Скачать или смотреть Fact Check: Are hospitals overreporting COVID-19 cases to get paid more?

CINCINNATI, Ohio (WKRC) – The coronavirus pandemic has led to the spread of conspiracy theories, including claims about hospitals overreporting the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Phone calls into the Local 12 newsroom have some people concerned over allegations that hospitals are misreporting COVID-19 cases and death. FactCheck.org said social media posts emerged after a Fox News interview with Minnesota State Sen. Scott Jensen.

Jensen suggested that if a hospital has a COVID-19 admission, it is paid $13,000. If that patient goes on a ventilator, it is paid $39,000.

J.B. Silvers is a professor of health finance at Case Western Reserve University. He debunked the myth.

“There is no evidence at all in the data. It's a conspiracy theory because there is an extra payment. The CARES Act has said that if you have people that have a coronavirus diagnosis, that you can get some extra money,” said Silvers.

The CARES Act did create relief funding for hospitals. It has a 20% add-on to be paid for Medicare patients with COVID-19. It also helps reimburse hospitals for treating uninsured patients.

FactCheck.org said the numbers Jensen suggests are “average Medicare payments for similar complications.”

“What we have now: allegations, concerns, conspiracy assumptions. Things like that. No evidence,” said Silvers.

Silvers said revenue is down at hospitals because elective procedures were suspended for months. FactCheck.org said inflating the number of COVID-19 cases would be minor compared to other forces that are affecting hospitals.

“It's nowhere near, even if you believe that. This wouldn't make much difference. This is not the way to get yourself out of that box. You lost all the paying customers for three months. That's enough to put anyone out of business,” said Silvers.

Local 12 reached out to local hospitals. One response to the allegation was, “This is absolutely preposterous.”

The Ohio Hospital Association said it had no reports of misreporting cases in the state.