Rick Pollack, President and CEO, AHA
![Rick Pollack Perspective 900x400 12-2023](/sites/default/files/2023-12/Rick-Pollack-Perspective-900x400px-12-23.png)
As part of those efforts, we’ll be releasing radio spots that we recorded with state, metropolitan and regional hospital association executives this week and spotlighting case studies from hospitals describing the challenges they are facing.
This week’s observance of Labor Day reminds us of the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity and well-being. The millions of caregivers and team members at our hospitals and health systems are counted among the ranks of those who have worked hard to make our nation stronger and our citizens healthier. This has never been more apparent than the last few years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Congress has headed home for its traditional August recess. That tradition began, by the way, as a sensible concession to Washington, D.C.’s steamy summer climate, long before central air conditioning came to Capitol Hill in 1938.
Hospitals and health systems recognize the importance of commercial health insurance, which millions of Americans rely on to receive coverage. Unfortunately, some commercial insurer policies may hurt patients, contribute to clinician burnout and drive up the cost of care.
At this summer’s AHA Leadership Summit, senior health care executives, clinicians and experts shared state-of-the-art thinking on conquering the challenges facing our field and bold ideas for transforming health care in our country.
One important learning from the two-and-a-half-year COVID-19 pandemic is that the public health emergency (PHE) waivers made an enormous difference for hospitals and health systems.
Beyond administering life-saving medical care to individual patients, all hospitals provide incomparable value to their communities by opening their doors to everyone who needs care, as well as working in partnership with others to improve and sustain the health of all of those in their communities.
Delaying and denying authorizations for medically necessary care. Forcing patients to try potentially ineffective treatments through step therapy, or “fail first” protocols that require patients to try and fail certain treatments before the insurer will authorize more costly treatments.
All hospitals and health systems, regardless of size, location and type of ownership, are deeply dedicated to caring for their patients and communities in a wide variety of ways. A report from May by the respected accounting firm EY demonstrates that for every dollar invested in non-profit hospitals and health systems through the federal tax exemption, nearly $9 in benefits is delivered back to communities.
we are deeply concerned that last week’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed rule would increase Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system rates by just 2.7% in calendar year 2023 compared to 2022. Given the current historic rates of inflation and continued labor and supply cost pressures, a much higher update is warranted.