The Check Up: Pat Schou of the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network
Modern Healthcare
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From staffing woes to financial struggles, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated an already fragile environment for rural hospitals. A recent report from the Chartis Center for Rural Health suggested that 46% of rural hospitals are contending with negative operating margins. Modern Healthcare Managing Editor Matthew Weinstock spoke with Patricia Schou, executive director of the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network and immediate past president of the National Rural Health Association, to talk about the long-term needs facing rural providers, as well as challenges they’re experiencing on the COVID-19 vaccination front.
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Patricia Schou, executive director of the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network and immediate past president of the National Rural Health Association
From staffing woes to financial struggles, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated an already fragile environment for rural hospitals. A recent report from the Chartis Center for Rural Health suggested that 46% of rural hospitals are contending with negative operating margins. Modern Healthcare Managing Editor Matthew Weinstock spoke with
Patricia Schou, executive director of the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network and immediate past president of the National Rural Health Association, to talk about the long-term needs facing rural providers, as well as challenges they’re experiencing on the COVID-19 vaccination front.
Public polling has shown Republicans are less likely to get the coronavirus vaccine than Democrats. A PBS Newshour/NPR/Marist poll released Thursday found 41 percent of Republicans said they would not get the shot, and a CBS News poll released late last month found 34 percent of Republicans said they will not be vaccinated for COVID-19.
The disparity presents a serious problem for a Democratic administration coming out of a contentious election season, mainly because Biden, Vice President Harris, former President Obama and other high profile Democrats are unlikely to persuade enough conservatives to get the shot.
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“We recognize as a Democratic administration with a Democratic president that we may not be the most effective messenger to communicate with hardcore supporters of the former president, and we have to be clear-eyed about that,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki
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UPDATE: March 12, 2021: President Joe Biden signed the legislation a bit earlier than planned, on Thursday afternoon.
Provider groups including the American Hospital Association immediately called on Congress to pass a new bill extending the pause on Medicare sequester cuts. The House of Representatives will vote next week on such a bill.
The cuts have provided critical relief to providers during the public health emergency, but higher overhead and lost revenue have presented overwhelming financial challenges and pressures, the groups wrote.
The COVID-19 relief bill the House passed Wednesday is a major win for various sectors in the healthcare industry, and includes the biggest update to the Affordable Care Act since it was enacted 11 years ago this month.