Topic: U071

Zoe Smith explains the financial structure created by the CARES Act, which provided 20% bonuses to hospitals for COVID-19 diagnoses (code U071), ventilator use, and the administration of Remdesivir. She notes that hospitals were required to report specific data to HHS to maintain their Medicare funding. Smith asserts that these incentives led to the use of protocols known to cause kidney failure and pulmonary edema.