Samaritan Healthcare reports loss in May

MOSES LAKE — Samaritan Healthcare ended May with a $74,833 loss, though the reopening of surgical and other services made it a smaller loss than in April.

Samaritan’s loss for the year through the end of May rose to about $1.25 million.

The May financial results were reviewed at the June 23 commission meeting.

In mid-March, state officials required hospitals to defer all surgeries designated as non-essential and to suspend most non-emergency services, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. State officials allowed surgeries and other services to resume May 18.

Chief administrative officer Alex Town said the surgical unit was back to 50 percent of its allowed capacity by the end of May and to 100 percent by mid-June. Samaritan’s Pioneer and Patton clinics returned to 100 percent of allowed capacity by the third week in June, he said.

The hospital and clinics provided telemedicine options for primary care patients during the shutdown, and Town said some patients are still using that option.

The hospital incurred $2.7 million in bad debt and charity care expenses through the end of May.

Overall expenses for May were $7.6 million, about 16 percent below the budget target.

Inpatient revenue (patients who stay one night or more at the hospital) was about 38 percent below the budget target, and outpatient revenue (patients admitted and discharged on the same day) was about 26 percent below the budget target. Revenue for Samaritan’s clinics was about 24 percent below the budget target, Town said.

The loss in May was much less than losses in March and April. The hospital and clinics lost $765,705 in March and $1.6 million in April.

Samaritan qualified for some federal and state grants, but for some grant programs hospital officials are required to justify the expenditures. Town said the hospital may have to pay back some of the money it received.

Hospitals and medical facilities are eligible for a number of state and federal programs in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Town said hospital officials are reviewing the opportunities to see if the hospital qualifies for any of them.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].