AHA asks for $25 billion as HHS releases $2 billion in provider relief funds

As the American Hospital Affiliation seeks at least $25 billion for hospitals to help battle workforce shortages and labor expenses exacerbated by what the AHA named “exorbitant” costs on the portion of some staffing companies, the Section of Wellness and Human Expert services has released $2 billion in supplemental funding for hospitals.

The Health and fitness Methods and Products and services Administration is producing additional than $2 billion in Provider Reduction Fund Section 4 Typical Distribution payments to a lot more than 7,600 providers throughout the state this week, HHS claimed, releasing the statement Tuesday as the AHA held a press get in touch with with hospital CEOs.

The AHA would like the remaining service provider aid cash to be unveiled and to incorporate $25 billion to the fund, President and CEO Rick Pollack mentioned, citing a January 20 letter to Congress in which the ask for was designed. 

The AHA is also urging the Federal Trade Fee to examine experiences of anticompetitive pricing by nurse staffing businesses. Cost boosts are two-to-a few occasions a lot more than they ended up prior to the pandemic, Pollack explained, incorporating that there are experiences that some of the businesses are maintaining the supplemental gains, which increase up to extra than 30%.

In a November 2021 letter to Jeffrey Zients, COVID-19 Reaction Staff Coordinator, Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Invoice Cassidy, R-La., and Reps. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., and David McKinley, R- W.Va., urged the White Home to enlist federal companies to look into rate gouging by nurse staffing companies.

The AHA has asked Congress to assist hospitals and caregivers in have to-pass legislation to fund the government outside of Feb. 18. Other requests are to   prolong Medicare sequester reduction give hospitals a lot more time to repay accelerated and progress Medicare payments and present relief to sure 340B hospitals so they can continue to be qualified for the plan.

WHY THIS Matters

Medical center CEOs who spoke Tuesday are Wright Lassiter, president and CEO of the Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, who is the 2022 chair of the AHA Board of Trustees Bruce Flanz, president and CEO, MediSys Wellbeing Network, Queens, New York and Ruby Kirby, CEO, West Tennessee Health care Bolivar and Camden Hospitals.

All reported their hospitals are below stress from workforce shortages, greater labor prices, offer chain shortages, normal inflation and reduction of income from common procedures place on hold owing to COVID-19 and deficiency of staffing.

“We have delayed about 400 methods more than 30 times due to deficiency of staffing,” Lassister stated. None were delayed on Tuesday early morning, he added.

Lassiter said Henry Ford is viewing a decrease in COVID-19 situations, but this is not a induce for celebration when 25-35% of ICU beds are dedicated to COVID-19 treatment and there has been a 600% improve in staff requesting personnel assistant system aid. Tuesday early morning, 75 beds had been shut thanks to staffing issues as a lot more than 300 workers were being out of function because of to exposure or a constructive take a look at. Ten days ago that variety was 589, he said.

Flanz claimed the quantity of scenarios in Queens, the epicenter for the pandemic when it commenced, is also “headed in the ideal direction.”

Kirby explained that rural communities cannot consider benefit of some of the federal and point out means because they really don’t satisfy the threshold for this sort of aid as staffing from the Nationwide Guard.

THE More substantial Development

The Health Sources and Expert services Administration is building more than $2 billion in Service provider Reduction Fund Period 4 Standard Distribution payments to additional than 7,600 vendors across the place this 7 days, HHS mentioned.  A complete of approximately $11 billion in PRF Period 4 payments, which includes Tuesday’s $2 billion, has now been dispersed to extra than 74,000 providers in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and five territories.

These payments occur on the heels of the just about $9 billion in funding that was presently released by HHS in December 2021 and American Rescue Prepare rural payments totaling approximately $7.5 billion in funding to much more than 43,000 companies.

Twitter: @SusanJMorse
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