Edition 23
Reconciliation Bill:
On July 4th, the One Bill Beautiful Bill (OBBB) was signed into law, enacting wide-sweeping changes to the healthcare landscape. The largest impacts will begin in 2027 and 2028 with the start of Medicaid work requirements and cuts to state-directed payment programs. Starting in 2026, we will have access to temporary funding designed to support access to care, but the total amount of the funding is modest compared to the Medicaid cuts.
Most of the Medicaid patients we care for will meet the eligibility requirements, but they will have to manage the additional paperwork to prove and maintain their access to Medicaid. We will still provide hospital care to any patients who are not eligible or don’t meet the requirements, but in most cases, we will not be compensated. There are still a lot of aspects of these changes that are not known yet, including the process the state will utilize for the validations, and if the implementation will be delayed.
Financial Update:
This week, we reached the 100-day mark in Cerner and officially surpassed $12M in charges since going live! The Revenue Cycle Team is working diligently to collect those claims, and we are seeing the metrics improve as we make progress in getting caught up. As I've shared, we are in a major cash crunch, but as we start to bring in money from Cerner we crossed another milestone of $1.5M collected!
I also want to acknowledge the amazing work of our Acute Care and Extended Care teams, both of which have had a high census for most of June and July. The charges for both months look good, and I’m hopeful our cost containment efforts have been impactful. June Financials should be wrapped up shortly, and will give us an update on our progress.
TFMC Provider Changes:
Our TFMC has had additional changes to the provider group with the recent addition of Gretchen Aguilar, ARNP, and the departure of Cindy Jensen, ARNP. Some of you may know Gretchen from her time at Three Rivers Hospitals or in her role in the local nursing program. She will be working per diem for us. I want to thank Cindy for her dedicated work in our clinic and wish her the best in her next adventure.
We continue to recruit for the MD position, and welcomed Dr. Joshaghani for a site visit this week.
Pat Gauthier:
Former employee Pat Gauthier passed away on June 29th after an extended illness. Pat was a great nurse and an even better storyteller. With her years of experience curing wounds, she single-handedly brought this service to NVH, and her legacy lives on with those who worked with and trained with her. There will be a potluck Celebration of Life on August 9th 1pm, at the CCC.
Happy Summer!