ACA subsidy lapse slows procedures at nearly 1 in 4 hospitals: Survey

 Nearly 1 in 4 hospital executives say the expiration of enhanced ACA subsidies has begun to slow procedure volumes at their facilities, according to a Sept. 23 Evercore ISI survey shared with Becker’s.

Evercore ISI is an independent equity research, sales and agency trading division of the investment banking advisory firm Evercore. The firm surveyed 25 CEOs, CFOs and medical directors from hospitals with more than 150 beds between Sept. 8 and Sept. 17.

Twenty-four percent of respondents reported seeing some slowdown in procedures, and 56% said volumes could take a hit within six to 12 months. Twenty percent expected no impact.

Of those reporting slowdowns, the five most commonly affected procedures were:

• Hip and knee replacements 
• Aortic and mitral valve replacement 
• Left atrial appendage closure 
• Laparoscopic surgery 
• GI endoscopy and colonoscopy 

The findings follow earlier signs of softening surgical demand from some large for-profit health systems. Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare’s inpatient elective surgery volume fell 6% year over year in the second quarter. At a Sept. 15 industry event, HCA CFO Mike Marks cited patients moving from exchange coverage to uninsured status as the primary driver of the system’s elective surgery slowdown. 

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/aca-subsidy-lapse-slows-procedures-at-nearly-1-in-4-hospitals-survey/