Texas Presbyterian Revenue Rebounds to Pre-Ebola Levels
After a revenue drop of 26 percent during the Ebola scare, Texas Presbyterian’s reputation has helped it rebound.
- There are a number of different things that can impact a hospital’s revenue cycle. At the top of that list are new regulations, improved technologies and population changes in the community. However, there are additional events that can cause a sudden shake-up in otherwise steady operations.
As was reported back in October, the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas took a hit to operations following the facilities less-than-optimal handling of the first Ebola patient in the United States. That patient would later pass away and two nurses were infected. This dramatically impacted the hospital.
A 26 percent drop in revenue – or a loss of $12 million – was cited. Patients started leaving the facilities emergency, which was suddenly at half its normal volume and ambulances were diverted to other area hospitals. On top of losing patients, the cost of care for Ebola is high – up to $24,000 per day – and Thomas Eric Duncan’s expenses were nearly half a million dollars.
At the time, this drop in revenue was cited as an example of how quickly the reputation of a hospital can be damaged and the impact that can have. It also shows the importance of being prepared for the worse case scenario.
“While such severe wallops to a hospital’s public perception are rare and difficult to prepare for, organizations may be able to insulate their bankrolls from similarly disastrous changes by ensuring that communications to media are clear, consistent, and truthful before they hit the airwaves, and that hospital staff members are adequately trained in disaster preparedness, infectious disease control, and crisis response,” we wrote in October.
However, while the advice remains the same, the idea of a bad reputation may be jumping to conclusions. There was miscommunication and conflicting statements about the actual role that the hospital played in Duncan’s botched diagnosis. This is a better example of hysteria and how a strong reputation and community standing can bring a hospital back.
A recent article from the Associated Press profiled the hospital and based on a financial statement released earlier this month, revenue is back up to nearly pre-Ebola crisis levels. Between December 1 and December 15, when compared to the nine months before the Ebola incident, emergency room visits were only down 4 percent and the number of daily patients was down 2 percent. At the height of the hysteria, those number were down 49 percent and 22 percent respectfully.
“The patients have been coming back. The support of the community is very gratifying to all of us,” hospital spokesman Wendell Watson told the news source. He added that the hospital “has been providing quality care to this community for 50 years and the reputation of the hospital and the community’s good feelings have paid off.”
