Orlando Health lost $100K per bed in pandemic

Orlando Health has lost more than $100,000 per hospital bed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, even after taking into account the $75 million it has received in federal relief money, according to a Florida hospital advocacy group.

The health system’s losses are the second largest among safety net hospitals in the state, behind Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, according to the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida.

Orlando Health has not said how much money it has lost overall.

“Orlando Health’s early federal contributions, which we used to assist with daily operations, was the equivalent of approximately seven days of [operating costs] for the healthcare system,” officials said in an emailed statement. “We received an additional contribution in mid-July that was part of a second round designated for the new COVID-19 ‘hot spots’ as the virus shifted around the country. However, it was smaller and provided the equivalent of one additional day of [operating costs] for Orlando Health.”

In late June, the health system let go of an unknown number of employees but it wasn’t specific about the reason.

“As Orlando Health transitions to the new normal, we remain committed to retaining team members who have a demonstrated pattern of strong performance, flexibility, reliability and adaptability in order to provide excellent care and service to our patients,” a hospital spokeswoman said at the time.

Hospitals across the nation suffered financial losses when the federal government asked them in March to stop performing lucrative elective procedures such as hip and knee replacement in order to save their personal protective equipment and protect their staff.

To help make up for coronavirus-related losses, the federal government set aside $175 billion in CARES Act funds for hospitals and health providers.

Of that total, about $116 billion has been distributed so far. But be