When President Barack Obama signed the budget deal this past December, safety-net hospitals and health systems breathed a small sigh of relief.
Cuts to Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payments, which are supplemental payments from the government to hospitals that treat high volumes of poor patients, were delayed until Oct. 1, 2015. Originally, under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Medicaid DSH cuts were supposed to go into effect Oct. 1, 2013.
In an interview with the Athens Banner-Herald, Athens (Ga.) Regional Health System CFO Wendy Cook said the billions of dollars in cuts are still coming down the pike, and they will force hospitals to find other ways to offset those lost funds.
"Without adequate funding, service lines will have to be evaluated more closely to ensure all offerings fully accrue towards our mission of improving the health and lives of those we touch," Ms. Cook said.
More Articles on DSH Payments:
AHA: Hospital Medicare, Medicaid Payments Cut by $113B Since 2010
President Obama Signs 2014 Budget Bill: What It Means for Hospitals
102 Safety-Net Hospital CEOs: DSH Cuts Will Lead to Layoffs, Financial Hardship