options. On each January 1 st through 2040 (and potentially through 2070 if the first three of five, 10-year renewal options are exercised), the annual rental will increase by 2.75% on a cumulative and compounded basis. The first three of the five 10-year renewal options will provide for annual rental as stipulated in the lease (2041 through 2070) and the two additional 10-year lease renewal options will be at fair market value lease rates (2071 through 2090). Pursuant to the lease on this facility, the joint venture has the option to, among other things, renew the lease at the terms specified in the lease agreement by providing notice to us at least 270 days prior to the termination of the then current term. The joint venture also has the right to purchase the leased facility from us at its appraised fair market value upon either of the following: (i) by providing notice at least 270 days prior to the end of the lease terms or any renewal terms, or; (ii) upon 30 days’ notice anytime within 12 months of a change of control of the Trust (UHS also has this right should the joint venture decline to exercise its purchase right). Additionally, the joint venture has rights of first offer to purchase the facility prior to any third-party sale.

The table below details the existing lease terms and renewal options for each of the hospital leases that are related to UHS as of January 1, 2024, consisting of three acute care hospitals and three behavioral health hospitals:

(a)

UHS has one 5-year renewal option at existing lease rates (through 2031).

(b)

UHS has one 5-year renewal option at fair market value lease rates (through 2031; see additional disclosure below). The annual rental will increase by 2.5% on an annual compounded basis on each January 1 st through 2026.

(c)

UHS has seven 5-year renewal options at fair market value lease rates (2034 through 2068). The annual rental rate will increase by 2.25% on a cumulative and compounded basis on each January 1 st through 2033.

(d)

The UHS-related joint venture has five 10-year renewal options; the first three of the five 10-year renewal options will be at computed lease rates as stipulated in the lease (2041 through 2070) and the last two 10-year renewal options will be at fair market lease rates (2071 through 2090). On each January 1 st through 2040 (and potentially through 2070 if the first three of five, 10-year renewal options are exercised), the annual rental will increase by 2.75% on a cumulative and compounded basis.

Upon the December 31, 2021 expiration of the lease on Wellington Regional Medical Center located in West Palm Beach, Florida, a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS exercised its fair market value renewal option and renewed the lease for a 5-year term scheduled to expire on December 31, 2026. Effective January 1, 2023, the annual fair market value lease rate for this hospital, which was payable to us monthly, was $6.5 million (there is no longer a bonus rental component of the lease payment). On January 1, 2024 the annual rent increased to $6.6 million and on each January 1 st thereafter through 2026, the annual rent will increase by 2.50% on a cumulative and compounded basis. Pursuant to the terms of the hospital’s previous lease, we earned aggregate lease revenue of $5.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2021, (consisting of $3.0 million of base rental and $2.5 million of bonus rental).

Management cannot predict whether the leases with wholly-owned subsidiaries of UHS, which have renewal options at existing lease rates or fair market value lease rates, or any of our other leases, will be renewed at the end of their lease term. If the leases are not renewed at their current rates or the fair market value lease rates, we would be required to find other operators for those facilities and/or enter into leases on terms potentially less favorable to us than the current leases. In addition, if subsidiaries of UHS exercise their options to purchase the respective leased hospital or FED facilities upon expiration of the lease terms, our future revenues could decrease if we were unable to earn a favorable rate of return on the sale proceeds received, as compared to the rental revenue currently earned pursuant to these leases.

During the third quarter of 2023, we acquired the McAllen Doctor's Center, an MOB located in McAllen, Texas for a purchase price of approximately $7.6 million, including transaction costs. The building has approximately 79,500 rentable square feet and is 100% master leased to McAllen Hospitals, L.P, a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS. The triple-net master lease is for twelve years scheduled to expire on August 31, 2035. McAllen Hospitals, L.P. has the option to renew the lease term for three consecutive ten-year terms. The initial annual base rent is approximately $624,000.

