Weiser Memorial Hospital one of many rural hospitals to receive COVID-19 assistance

Weiser Memorial Hospital has received millions in federal funds through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act earmarked to financially assist rural health care providers.
 Idaho’s share totaled $122.8 million and funds went to 92 rural hospitals and health providers. The money was part of $10 billion the HHS is distributing from the CARES Act in provider relief funds to rural health care facilities.
 Many rural hospitals, including WMH, took a hit on revenue starting in March from the coronavirus pandemic, when elective surgeries were suspended and the facility also experienced a slowdown in normal outpatient activity.
 In an email to the Weiser Signal American, CFO Mark Christensen said the magnitude of the revenue shortfall has varied widely, but early on the hospital was seeing a reduction in net revenue of $100,000 per week. The hospital has resumed doing some surgeries and procedures but is still running below budgeted revenue levels.
 Hospital CEO Steve Hale updated hospital district trustees last week on what the hospital has received in federal relief funds and how they can be spent.
 The hospital has not categorized the CARES Act relief funds as income because what isn’t spent on COVID-19-related expenses will likely have to be returned.
 The $3.4 million in CARES Act rural provider relief that WMH as a critical care facility received must be used exclusively for COVID-19 expenses. Hospital staff members have been requested to keep track of all costs that could qualify for the COVID-19 funds, Hale said.
 “We’re trying to make sure we are fully in compliance with spending the COVID-19-related money,” Hale said.
 The hospital will be expected to show what the needs for the funds have been and return funds that have not been needed. Officials have not been given a timeframe on when unused federal funds might be paid back, Christensen said.
 Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, WMH was having one of its best financial years in recent memory, he said. There should be adequate funds to carry the hospital through the end of the calendar year, he said.
 The hospital received another $1.8 million through the Paycheck Protection Program. The program makes loans available for organizations with less than 500 employees.  
 The money will allow the hospital to keep staffing levels up without having to initiate any layoffs or furloughs if revenues dipped. The loans can be forgiven if at least 75 percent of the loan is used for payroll costs, among other items.
 The federal government also advanced $3.5 million in future Medicare-Medicaid payments to the hospital to shore up operating funds during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s not free money, so to speak, and will cover payments for services later, hospital officials said.
 The idea behind the advance Medicare-Medicaid payments was to get money out to hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic so that they could continue to provide a high level of medical care to communities.
 All of the preparations and precautions the 25-bed Weiser hospital has implemented since the pandemic began in March are still in place, although there has not been a COVID-19 case admitted.
 There is still a triage tent outside in the parking lot in the event of multiple COVID-19 positive patients. In the event of a major coronavirus outbreak, the hospital could increase its bed capacity to 32.
 Hale said the hospital will keep its COVID-19 heightened precautions and safety measures in place until state health officials say otherwise and declare the pandemic over.
 Even then, WMH will probably wait two weeks before “standing down” with the safety precautions just to be on the safe side, Hale said.