A strong showing in September has put St. John’s Medical Center $3.3 million ahead of budget through the first quarter of the fiscal year.

Much of the success can be attributed to the continued rise in the number of patients seeking overnight care at the hospital.

Since July, the first month of the fiscal year, inpatient surgical time has increased by 16 percent compared with last year.

The trend continues what was seen in the preceding three months, according to the hospital’s report,

The trend has been surprising, said St. John’s financial officer John Kren.

Outpatient revenue has continually grown for the hospital over the last decade, mirroring nationwide trends. Inpatient money has been far less steady.

Kren attributed the recent sustained increase in overnight patients to the growing reputation of the Center of Excellence in Orthopaedics, which does orthopaedic surgeries.

More patients are choosing to un-dergo surgery in Jackson rather than seek care in Salt Lake City or other places, he said.

From July to September, St. John’s totaled $33.5 million in gross patient revenue, compared with $27.2 million for the same period last year.

The hospital surpassed $100 million in gross patient revenue for the first time last fiscal year, which ended June 30. Finances continue to look promising for St. John’s, Kren said.

Patient days are up in all hospital departments except for obstetrics through the first half of October.