Rebound - Financial Struggles for Hospitals Facing Uncertain Futures

Across the country, hospitals are bleeding cash.

While many ER's are being overrun with COVID patients, others are still waiting for the surge, canceling elective procedures and not making money.

HOSPITALS AROUND THE U-S AREHEMMORHAGING CASH.WHILE MANY E-R'S ARE OVERRUNWITH CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS...OTHERS ARESTILL WAITING FOR A SURGE...CANCELING ELECTIVE PROCEDURESAND EVEN LAYING OFFSOME STAFF.CHRIS CONTE LOOKS INTO WHY THISIS HAPPENING... AS THE COUNTRYWORKS TOREBOUND.INSIDE HOSPITALS FROMCOAST-TO-COAST THERE ARE HEALTHCARE WORKERS PULLING SOME OF THELONGEST SHIFTS OF THEIR CAREERS.000740 THEY SAY EVERY GENERATIONTHERE'S SOMETHING THATFUNDAMENTALLY CHANGESUS IN WAYS THEY DIDN'TANTICIPATE, WELL THIS IS THATONESTEVE NORTON OVERSEES A HANDFULOF HOSPITALS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.HOSPITALS THAT WERE EXPECTING TOSEE A MASSIVE SURGE IN COVIDPATIENTS.WHILE THERE HAVE BEEN HUNDREDSOF CASES HERE ..

THE SURGE HASBEEN FAR LESS THAN ANTICIPATED.WHICH STEVE IS FINE WITH.000250 OUR HOSPITALS ARE NOTBUSY RIGHT NOW AS WE TRY TODETERMINE WHERE ARE WE IN THECURVEHERE'S THE PROBLEM THOUGH.EVERY ELECTIVE SURGERY ANDPROCEDURE WAS PUT ON HOLD.FROM KNEE REPLACEMENTS TOROUTINE CHECKUPS.FEWER PATIENTS COMING IN MEANSLESS MONEY COMING IN.LAST MONTH THIS HOSPITAL LOST 25MILLION DOLLARS.675 EMPLOYEES HAD TO BEFURLOUGHED IN APRIL.000947 EVERY HEALTH SYSTEM INTHE COUNTRY IS FACING A VERYSIMILAR QUESTIONSTANDUPAS PART OF THE FEDERAL STIMULUSDEAL, HOSPITALS ARE GETTINGREIMBURSED AN EXTRA 20 PERCENTFORCOVID PATIENTS THEY TREAT ONMEDICARE.BUT MAY HOSPITALS SAY, THAT'SNOT ENOUGH.SOT FROM ALISON000124 IT DEFINITELY BRINGS ALEVEL OF ANXIETY TO MY JOB INEVER THOUGHT I WOULD HAVEALISON CHICK IS A NURSEPRACTITIONER WHO WAS RECENTLYFURLOUGHED.000248 I FELT A SENSE OF BEINGUSELESS TO THE COMMUNITY THAT IWASN'T PROVIDING THE SERVICES IWAS TRAINED TO DO AND I DIDN'TKNOW HOWRURAL HOSPITALS NATIONWIDE AREPARTICULAR SUSCEPTIBLE TOFINANCIAL COLLAPSE.SINCE SINCE 2005 AT LEAST 170RURAL EMERGENCY ROOMS HAVECLOSED PERMANENTLY ACROSS THECOUNTRY.EXPERTS BELIEVE SOME ER'SALREADY ON FINANCIAL LIFESUPPORT BEFORE COVID - WON'TSURVIVE.

STEVE AHNEN001414 WE CAN NOT OVERSTATE THEFACT THAT HOSPITALS ARE TOOIMPORTANT TO FAILHOSPITALS AND PATIENTS ...NEEDING TIME TO HEAL IN ORDER TOREBOUND FROM THIS EPIDEMIC.IN MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE ..I'M CHRIS CONTE REPORTING.