During the first quarter of 2023, construction was substantially completed on Sierra Medical Plaza I, a multi-tenant MOB located in Reno, Nevada, consisting of approximately 86,000 rentable square feet. This MOB is located on the campus of the Northern Nevada Sierra Medical Center, a newly constructed acute care hospital that is owned and operated by a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS, which was completed and opened during April of 2022. The cost of the MOB is estimated to be approximately $35 million, approximately $29 million of which was incurred as of December 31, 2023. In connection with this MOB, we entered into a ground lease and master flex-lease agreement with a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS. The master flex lease agreement has a ten-year term scheduled to expire on March 31, 2033, and covers approximately 68% of the rentable square feet of the MOB at an initial minimum rent of $1.3 million annually plus a pro-rata share of the common area maintenance expenses. The master flex-lease is subject to a reduction during the term based upon the execution of third-party leases. The ground lease and the master flex lease each commenced during March, 2023.

During the fourth quarter of 2021, we purchased the 5% minority ownership interest held by a third-party member in Grayson Properties, LP which owns the Texoma Medical Plaza, an MOB located in Denison, Texas for approximately $3.1 million. The MOB is located on the campus of Texoma Medical Center, a hospital that is owned and operated by a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS. A third-party appraisal was completed to determine the fair value of the property. As a result of this minority ownership purchase during the fourth quarter of 2021, we own 100% of the LP and are therefore consolidating this LP effective with the purchase date. There was no material impact on our net income as a result of the consolidation of this LP subsequent to the transaction. Please see Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements-Debt and Financial Instrumentsfor additional disclosure surrounding this transaction.

In May, 2021, we acquired the Fire Mesa office building located in Las Vegas, Nevada for a purchase price of approximately $12.9 million. The building is 100% leased under the terms of a triple net lease by a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS. The initial lease is scheduled to expire on August 31, 2027 and has two five-year renewal options. As discussed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements-Purchase and Sale Transaction, Acquisitions, Divestitures and New Construction, the acquisition of this office building is part of a series of planned tax-deferred like-kind exchange transactions pursuant to Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended.

We are the lessee on thirteen ground leases with subsidiaries of UHS (for consolidated and unconsolidated investments), including one that commenced in March, 2023. The remaining lease terms on the ground leases with subsidiaries of UHS range from approximately 26 years to approximately 75 years. The annual aggregate lease payments on these properties were approximately $571,000 for the year ended 2023 and expected to be $571,000 for each of the years ended 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027, and an aggregate of $31.9 million thereafter. See Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements-Lease Accountingfor further disclosure around our lease accounting.

Officers and Employees: Our officers are all employees of a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS and although as of December 31, 2023 we had no salaried employees, our officers do typically receive annual stock-based compensation awards in the form of restricted stock or restricted stock units. In special circumstances, if warranted and deemed appropriate by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Trustees, our officers may also receive one-time compensation awards in the form of restricted stock, and/or cash bonuses.

Advisory Agreement: UHS of Delaware, Inc. (the “Advisor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS, serves as Advisor to us under an advisory agreement dated December 24, 1986, and as amended and restated as of January 1, 2019 (the “Advisory Agreement”). Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Advisor is obligated to present an investment program to us, to use its best efforts to obtain investments suitable for such program (although it is not obligated to present any particular investment opportunity to us), to provide administrative services to us and to conduct our day-to-day affairs. All transactions between us and UHS must be approved by the Trustees who are unaffiliated with UHS (the “Independent Trustees”). In performing its services under the Advisory Agreement, the Advisor may utilize independent professional services, including accounting, legal, tax and other services, for which the Advisor is reimbursed directly by us. The Advisory Agreement may be terminated for any reason upon sixty days written notice by us or the Advisor. The Advisory Agreement expires on December 31 of each year; however, it is renewable by us, subject to a determination by the Independent Trustees, that the Advisor’s performance has been satisfactory. The Advisory Agreement was renewed for 2024 with the same terms as the Advisory Agreement in place during 2023, 2022 and 2021.

