Newman Regional Health is using a special revenue stream to offset certain coronavirus expenses, while Flint Hills Community Health Center is researching a separate funding stream.
During Wednesday’s monthly Newman Regional Health Board of Trustees meeting, the board was informed of a federal payment plan for so-called High Impact counties. Lyon County is on the list, meaning Newman Regional Health qualifies for a $50,000 payment per COVID-19 admission. With 32 admissions between Jan. 1 and June 10, the hospital has received $1.6 million.
Chief Financial Officer Holly French says the hospital can use the money only for specific purposes, including loss of debt patient revenue, lost net patient revenue and added coronavirus expenses in responding to, caring for or planning for virus response. She tells KVOE News the funds have not positively impacted the hospital, in part because Newman Regional Health has around $10 million in advance Medicare payments that it will likely have to repay.
The US Department of Health and Human Services based the funding either on at least 160 admissions between Jan. 1 and June 10 or, in the case of Newman Regional Health, a high admission-to-bed ratio, slightly more than half an admission per bed.
Meanwhile, Flint Hills Community Health Center is researching a separate revenue stream that could repay costs incurred by FHCHC for treating uninsured coronavirus patients. Chief Executive Officer Renee Hively says the program — simply called the COVID-19 Uninsured Program — reimburses costs for tests and treatment in the Health Center’s safety net clinics since March. There is a lot of research involved, and Hively says the Health Center has to be extremely careful to avoid “double-dipping” or trying to get reimbursed twice for one procedure.
Click here for information on the COVID-19 Uninsured Program.
