FirstHealth of the Carolinas has been allotted nearly $50 million through the Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program.
Earlier this week, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services announced that 102 hospitals across the state would be receiving HASP payments totaling more than $2 billion.
Click here to read that press release.
FH Public Relations Director Emily Sloan said the Sandhills hospital chain’s payments “will help offset the cost of caring for patients where reimbursement has not kept up with the rising cost of care.”
“Currently, North Carolina hospitals are paid $2.3 billion under cost for safety-net services for low-income patients,” Sloan said. “HASP funds will help bridge that cost gap for hospitals.”
According to DHHS, the HASP payments, along with the expansion of Medicaid — which goes into effect Dec. 1 — were authorized “as part of a broader strategy to support access to care for low-income North Carolinians.”
Information provided by DHHS shows FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital’s payment as $47,507,008, and the payment for FirstHealth Montgomery Memorial Hospital as $2,378,807.
Since the hospitals in Moore, Richmond and Hoke counties share a provider number, the payment for Moore Regional will be split between the three, according to Sloan.
As for hospitals in other nearby counties, Scotland Memorial Hospital has been allotted $19,166,306; and Atrium Health Anson will receive $3,976,420.
North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Forsyth County and Carolinas Medical Center in Mecklenburg County will each receive payments of more than $200 million.
“With Medicaid Expansion and HASP, FirstHealth will be able to maintain and expand access to primary and specialty care in our rural communities while ensuring those most in need get timely and high-quality care,” Sloan said. “Our patient registration staff and our community health services department are working to assist those citizens who are newly eligible for Medicaid under the new expansion rules.
“We will continually assess how to best allocate the funds to maximize impact, address health needs and make a significant impact within our communities.”
