Rural hospital closures only picked up steam during the pandemic. And some of those that went out of business may have a harder time than others attempting a comeback.
The union representing 41 employees being laid off in Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center’s billing center says don’t blame the workers.
The Ogdensburg hospital announced the job cuts saying 2 years’ worth of billing deficiencies have seriously undermined the hospital’s financial position.
The Supreme Court issued a long-awaited victory to 340B hospitals when it held in American Hospital Association et al. v. Becerra et al. that the Department of Health and Human Services had set unlawful Medicare reimbursement rates for hospitals participating in the 340B Drug Pricing Program in 2018 and 2019.
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that cuts to hospital reimbursement under the 340B drug discount program were unlawful.
In the ruling, the justices said that HHS’ failure to survey hospital costs before enacting the cuts exceed the agency’s authority under the Medicare statute, making the decision to reduce 340B reimbursement unlawful.