A Disproportionate Share: A Complex Patchwork of Supplemental Payments

Health Affairs This Week is off for a few weeks. We will return
for a special episode in December before returning to our regular
schedule in January 2025.


For the next few weeks, we present the three-part A
Disproportionate Share, a podcast from NYC Health + Hospitals's
Michael Shen, a primary care doctor and Chief Creative Officer
for the medical education podcast Core IM, as part of the Health
Affairs Pathways show that we published in 2023. We encourage
listeners to check out the other series from that podcast.


Unique series were created by fellows at the Health Affairs
Podcast Fellowship Program, designed to support early to
mid-stage professionals pursue an audio project and tell a unique
health care story.


In A Disproportionate Share, NYC Health + Hospitals's Michael
Shen, a primary care doctor and Chief Creative Officer for the
medical education podcast Core IM, explores the role of safety
net hospitals in caring for America's vulnerable populations.


In the second episode, Shen discusses how we pay for essential
care for low income patients delivered through our safety net
hospitals and the complex patchwork of supplemental payments for
such care. He interviews individuals from America's Essential
Hospitals and NYC Health + Hospitals to explain cost-shifting,
uncompensated care, payer mixes, cash on-hand, and more.


Related Links:


What Types of Hospitals Form the Safety Net? (Health Affairs)

Podcast: Understanding Private Equity Investment in Hospitals
(A Health Podyssey)

Can Safety-Net Hospital Systems Redesign Themselves To
Achieve Financial Viability? (Health Affairs Forefront)

Safety-Net Hospitals More Likely Than Other Hospitals To Fare
Poorly Under Medicare's Value-Based Purchasing (Health Affairs)