University of New Mexico Hospital system indigent care costs $64M
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Indigent care costs have been cut nearly in half at the University of New Mexico Hospital system over the course of two years thanks in part to the expansion of Medicaid, but UNMH still had to absorb more than $60 million for such care in the most recent fiscal year, according to a report commissioned by State Auditor Tim Keller.
The special audit conducted by Moss Adams examined UNMH’s indigent care costs and funding from fiscal years 2014 to 2016, according to information released Friday by the Auditor’s Office. The audit found that indigent care costs at UNMH-operated hospitals and clinics in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties totaled $132.4 million in 2014; $82 million in 2015; and $64.6 million in 2016.
During the same time frame, UNMH increased the number of indigent patients receiving financial assistance by 34 percent, from over 53,000 patients in 2014 to over 70,000 patients in 2016. The reduction in the cost of serving patients who cannot afford care may be due to Medicaid expansion and the Affordable Care Act, the report stated.
“For years, advocates and policy-makers have pushed for more sunshine on how we’re doing when it comes to providing care to folks who can’t afford it,” said Keller. “The audit helps meet a public need to make sure indigent care is transparent. The best way to hold hospitals like UNMH accountable for administering indigent care programs effectively is by providing more understandable information to the public.”
Read more: https://www.abqjournal.com/882624/unmh-indigent-care-costs-60m.html