LEWISBURG — Top administrators at Evangelical Community Hospital warned Congressman Fred Keller that COVID-19 testing supplies are dwindling, the cost of protective equipment is soaring and uncertainty of the pandemic creates uncertainty for the hospital’s immediate future.
Kendra Aucker, Evangelical’s president and chief executive officer, said during a roundtable discussion with Keller that the rural hospital was in a “very strong position” entering the pandemic. Then, elective surgeries were canceled, outpatient services closed and some 400 employees were furloughed. The hospital absorbed costs to retrofit the hospital for its staged reopening, plus costs to test and screen employees and patients alike, as the price of protective equipment “skyrocketed.”
The cost of isolation gowns rose by up to 300 percent, lab coats up to 100 percent, surgical head and foot coverings up to 180 percent, low-level masks up to 500 percent, according to information provided by Michael Redding, director of Marketing & Communications.
All told, Evangelical lost approximately $26.2 million in net patient revenue from all revenue sources through July, according to information provided by Redding.
“It’s been a challenge and now it’s unknown what the future here over the next six, eight months really will be,” Aucker said.
William Anderson, the hospital’s chief operating officer, estimated Evangelical has COVID-19 testing supplies to last about three to four weeks. Testing supplies, specifically the reagent used to detect the virus on a sample, are increasingly hard to come by. So, too, are nasal swabs, he said.
Anderson said testing reached about 80 to 90 daily on average in July compared to 30 to 40 at the start of the pandemic.
The hospital performs rapid in-house testing for hospital inpatients with about a 1 hour turnaround. It takes about three to four days for outpatient tests to return from a third-party vendor. The lack of supplies can delay returns for both and jeopardizes Evangelical’s off-campus test site just a short walk from the hospital.
“The supplies to keep it operational,” said Angela Lahr, vice president, clinical operations, “it’s becoming more and more difficult to acquire the supplies needed.”
Evangelical received $13.1 million in grants and $767K in employee retention payroll tax credits. It also received $17.6 million in Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payments. The latter funding must be repaid.
“For however long it takes to pay back we won’t be receiving any Medicare payments beginning this month,” James Stopper, chief finance officer, said.
Keller introduced the Rural Help Act in the House on July 9. Its aim is to ensure an equitable distribution of inpatient Medicare reimbursement payments between rural and urban hospitals. It was referred for review by the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Keller expressed concern in raising pharmaceutical prices and interest in helping counter the increases. He said one solution that won’t be immediate is encouraging the manufacture of both pharmaceuticals and medical supplies domestically. Another potential faster solution would be adopting legislation that would speed up the process to allow the generic manufacture of proprietary medication.
Keller also spoke to the next iteration of the federal CARES Act. It could be a cash infusion or it could provide a greater level of funding through specific services.
“If you look at dollars for reimbursements but you’re not seeing the patients, that may not be helpful,” Keller said of how some but not all patients in need of care are seeking it during the pandemic. He added that there are discussions in Congress to make available forgivable loans.
