AHA Stat Blog

On this episode, I talk with Jesse Tamplen, vice president of behavioral health services at John Muir Health, located east of San Francisco, and a member of the AHA Committee on Behavioral Health.

After three years of caring on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic, health care providers are confronting a landscape deeply altered by its effects, including the emergence of behavioral health care as an even greater challenge.

Arpan Waghray, M.D., CEO, Providence’s Well Being Trust Past Chair, American Hospital Association Committee on Behavioral Health

Advancing health equity must be of utmost importance for all of us working in hospitals and health systems.

>According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most common causes of infant deaths in 2020 were birth defects, preterm birth and low-birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome.

Yesterday marked the official end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. For more than three years, hospitals, health systems and front-line health care workers have worked tirelessly to care for patients, comfort families and protect communities.

Hospitals have always worked diligently to improve patient safety, making many important strides in the last two decades. Yet, various reports and rankings of hospital performance in recent months might lead you to believe that hospitals have taken their foot off the gas. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, hospitals have never stopped focusing on improving the care they provide, even under the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This week as we celebrate National Hospital Week (https://www.aha.org/ahia/get-involved/national-hospital-week) and National Nurses Week (https://www.aonl.org/about/nurses-week), it’s a perfect time for telling the hospital story.

This year’s observance of National Hospital Week, May 7-13, and National Nurses Week, May 6-12, are opportunities to thank our dedicated caregivers and recognize the tremendous job they have done taking care of our country through one of the most trying episodes in our history.

With the COVID-19 pandemic receding from the national headlines and public health emergency (PHE) winding down later this month, it’s imperative to reflect on the pandemic’s impact on mental health care in the United States, and how we must adapt to face the ongoing challenge of providing mental health care services to our communities.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s an opportunity to note the progress we’ve made addressing behavioral health issues and delivering quality care, and to assess and take action to tackle the significant work that remains.

By taking a holistic approach and addressing the social determinants of health, ProMedica is working to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.

We must stabilize hospitals’ finances to ensure access to patient care. We must strengthen the health care workforce.

A new AHIP “report” suggests that hospitals are significantly marking up the costs of drugs to the detriment of patients. They make baseless claims that specialty pharmacies, many of which insurers conveniently own through their pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) affiliates, provide a lower-cost alternative for patients.

Tuesday, April 25 10:05 a.m. FBI Director Christopher Wray was the final speaker for this year's annual meeting, and he discussed two major threats to the health care industry:

For decades, the Ethics in Patient Referrals Act (“Stark Law”) has protected the Medicare program, its beneficiaries and communities from the inherent conflict of interest created when physicians self-refer their patients to facilities and services they own.

Hospitals and health systems are facing many significant challenges, including historic workforce shortages, soaring costs of providing care, cracks in the supply chain, severe underpayment by Medicare and Medicaid, and overwhelming regulatory and administrative burdens, just to name a few. These challenges are jeopardizing access to care and services for patients and communities.

 

Getting on a lawmaker’s calendar is a critical step for advocacy, providing an opportunity for face time with the individuals who make a difference at the federal level. Whether it’s a visit to the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., or hosting a tour of your hospital, here are some key things to know, along with some important do’s and don’ts.