Case Studies: Hospitals Face Financial Challenges Due To COVID-19

AdventHealth Central Florida Division, Orlando, Fla

The recent surge of COVID-19 cases in Central Florida affects the residents in seven Florida counties: Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Polk, Volusia, Flagler and Lake. The counties are central to AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division, which includes 21 hospitals and more than 30 urgent care centers, as well as hundreds of physicians, ranging from primary care to a full spectrum of specialties.

Kindred Healthcare and TIRR Memorial Hermann, Houston, TX

Houston post-acute hospitals endure added costs of ramping up to prepare for COVID-19. Houston’s Kindred Healthcare and TIRR Memorial Hermann are among the many post-acute care providers that have incurred increased costs to prepare for and treat COVID-19-positive patients and complex post-COVID-19 patients.

The Loretto Hospital, Chicago, IL

Loretto Hospital, serving Chicago’s Austin community on the city’s West Side, faces growing financial and staffing pressures while delivering care to a majority Black population in a designated COVID-19 hotspot.

Kittitas Valley Healthcare, Ellensburg, Wash.

Kittitas Valley Healthcare in Ellensburg, Wash., was among the first in the country to feel the impact of the COVID-19 surge. The rural delivery system and its critical access hospital had to quickly shift focus by postponing so-called elective surgeries and many other nonessential services. Orthopedics and general surgery services — the bread and butter of the organization’s case mix — were halted. The financial hit was felt almost immediately. “Our revenues and volumes fell off a cliff” says CEO Julie Petersen.

Washington Regional Medical Center, Fayetteville, Ark.

As COVID-19 cases surge, Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, Ark., faces growing financial and other pressures that threaten its ability to continue meeting its community’s health care needs.

Banner Health, Phoenix, Arizona

As America’s health care providers continue responding to the first wave of COVID-19, Banner Health is being hit hard for the second time. On July 12, Arizona’s largest health care system was at the epicenter of the pandemic — nearly four months after it was first impacted by the initial shelter-in-place order.

UR Medicine Thompson Health, Canandaigua, N.Y.

UR Medicine Thompson Health, a nonprofit health care system which provides care for 165,000 residents of Upstate New York’s greater Finger Lakes area and is the largest employer in Ontario County, shared how the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant financial challenges for the organization and why Congress needs to provide additional support to hospitals and health systems. “We are begging for more assistance and more help because we can’t keep moving forward,” says Michael Stapleton Jr., president and CEO of UR Medicine Thompson Health.

The Queen’s Health Systems in Honolulu, Hawaii

19 has caused significant financial challenges for the organization and why Congress needs to provide additional support to hospitals and health systems. “Projected losses are about $60 million for 2021,” says Jason Chang, president of The Queen’s Medical Center and chief operating officer of The Queen’s Health Systems and The Queen’s Medical Center. However, he says a worst-case scenario is a $300 million loss if a second COVID-19 wave occurs like what is happening in some areas of the country. Additional support from Congress is necessary so the health system can continue to meet the medical needs of its community.