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the success of the military, for the civilian healthcare sector.


The title of Dr. Bono’s presentation is “The Last Mile: Strategic Leadership Devel- opment - Lessons in Readiness”. She’ll discuss how effective medical pre- paredness requires end-to-end planning for services in hospitals. Readiness needs to be considered through an aperture of public- private partnership that strategically-savvy leaders must understand how to navigate and facilitate.


For more information and to register for this free event visit https://www.capsre- search.org/events/2022-mckenna-lecture/


30% of American adults skipping medical treatment due to cost poll finds


Nearly one-third of Americans skipped needed medical care in the past three months due to cost, the highest reported number since the COVID-19 pandemic began and a threefold increase from March to October, according to the latest survey from the nonprofit, nonpartisan organiza- tion West Health and Gallup, the global analytics and advice firm and their press release.


Even about 20% of the nation’s highest- income households — those earning more than $120,000 per year — blame cost as the reason for not seeking care, up from 3% over the same timeframe.


The survey also found that the COVID-19 experience has significantly shaped public opinion of the U.S. healthcare system, which an estimated 100 million Americans would self-describe as either “expensive” or “broken.”


Nearly half (48%) of Americans say their view of healthcare in America has decid- edly worsened due to the pandemic. An estimated 150 million Americans (59%) say they are now more worried about the cost of healthcare services and 45% are more wor- ried about the cost of prescription drugs. It is no wonder more than half the country reports that the high cost of healthcare contributes some (36%) or a lot (15%) of stress to their daily lives.


Another 60% report higher concern over growing healthcare inequities, a concern that rises to nearly 75% of Black Americans and more than two-thirds of Hispanic Americans. An estimated 12.7 million people, or one in 20 American adults, report that a friend or family member died this year after not receiving treatment because they could not afford it, with Black Ameri- cans twice as likely to know someone who died as White Americans. This nationally representative survey of more than 6,600 American adults (18+)


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comes as a new COVID-19 variant emerges and the death toll from COVID-19 nears 800,000. The full findings of this latest survey and comparative findings from a series of previ- ous surveys conducted over the last year were published in the West Health-Gallup 2021 Healthcare in America Report. Despite attempts in Washington to address high healthcare prices through Build Back Better legislation, more than two-thirds of Americans, regardless of party affiliation, are pessimistic that poli- cies that reduce costs will emerge. In fact, nine in 10 expect their costs to continue to rise and 42% are concerned they will be unable to pay for healthcare services in the coming year.


$9 billion in provider relief funds released to support healthcare providers The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS,) through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced the distribution of approximately $9 billion in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 payments to healthcare providers who have experienced revenue losses and expenses related to the COVID- 19 pandemic. The average payment being announced for small providers is $58,000, for medium providers is $289,000, and for large providers is $1.7 million. More than 69,000 providers in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and eight terri- tories will receive Phase 4 payments. Pay- ments will start to be made later this week. The PRF Phase 4 payments, in addition to the $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural payments to providers and suppliers who serve rural Medicaid, Chil- dren’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and edicare beneficiaries, are part of the $25.5 billion the Biden-Harris Administra- tion is releasing to healthcare providers to recruit and retain staff, purchase masks and other supplies, modernize facilities, or other activities needed to respond to COVID-19.


HRSA publicly released the Phase 4 pay- ment methodology in September, making it available to providers during the applica- tion period. Approximately 75% of Phase 4 funding is being distributed based on expenses and decreased revenues from July 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021. HRSA is reim- bursing a higher percentage of losses and expenses for smaller providers – which gen- erally entered into the COVID-19 pandemic on worse financial footing, have historically operated on slimmer financial margins, and typically care for vulnerable populations – as compared to larger providers.


January 2022 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • hpnonline.com


HRSA is distributing 25% of Phase 4 funding as “bonus” payments based on the amount and type of services provided to Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP patients. Similar to the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural payments, HRSA is using Medicare reimbursement rates in calculating these payments to mitigate disparities due to varying Medicaid reimbursement rates. Additionally, HHS has updated the


Terms and Conditions for Phase 4 and ARP Rural payments to ensure relief funds are being used to address the financial impact of COVID-19. Recipients whose payment(s) exceed $10,000 are required to notify HHS of a merger with or acquisition of any other healthcare provider. Providers who report a merger or acquisition may be more likely to be audited to ensure compliant use of funds.


HRSA is currently reviewing the remain- ing Phase 4 applications and will make the remainder of Phase 4 payments in 2022.


Investing 1 dollar per person per year could save 7 million lives A new World Health Organization (WHO) report shows that close to seven million deaths could be prevented by 2030, if low and lower-middle income countries were to make an additional investment of less than a dollar per person per year in the preven- tion and treatment of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).


NCDs – which include heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and respiratory disease – currently cause seven out of every ten deaths around the world.


Yet their impact on lower income coun- tries is often underestimated, despite the fact that 85% of premature deaths (between ages 30-69) from NCDs occur in low- and middle-income countries, making them a huge health and socioeconomic burden. The vast majority of those deaths can be prevented using WHO’s tried and tested NCD ‘Best Buy’ interventions. These include cost effective measures to reduce tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol, improve diets, increase physical activity, reduce risks from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, and prevent cervical cancer. Keeping people healthy reduces health costs, increases productivity and leads to longer and healthier lives. Saving lives, spending less: the case for


investing in noncommunicable diseases, focuses on 76 low- and lower-middle- income countries. The report explains the NCD Best Buys and shows how every dol- lar invested in scaling up Best Buy actions in these countries could generate a return of up to USD 7 - potentially USD 230 billion by 2030. HPN


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