The New Scarlet Letter, "E"

I just read an article on Texas Health Presbyterian's (THP) drop in revenue since since October 1, 2014.  Their revenue was down 26% or $8 million dollars for the first 20 days of the month.  As you will recall, THP is the hospital where Thomas Duncan, the first patient diagnosed with Ebola in the US, first presented himself in the THP ED and subsequently died on October 8th.  Two nurses who cared for Mr. Duncan then tested positive for the Ebola virus.  They have since been released from the hospital.  

The THP ED visits are down 53% and their average daily census fell by 91 patients over the same period.  One of the OBs at THP reported that since October 1, 15 of his patients chose to deliver their babies at other hospitals and not deliver at THP.  If the lingering fears continue and patients continue to seek care elsewhere, this hospital may not be able to recover from such losses.  What a tragedy if that happens.