MyChart
Frequently Asked Questions
Click each question below for its answer:
Second, the St. Luke’s clinicians who decide whether to diagnose patients with COVID have no economic incentive to do so. The way St. Luke’s compensates physicians for the services they provide is not based on what Medicare or other payers reimburse St. Luke’s for the care. In other words, a diagnosing physician is paid by St. Luke’s the same amount for services provided to a patient with or without a COVID diagnosis.
Third, Medicare’s increased reimbursements typically do not cover the increased costs of providing care to COVID-positive patients. COVID-positive patients often suffer more intense symptoms and potential complications than non-COVID patients. These patients often require a combination of medications and sometimes require a ventilator for many days to support breathing. Even COVID patients whose disease does not become more acute require more expensive care, including increased use of personal protective equipment, seclusion protocols, and heightened disinfection routines. The modest increase in Medicare reimbursement does not come close to covering the cost of care.
Finally, Medicare is the only payer that has increased hospital reimbursement for COVID-positive patients. Therefore, for the vast majority of patients under age 65, there is no increase in funding for hospitalized COVID patients.
No. There are multiple medical and scientific studies that show evidence of the effectiveness of masks and face coverings in slowing virus transmission. For more information, and references to the studies themselves, please review our page on Why Masks Work.
No. At St. Luke's, we only test for the presence of the COVID-19 virus itself. We do not test for the presence of COVID-19 antibodies.
For more information on testing data at St. Luke's, visit our COVID-19 Data and Reporting page.
Related Information
COVID-19 Resources
Navigating COVID-19 Together
St. Luke's is prepared to support our patients and community as we enter the fall flu season with COVID-19 still spreading across Idaho. Our commitment to safe care includes coronavirus testing, visitor screening, enhanced safety practices and more.