AHA Stat Blog

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A recent Urban Institute report highlights the issue of medical debt but fails to examine two of the chief driving forces of this debt: inadequate enrollment in comprehensive health care coverage and high-deductible health plans that intentionally push more costs onto patients.

The COVID-19 pandemic, opioid crisis and mpox outbreak. Hurricanes Ian and Fiona. Severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides in Kentucky. Wildfires and straight-line winds in New Mexico.

Hospitals and health systems can play an important role in ensuring patients have trustworthy, accurate and scientifically sound information to help them make the best health care decisions for themselves and their loved ones.

The international firm EY has looked at how the benefits tax-exempt hospitals provide stack up against their federal tax exemption. Last year’s report showed the spread was 9 to 1 – for every $1 of exemption, reporting hospitals provided $9 of benefit to the community.

March 12–18 is Patient Safety Awareness Week.

The values of rural America mirror those of health care quality: people first. The challenge of delivering equitable, effective care is particularly acute in rural areas, where residents face unique barriers to accessing these services.

Hospitals and health systems are committed to empowering patients with all the information they need to live their healthiest lives.

There are excellent opportunities in the coming months to connect with colleagues across the country on the most important issues facing our field.

As caregivers and healers, hospitals and health systems are the antithesis of violence. They are in the business of treating patients, healing communities and saving lives.

On this episode, I talk with Jennifer Havens, CEO of UnityPoint Health – Grinnell Regional Medical Center, a 49-bed hospital serving several counties in Iowa.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee last week held a hearing aptly titled “Examining Health Care Workforce Shortages: Where Do We Go from Here?” Clearly, all of our efforts to inform policymakers and the public about the urgent need to address the workforce challenges have resonated on Capitol Hill, as the tone and focus of this hearing demonstrated.

Developing innovative approaches and creative solutions to tackle the unprecedented challenges in health care calls for skilled, knowledgeable and innovative leaders. Empowering the next generation of health care leaders is the aim of the AHA’s Next Generation Leaders Fellowship.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the results of its assessment of hospital compliance. Importantly, CMS is the official arbiter of compliance with the transparency rules.

America’s hospitals and health systems are places of healing, hope, comfort and caring. Today, they also face many challenges that jeopardize their ability to always be there ready to care.

If you’re interested in expanding your knowledge and skills and making transformative changes at your hospital or health system, visit AHA.org to learn more about this competitive fellowship program.

For three years, hospitals, health systems and health care workers have been on the front lines of the greatest public health crisis our nation has faced in a century.