Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pandemic Lays Bare The Vulnerabilities In A Hospital System Comprised Of Separate Fiefdoms
The New York Times: How The Chaos At Elmhurst Hospital Exposed Health Care’s Fiefdoms
In late March, as the most dire public health crisis in a century swept across New York, sick people and those caring for them faced a hospital system that was less than the sum of its mighty parts. At Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, hundreds of Covid-19 patients arrived in need of more help than besieged medical workers could give. Patients were found dead in rooms. One medical resident described conditions as “apocalyptic.” Yet at the same time, 3,500 beds were free in other New York hospitals, some no more than 20 minutes from Elmhurst, according to state records. The city, which runs Elmhurst, had a fleet of 26 new ambulances available to transfer patients. (Dwyer, 5/14)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Thomas Jefferson Hospital Seeing More Coronavirus Patients Than Philadelphia Rival Penn
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital had twice as many average daily coronavirus inpatients as the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania last week, according to new state data, a difference that could have significant financial ramifications for the two largest health-care providers in the Philadelphia region. Both hospitals are facing hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue as a result of the pandemic. The disclosure came in Pennsylvania Department of Health data released Wednesday that showed 51 hospitals in Pennsylvania, including 31 in the southeastern part of the state, were allocated vials of remdesivir, a drug that may help some patients recover more quickly from the coronavirus. The drugs were allocated this week based on patient counts from May 4 to 10. (Brubaker, 5/13)
The Washington Post: A Connecticut Community Hospital Fights To Stay Financially Afloat During The Pandemic
Patrick Charmel, the president of Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn., keeps his office door open. Alex Balko, the chief financial officer, raced in from across the hall. “Oh man, this is really not good,” Balko said, not bothering to take a seat. “This could be devastating to us.” Four days before, Griffin had admitted its first patient with telling symptoms, and people were starting to show up to be swabbed. With the novel coronavirus perhaps already within Griffin’s walls — and certainly hovering nearby — doctors were getting ready to cancel the mammograms, hernia repairs and all the other not-so-urgent care that provides the hospital’s main income. “Pat, this is not sustainable,” Balko said. “What are we going to do?” (Goldstein, 5/13)
In other hospital news —
Modern Healthcare: HHS Provider Grants Favor Hospitals With Higher Share Of Privately Insured Patients
HHS distributed $50 billion in grant funds to providers using a formula it chose that heavily favored hospitals that treat the highest share of privately insured patients, per an analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The 10% of hospitals with the highest private insurance revenue were paid $44,321 per bed, compared with $20,710 for the 10% of hospitals with the lowest private insurance revenue, the analysis concludes. (Cohrs, 5/13)
Modern Healthcare: 'Constant Increase' In COVID-19 Patients Contributes To Ochsner's First-Quarter Loss
Even though the stay-at-home order was only in place during the last week of March, inpatient surgeries declined 8.3% in the quarter year-over-year. Emergency room visits were down 4.8%. Clinic visits fell by 1%. Ochsner still managed to generate almost 9% higher revenue in the quarter ended March 31 year-over-year, mostly due to higher premium revenue. Revenue in the quarter was $965 million. (Bannow, 5/13)
