Hospitals Say $100B Allocated From Stimulus Package Is Woefully Inadequate–And They Can’t Even Get Those Funds
Only about $30 billion has been distributed thus far from a pot of $100 billion earmarked for hospitals and health-care providers. In addition to that, the distribution of the relief money didn't take hot spots into account, so the places that in most need say they are getting shortchanged.
The Washington Post:
Hospital Relief Money Slow To Reach Places That Need It Most, Lawmakers And Industry Groups Say
The $100 billion Congress allocated for hospitals and health-care providers in its $2 trillion coronavirus rescue bill has been slow to go out and has shortchanged some of the places that need it most, lawmakers and industry groups say. They also say the total sum is woefully inadequate to address the needs created by the virus, which has overwhelmed big-city hospitals even as some providers have experienced a precipitous loss in revenue from elective procedures that has forced them to lay people off in the middle of a raging pandemic. (Werner, Harris and Goldstein, 4/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
Health-Care Industry In Tug-Of-War Over Coronavirus Aid
Now, hospitals and doctors in hot spots say they should be the primary beneficiaries of the remaining $70 billion. “Quite simply, funding should follow the Covid-19 patients,” Kenneth Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association, a trade group for New York hospitals, said in a letter to members this week. But elsewhere, health-care providers say their need is also dire as revenue evaporates. “Rural health care was in a state of crisis before this pandemic,” said Dr. Susan Turney, chief executive of the Marshfield Clinic Health System in Marshfield, Wis. “With everything we’re facing right now, we really need to have funding that will stabilize our health system, so we can continue to survive.” (Evans and Armour, 4/16)
Roll Call:
Second Round Of Emergency Medical Provider Funds Delayed
A second wave of emergency funds that Congress directed to medical providers appears to be delayed, after Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told the House Appropriations Committee the distributions could take another week and a half to calculate. Azar’s projection follows Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma’s remarks to reporters Wednesday that the second batch would be distributed this week. Verma declined to share specifics on what formula the department is using to divvy up the funds. (Clason, 4/16)
Kaiser Health News:
The COVID-19 Bailout That’s Left Every Hospital Unhappy In Its Own Way
In the throes of the novel coronavirus outbreak in early April, Kenneth Raske, president of the powerful Greater New York Hospital Association, took his case for needing billions in federal relief funding to another New Yorker, well placed in the White House. The April 8 call with Jared Kushner lasted “probably 30 seconds.” After all, Raske said, the facts speak for themselves. (Pradhan and Weber, 4/16)
The New York Times:
A Tiny Hospital Struggles To Treat A Burst Of Coronavirus Patients
Dr. Desmond Wah is used to being the only physician tending to patients during his shifts at Margaret Mary Community Hospital in Batesville, Ind., population 6,500, where at least half of the 25 beds are usually empty. But he was hardly prepared for the weeklong shift he started on March 20, when the two counties Batesville straddles became one of rural America’s worst coronavirus hot spots. By the end of the week, most of the hospital’s beds were filled with patients who had either tested positive for or were suspected of having the virus. Six were on ventilators, two of which had been lent hastily by a local emergency medical services unit. (Goodnough, 4/16)
In other news on hospitals —
NBC News:
Coronavirus In A Psychiatric Hospital: 'It's The Worst Of All Worlds'
It's not unusual to hear patients screaming and crying at Western State Hospital, workers say. But lately, they say it's been worse than normal at the massive psychiatric facility just south of Tacoma, Washington. (Ramgopal, 4/17)
Modern Healthcare:
Two New Field Hospitals For Chicago
To increase healthcare capacity, new field hospital units are being set up in suburbs outside of Chicago.One will be outside Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan while the other will be adjacent to the University of Chicago Medicine's Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey. The goal is to improve patient management and flow at hospitals treating underserved and at-risk patients with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, International Medical Corps, a nonprofit that provides relief during disasters, announced Thursday. (Goldberg, 4/16)
Detroit Free Press:
TCF Field Hospital Has Capacity For 1,000 Patients, But Only 17 Admitted
As the number of coronavirus patients appears to be reaching a plateau, the Detroit field hospital built to accommodate an overflow of sick people has become a refuge for a very specific patient. “Long-term care facilities, group homes and skilled nursing facilities are not taking patients back until they get a negative result,” said Dr. Jenny Atas, the chief medical officer at TCF Center. “And it sometimes takes a while to get a negative result.”So the 17 patients at the TCF Regional Care Center, the former Cobo Convention Center, include mostly seniors and some homeless people who aren't allowed to return to a shelter program without a negative test. (Gray, 4/16)
WBUR:
MIT Converts Ice Rink To Coronavirus Care Center
Cambridge now has another 75 beds to care for COVID-19 patients, with the opening of a new Massachusetts Institute of Technology dedicated health center. The Sean Collier Care Center, named for an MIT police officer who was killed in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, will care for patients who have tested positive for the virus but do not require intensive care. The building, located on the school's campus, normally houses the Johnson Ice Rink. (Ruckstuhl, 4/16)
WBUR:
137 Patients, 100 Staff Test Positive In COVID-19 Outbreaks At Two State-Run Hospitals
Significant outbreaks of COVID-19 are now emerging in state-run hospitals in Massachusetts. The facilities care for hundreds of patients, many with chronic physical and behavioral health conditions.State officials said the largest outbreaks are among patients at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Jamaica Plain and Tewksbury State Hospital. As of Thursday, 75 patients and 60 staff had tested positive at Tewksbury State Hospital, which has 394 patient beds. At Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, 62 patients and 40 staff had tested positive. Shattuck has 255 beds. (Becker, 4/16)
KQED:
Thousands Of Bay Area Patients Wait For Surgery As Hospitals Hold Beds For Coronavirus Surge
When COVID-19 started rapidly spreading, hospitals throughout the country canceled elective surgeries to free up hospital beds and conserve protective equipment like masks and gowns. Surgery departments canceled everything from cosmetic procedures like tummy tucks and gastric bypasses to brain surgeries and organ transplants. In the Bay Area, all in-person care is delayed for all but the most worrisome cases. (McClurg, 4/16)
Modern Healthcare:
Beaumont Hospital Wayne Closes Temporarily As COVID-19 Patient Census Drops
Beaumont Hospital Wayne has temporarily ceased operations as the Southfield-based health system has redeployed most employees and staff to other Beaumont facilities as the numbers of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has declined, Crain's has learned. Used the past several weeks essentially as a COVID-19 intensive care unit, Beaumont Hospital Wayne and the entire eight-hospital nonprofit system has experienced a large drop in revenue and patient volume. In a statement late Wednesday, Beaumont said the Wayne hospital is not permanently closing. (Greene, 4/16)
