AHA hosts briefing on changing health care landscape

At an AHA briefing today in Washington, D.C. and streamed online, hospital and business leaders discussed the many ways hospitals are adapting to a changing health care landscape. Leaders from Novant Health in Winston-Salem, NC, Providence Health & Services in Renton, WA, and University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, shared examples of how their hospitals and health systems are using telehealth, digital platforms and other innovative care models to enhance how care is being delivered to patients and identified some of the regulatory barriers that are slowing the adoption of new technology and preventing alignment among critical providers. A second panel featuring senior executives from Walgreens, Cisco and ClearHealthCosts.com discussed significant innovations and changes in the marketplace, including retail, telehealth and price transparency. “All of the things we’re talking about today come down to how they benefit patients and communities, whether we’re improving access to care or sharing data to help them make more informed decisions about their health care,” said AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock. A replay of the briefing soon will be available at www.aha.org. In addition, the AHA today released a new Trendwatch report on “The Promise of Telehealth For Hospitals, Health Systems and Their Communities.”