AHA hosts briefing on changing health care landscape

At an AHA briefing Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C., hospital and business leaders discussed the many ways hospitals are adapting to a changing health care landscape.

Leaders from Novant Health in Winston-Salem, N.C., Providence Health & Services in Renton, Wash., 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.

“We see the digital platform of technology as an enhancement to what our nurses, doctors, social workers and pharmacists are doing,” said Rod Hochman, M.D., president and CEO of Providence Health & Services, which includes 34 hospitals in five states.

The health system has hired a number of former Amazon employees to design and enhance its digital platform. Hochman shared a recent example of project in which the health system was able to build a website for Boeing in 32 days that in the past could have taken almost one year to complete.

“It’s a real mindset change of rapid cycle improvement and innovation,” said Hochman, who emphasized the importance of putting the focus on the patient and consumer.    

Pam Sutton-Wallace, CEO of the University of Virginia Medical Center, discussed how the health system uses telehealth to provide services to patients and educate other health care providers. She said there are currently 139 sites of connectivity throughout the state of Virginia, including strategic partnerships with hospitals and health systems, federally-qualified health centers, prison systems, Veterans Affairs clinics, schools and other locations. 

“For patients, it reduces the burdens and costs of coming to a health care center,” said Sutton-Wallace, citing that the health system has saved more than 15 million miles traveled for patients seen by telehealth.

In conjunction with the briefing, the AHA released a new Trendwatch report on “The Promise of Telehealth For Hospitals, Health Systems and Their Communities.” To view the report, visit http://www.aha.org/reports.

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.

For more information on the briefing and to watch a replay, visit http://tinyurl.com/lpdxdr3.