Jeff Lagasse
The recommendations center on redirecting the supply of the drugs from retail pharmacy settings to the hospital/acute care environment.
The need for these services has increased as community measures to slow transmission of COVID-19 has closed meal sites.
This is concerning for providers, whose reimbursement is increasingly tied to the 30-day readmissions metric.
More robust SDOH data is not only a care quality consideration, but a business consideration as payers, providers seek a whole-person view.
Since all of the estimates are based on pneumonia, it's likely that costs will be even higher during the coronavirus outbreak.
Epidemiologists have identified those with chronic medical conditions as one of the key groups at risk of poor outcomes from the coronavirus.
Because there's such a high level of uncertainty, the risk of a more severe economic impact is elevated and expenses will rise.
While not all insurers may be aware of it, prior authorizations can have detrimental downstream financial effects for hospitals and health systems.
Healthcare providers should encourage patients to remain home unless there is an emergency to protect others and limit their exposure.
At the same time, 64% say they could not afford to pay out their full annual deductible if hospitalized for treatment of the coronavirus.