Photo courtesy: Congressman Keller Twitter
LEWISBURG – COVID testing supplies and reimbursements… the ongoing issues facing one hospital. Evangelical Community Hospital has ‘held its own’ despite many challenges facing the hospital throughout the pandemic, and some additional help is needed. Hospital administrators held a roundtable with U.S. Congressman Fred Keller (R-12th Kreamer, PA) Tuesday morning to discuss the challenges facing the hospital, including the need for more COVID-19 testing supplies, which are running low.
Congressman Keller says he is impressed with the overall response to the pandemic and the fact that everyone who has needed care has received it, “When you look at what we experience, and how everybody responded in the communities, the health care providers, the state government, the federal government, the fact that everybody that needed care got care, I think is pretty remarkable. And we just want to make sure we reinforce that. And that also means bringing some of the supply chain back to the United States.”
Evangelical Community Hospital President and CEO Kendra Aucker says that there is an ongoing issue with insurance companies not covering the cost of testing. She says the guidance that they are given by the federal and state government is that anyone can get a test. Whether or not they are symptomatic, they should get a test. However, insurance companies are denying covering the testing of asymptomatic individuals.
“What we’re finding in the last several weeks is that patients that are not exhibiting symptoms but think they’ve been exposed to it come for testing, we test, and now the insurance companies are denying it. And it’s just been coming to light in hospitals. We treat people regardless of their ability to pay, but the guidance has always been that those tests will be paid for and the responsibility won’t go to the patient and we’re finding a breakdown,” she said.
The first round of the CARES Act included 75 billion dollars to help hospitals. Congressman Keller advocates for reimbursements for telemedicine as a way of assisting rural communities in accessing healthcare, “I think a huge thing also is telemedicine as we go forward. Allowing the reimbursements for telemedicine, I think, will be very helpful to making sure that people in rural Pennsylvania get the care they need if they’re unable to get to the doctor or the hospital.”
The hospital is also making efforts to increase the usage of non-opioid medication such as injectible Tylenol, however the costs are increasing. Congressmen Keller says that he believes that it’s important that is included in how the federal government reimburses for covered expenses.