Our advisory fee for 2023, 2022 and 2021 was computed at 0.70% of our average invested real estate assets, as derived from our consolidated balance sheet. Based upon a review of our advisory fee and other general and administrative expenses, as compared to an industry peer group, the advisory fee computation remained unchanged for 2023, as compared to 2022 and 2021. The average real estate assets for advisory fee calculation purposes exclude certain items from our consolidated balance sheet such as, among other things, accumulated depreciation, cash and cash equivalents, lease receivables, deferred charges and other assets. The advisory fee is payable quarterly, subject to adjustment at year-end based upon our audited financial statements. Advisory fees incurred and paid (or payable) to UHS amounted to $5.3 million during 2023, $5.1 million during 2022 and $4.4 million during 2021, and were based upon average invested real estate assets of $757 million, $728 million and $629 million during 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Share Ownership: As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, UHS owned 5.7% of our outstanding shares of beneficial interest.

SEC reporting requirements of UHS: UHS is subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and is required to file annual reports containing audited financial information and quarterly reports containing unaudited financial information. Since the aggregate revenues generated from UHS-related tenants comprised approximately 37% of our consolidated revenue for the five years ended December 31, 2023 (approximately 41%, 40% and 37% for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively), and since a subsidiary of UHS is our Advisor, you are encouraged to obtain the publicly available filings for Universal Health Services, Inc. from the SEC’s website. These filings are the sole responsibility of UHS and are not incorporated by reference herein.

Taxation

No provision has been made for federal income tax purposes since we qualify as a REIT under Sections 856 to 860 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and intend to continue to remain so qualified. To qualify as a REIT, we must meet certain organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement to distribute at least 90% of our annual REIT taxable income to shareholders. As a REIT, we generally will not be subject to federal, state or local income tax on income that we distribute as dividends to our shareholders.

Please see the heading “If we fail to maintain our REIT status, we will become subject to federal income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate rates” under “Risk Factors” for more information.

Competition

We compete for the acquisition, leasing and financing of health care related facilities. Our competitors include, but are not limited to, other REITs, private investors and firms, banks and other companies, including UHS. Some of these competitors are larger and may have a lower cost of capital than we do. These developments could result in fewer investment opportunities for us and lower spreads over the cost of our capital, which would hurt our growth.

In most geographical areas in which our facilities operate, there are other facilities that provide services comparable to those offered by our facilities. In addition, some competing facilities are owned by tax-supported governmental agencies or by nonprofit corporations and may be supported by endowments and charitable contributions and exempt from property, sales and income taxes. Such exemptions and support are not available to certain operators of our facilities, including UHS. In some markets, certain competing facilities may have greater financial resources, be better equipped and offer a broader range of services than those available at our facilities. Certain hospitals that are located in the areas served by our facilities are specialty hospitals that provide medical, surgical and behavioral health services that may not be provided by the operators of our hospitals. The increase in outpatient treatment and diagnostic facilities, ambulatory surgical centers and freestanding emergency departments also increases competition for us.

In addition, the number and quality of the physicians on a hospital’s staff are important factors in determining a hospital’s success and competitive advantage. Typically, physicians are responsible for making hospital admission decisions and for directing the course of patient treatment. The operators of our facilities also compete with other health care providers in recruiting and retaining qualified hospital management, nurses and other medical personnel. From time-to-time, the operators of our acute care hospitals may experience the effects of a shortage of skilled nursing staff nationwide, which has caused and may continue to cause an increase in salaries, wages and benefits expense in excess of the inflation rate. Our operators may experience difficulties attracting and retaining qualified physicians, nurses and medical support personnel. We anticipate that our operators, including UHS, will continue to encounter increased competition in the future that could lead to a decline in patient volumes and harm their businesses, which in turn, could harm our business.

A large portion of our non-hospital properties consist of MOBs which are located either close to or on the campuses of hospital facilities. These properties are either directly or indirectly affected by the factors discussed above as well as general real estate factors such as the supply and demand of office space and market rental rates. To improve our competitive position, we anticipate that we will continue investing in additional healthcare related facilities and leasing the facilities to qualified operators, perhaps including subsidiaries of UHS.

Regulation and Other Factors

During each of the years of 2023, 2022 and 2021, approximately 27%, 29% and 28%, respectively, of our revenues were earned pursuant to leases with operators of acute care hospitals, behavioral health care hospitals and free-standing emergency departments (“FEDs”), the substantial majority of which are subsidiaries of UHS. A significant portion of the revenue earned by the operators of our acute and behavioral health care hospitals and FEDs is derived from federal and state healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid (excluding managed Medicare and Medicaid programs).

