Non-procedural specialties and COVID-19

[nexus73]

So hospitals across the country are "losing" money and cutting salaries because the money making procedures are postponed due to COVID-19. Can someone explain to me why insurance pays so much more for a knee replacement or cardiac catheterization compared to saving the life of a suicidal man?

It seems COVID-19 has laid bare a negligent oversight on the part of hospital administrators across the country. Why has there not been a concerted effort for hospital systems to lobby for more balanced payment across the board? Why are hospitals making lots of money for every knee replacement, but losing money or barely breaking even on patients with pneumonia, heart failure, SI, psychosis, etc?

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[WisNeuro]

So hospitals across the country are "losing" money and cutting salaries because the money making procedures are postponed due to COVID-19. Can someone explain to me why insurance pays so much more for a knee replacement or cardiac catheterization compared to saving the life of a suicidal man?

Well, one reason, at least for this part, is that MH parity is a thing in name only. We're constantly fighting at the state legislative level between our state association and psychiatry's regarding abuses of this nature (e.g., lack of reimbursement for MH services, opaque denials, etc).