Moving Forward

Now that the hoopla of the national political conventions is over, keep this in mind as we look ahead beyond the November elections: bipartisanship will ultimately be the name of the game when it comes to getting things done in Washington, particularly with the likelihood that no party or ideology will dominate all three branches of government.  We in the hospital and health system field are less interested in moving left or right than we are in moving forward with a focus on reaching responsible and bipartisan solutions to tough problems. No matter who wins the elections the issues we face today will be here tomorrow.  And, no matter what path to the future a hospital takes, the issues we share will be the same ... preserving expansions in coverage, breaking down legal and regulatory barriers for care coordination, expanding information sharing from telemedicine to electronic medical records, addressing behavioral health challenges, preventing Medicare and Medicaid funding cuts, eliminating health care disparities, among others.  We’ll continue to work to ensure that every hospital has the opportunity to be an anchor or access of service in the communities they serve.  As President John F. Kennedy said: “let us not seek the Republican answer – let us not seek the Democratic answer – but the right answer.”