From the Editors: About This Issue on Health Care Finance and COVID-19

Abstract

On March 5, 2020, as we were coming to terms with the virus novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the associated coronavirus disease (COVID-19), James Unland started an e-mail exchange. In part, it read:

“Dean, I hope this finds you well, and I do mean that! Do you think some of us should put together a special virus/pandemic issue of our Journal? It's OK if you tell me that I'm overreaching!”

This was not overreaching. Many health care finance analyses and decisions will be impacted by COVID-19 and this is a wonderful way of organizing thoughts in a central location. The following week we disseminated a call for papers and organized a webinar. The March 30^th webinar “Health Care Finance and COVID-19” was viewed live by more than 200 participants, including health care finance faculty associated with the Association of University Programs in Health Administration, public health students, faculty and staff at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – New Orleans, and others.

This issue of the Journal of Health Care Finance includes papers presented at the webinar, and a couple of additional papers written by authors who had submitted proposals, but were unable to participate in the webinar.