Our acute care facilities and behavioral health care hospitals derive a significant portion of their revenue from third-party payers, including the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Changes in these government programs in recent years have resulted in limitations on reimbursement and, in some cases, reduced levels of reimbursement for healthcare services. Payments from federal and state government programs are subject to statutory and regulatory changes, administrative rulings, interpretations and determinations, requirements for utilization review, and federal and state funding restrictions, all of which could materially increase or decrease program payments, as well as affect the cost of providing service to patients and the timing of payments to facilities. Neither we nor the operators of our hospital facilities are able to predict the effect of recent and future policy changes on our respective results of operations. In addition, the uncertainty and fiscal pressures placed upon federal and state governments as a result of, among other things, the funding requirements and other provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the "Legislation"), may affect the availability of taxpayer funds for Medicare and Medicaid programs. In addition, possible repeal or replacement of the Legislation may have significant impact on the reimbursement for healthcare services.

On December 14, 2018, a Texas Federal District Court declared the Legislation to be unconstitutional in its entirety. The Court concluded that the Individual Mandate is no longer permissible under Congress’s taxing power as a result of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”) reducing the Individual Mandate’s tax to $0 (i.e., it no longer produces revenue, which is an essential feature of a tax), rendering the Legislation unconstitutional. The court also held that because the individual mandate is “essential” to the Legislation and is inseverable from the rest of the law, the entire Legislation is unconstitutional. Because the court issued a declaratory judgment and did not enjoin the law, the Legislation remains in place pending its appeal. The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ultimately held in California v. Texas that the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the Legislation’s requirement to obtain minimum essential health insurance coverage, or the individual mandate. The Court dismissed the case without specifically ruling on the constitutionality of the Legislation. On September 7, 2022, the same Texas Federal District Court judge, in the case of Braidwood Management v. Becerra, ruled that the requirement that certain health plans cover services with an “A” or “B” recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force without cost sharing violates the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution and that the coverage of certain HIV prevention medication violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The government has appealed the decision to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. We are unable to predict the outcome of this litigation or its potential impact at this time. While the results of the 2020 elections potentially reduce the risk of the Legislation being eliminated in whole or in part, the continued uncertainties regarding implementation of the Legislation create unpredictability for the strategic and business planning efforts of health care providers, which in itself constitutes a risk. If the rates paid or the scope of services covered by government payers are reduced, there could be a material adverse effect on the business, financial position and results of operations of the operators of our hospital facilities, and in turn, ours.

In addition, the healthcare industry is required to comply with extensive and complex laws and regulations at the federal, state and local government levels relating to, among other things: hospital billing practices and prices for services; relationships with physicians and other referral sources; adequacy of medical care and quality of medical equipment and services; ownership of facilities; qualifications of medical and support personnel; confidentiality, maintenance, privacy and security issues associated with health-related information and patient medical records; the screening, stabilization and transfer, by hospitals with an emergency department, of patients who have emergency medical conditions; certification, licensure and accreditation of our facilities; operating policies and procedures, and; construction or expansion of facilities and services.

These laws and regulations are extremely complex, and, in many cases, the operators of our facilities do not have the benefit of regulatory or judicial interpretation. In the future, it is possible that different interpretations or enforcement of these laws and regulations could subject the current or past practices of our operators to allegations of impropriety or illegality or could require them to make changes in their facilities, equipment, personnel, services, capital expenditure programs and operating expenses. Although UHS and other operators of our hospitals and FEDs believe that their policies, procedures and practices comply with governmental regulations, no assurance can be given that they will not be subjected to additional governmental inquiries or actions, or that they would not be faced with sanctions, fines or penalties if so subjected. Even if they were to ultimately prevail, a significant governmental inquiry or action under one of the above laws, regulations or rules could have a material adverse effect upon them, and in turn, us.

