Envision Healthcare Announces Strategy to Continue Fight Against COVID-19 and Protect Long-Term Ability to Care for Patients and Communities

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Envision Healthcare announced today its strategy to support clinicians fighting on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic while protecting the long-term ability to care for patients and communities once the crisis has passed. During the ongoing global economic and healthcare crisis, Envision has experienced a significant decrease in patient volume across all practices and specialties, with decreases as high as 70 percent in areas such as ambulatory surgery and anesthesia services. Even with the surge in COVID-19 patients in hot spots around the country, emergency department visits are down 30 percent.

“The healthcare sector has been fundamentally destabilized but Envision Healthcare has answered the call to care for patients during this crisis,” said Jim Rechtin, President and CEO of Envision Healthcare. “In some areas, hospitals and our clinicians are seeing numbers of COVID-19 patients skyrocket. But everywhere else, patients are staying home. This is a hard situation, because in the places where patients are staying home, doctors have fewer appointments and shifts, and thus reduced revenue. Where they lose their normal billing revenue, medical groups are losing money. Where medical groups are losing money, they have to reduce salaries and furlough workers. Unfortunately, we are no different.”

“Our clinicians will continue to serve on the frontlines of the COVID-19 fight displaying acts of bravery,” Rechtin continued. “They will have our full support and necessary resources. We will surge clinicians to areas with the greatest need like New York where teams of clinicians from other states are on the ground to help meet the need for patient care. And, we will reduce shifts in areas with low patient visits. Our attention will be focused on our clinicians so they can provide care for patients who need it, both now and in the future. It’s our duty to make sure we are here to serve these patients for the years to come. This crisis will make our team stronger, and we will weather the storm together.”

In order to continue the fight against COVID-19 and preserve the ability to care for patients post-crisis, Envision has reduced salary for senior leadership by 50 percent and will implement additional salary reductions and temporary furloughs for non-clinical employees. Clinical compensation will be reduced in services where volumes are down and patients are not seeking care. Performance-based bonuses and clinician profit sharing will be delayed until the fall. Retirement contributions, merit increases, and promotions for all employees will be temporarily suspended. Noncritical capital expenses have been halted.

Envision will continue to answer America’s call for patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization has already taken a series of actions to respond to sharp increases in COVID-19 patients and protect and support its clinicians on the frontlines, including:

• Rapidly mobilizing to meet the need for more physicians and advanced practice providers across the nation. Envision is providing support to Mount Sinai health system and three other hospitals in New York, as well as others in the Greater New York area. Anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists from the anesthesiology provider team are already on the ground to meet unprecedented demand for care. Clinicians will continue to be deployed to address surging hot spots across the country.
• Securing more than four million items of PPE, including masks, face shields, gowns, and goggles to support Envision’s clinicians and hospital partners. This PPE is being delivered to areas of greatest need.
• More than 250 Envision surgery centers across the nation are gearing up to provide staff, equipment, and PPE to support local hospitals. These facilities can help care for the surge in patients, provide overflow capacity, and facilitate testing for COVID-19.
• Deploying telehealth platforms. Telehealth technology allows Envision’s clinicians to practice social distancing and preserves necessary PPE. Even doctors who are quarantined can use telehealth to remotely treat patients.
• Treating every patient regardless of their ability to pay. Envision has committed to working with all parties to ensure no COVID-19 patient is burdened with unexpected costs. We will not send patients surprise medical bills and will work to ensure patients are only responsible for in-network cost-sharing.