Each of our hospital facilities is deemed certified, meaning that they are accredited, properly licensed under the relevant state laws and regulations and certified under the Medicare program. The effect of maintaining certified facilities is to allow such facilities to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The operators of our hospital facilities believe that the facilities are in material compliance with applicable federal, state, local and other relevant regulations and standards. However, should any of our hospital facilities lose their deemed certified status and thereby lose certification under the Medicare or Medicaid programs, such facilities would be unable to receive reimbursement from either of those programs and their business, and in turn, ours, could be materially adversely affected.

The various factors and government regulation related to the healthcare industry, such as those outlined above, affect us because:

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The financial ability of lessees to make rent payments to us may be affected by governmental regulations such as licensure, certification for participation in government programs, and government reimbursement, and;

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Our bonus rent on the acute care hospitals operated by a subsidiary of UHS is based on the lessee’s net revenue which in turn is affected by the amount of reimbursement the lessee receives from the government.

A significant portion of the revenue earned by the operators of our acute care hospitals, behavioral health care hospitals and FEDs is derived from federal and state healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. Under the statutory framework of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, many of the general acute care operations are subject to administrative rulings, interpretations and discretion that may affect payments made under either or both of such programs as well as by other third party payers. The federal government makes payments to participating hospitals under its Medicare program based on various formulas. For inpatient services, the operators of our acute care hospitals are subject to an inpatient prospective payment system (“IPPS”). Under IPPS, hospitals are paid a predetermined fixed payment amount for each hospital discharge. The fixed payment amount is based upon each patient’s Medicare severity diagnosis related group (“MS-DRG”). Every MS-DRG is assigned a payment rate based upon the estimated intensity of hospital resources necessary to treat the average patient with that particular diagnosis. These rates are based upon historical national average costs and do not consider the actual costs incurred by a hospital in providing care. The MS-DRG rates are adjusted annually based on geographic region and are weighted based upon a statistically normal distribution of severity.

For outpatient services, acute care hospitals are paid under an outpatient prospective payment system (“PPS”) according to ambulatory procedure codes. The outpatient PPS rate is a geographic adjusted national payment amount that includes the Medicare payment and the beneficiary co-payment. Special payments under the outpatient PPS may be made for certain new technology items and services through transitional pass-through payments and special reimbursement rates.

Our three acute care hospitals, three behavioral health care facilities and two FEDs operated by subsidiaries of UHS, as well as two FEDs operated by unaffiliated third-parties are located in Texas, Florida, Virginia, South Carolina and Iowa. We can provide no assurance that reductions to Medicaid revenues earned by operators of certain of our facilities, particularly our hospital operators in the above-mentioned states, will not have a material adverse effect on the future operating results of those operators which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on us.

Executive Officers of the Registrant

Mr. Alan B. Miller has been our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer since our inception in 1986 and was appointed President in February, 2003. He had previously served as our President until 1990. Mr. Miller is currently Executive Chairman of the Board of UHS and previously served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of UHS since its inception in 1978 through December 31, 2020. He previously held the title of President of UHS as well, until 2009 when Marc D. Miller was elected as President of UHS. Mr. Alan B. Miller is the father of Marc D. Miller, who was elected to our Board of Trustees in December, 2008 and also serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of UHS and a member of the Board of Directors of UHS. Marc D. Miller previously served as President of UHS from 2009 through December 31, 2020.

Mr. Charles F. Boyle was appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer during 2022, and had served as our Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since 2003. He had served as our Vice President and Controller since 1991. Mr. Boyle has held various positions at UHS since 1983. He was appointed Senior Vice President of UHS in 2017 and continues to serve as its Controller. He had served as Vice President and Controller of UHS since 2003 and as its Assistant Vice President-Corporate Accounting since 1994.

Ms. Cheryl K. Ramagano was appointed Senior Vice President-Operations, Treasurer and Secretary during 2022, and had served as Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary since 2003. She had served as our Vice President and Treasurer since 1992. Ms. Ramagano has held various positions at UHS since 1983. She was appointed Senior Vice President of UHS in 2017 and continues to serve as its Treasurer. She had served as Vice President and Treasurer of UHS since 2003 and as its Assistant Treasurer since 1994.

Ms. Karla J. Peterson was appointed Vice President of Acquisitions and Development upon the commencement of her employment with UHS in 2022.