Leadership, Vision and Innovation Continue to Drive U.S. Health Care

• Personalized cancer vaccines that are tailored to individual patients, targeting the specific mutations present in their tumors.
• AI analysis of pathology slides that detects cancer with higher accuracy, reducing diagnostic errors and enabling improved patient outcomes.
• 3D printing of living tissues with the potential for creating transplantable organs that could eventually solve the global organ shortage crisis and offer better outcomes for transplant recipients.

These are among the innovations in the medical and health fields that have taken great strides forward just in the past year, driven by advancements in technology, research and global health needs.

Our era is a time of remarkable innovation and fresh thinking. However, we have seen that recent actions taken by Congress create formidable challenges ahead in our mission of advancing health for all — and will make it even harder to invest in technology and other advancements in clinical care. We will need to find creative and innovative ways to continue our path of progress in improving care for today and tomorrow.

I believe we are up to the task. American health care is blessed with motivated clinicians, care teams and hospital and health system leaders who strive to push the field forward, knowing that there is always new knowledge to be gained, new boundaries to explore and new ways to improve the patient care experience.

And so many of the advancements and modern techniques that are improving the patient experience today originate within the walls of our hospitals, which continue to drive innovative care transformation. Pharma drugmakers haven’t cornered the market on innovation, nor have Silicon Valley tech companies.

True innovation is in the steps forward hospitals and health systems are taking to deliver safe, high-quality care for all patients in their communities.

True innovation is how hospitals have implemented and continue to enhance telemedicine and remote patient monitoring. 

True innovation is how hospitals are developing and using new technologies and strategies that improve patient care and increase operational efficiency.

True innovation is seen in the collaboration between hospitals and private sector partners to address health care’s most complex and pressing challenges and to forge practical and tactical innovations for health systems and their patients.

Exchanging ideas is what drives innovation. AHA’s Leadership Summit, which will be held July 20-22 in Nashville, Tenn., brings together many of the best minds in health care, medicine and technology with a shared passion for innovation as the road to advancing health. 

Our expert speakers will explore six key health care focus areas over these three days, providing the opportunity to stay on top of the major issues, trends and developments affecting our field. 

At the Summit, attendees will hear from senior health care executives, clinicians and experts in the field about innovative approaches to addressing financial challenges, future-focused strategic planning, unleashing the potential of hospital-at-home programs and dozens of other topics shaping our approach to care today.

We’ll explore solutions to challenges facing everyone, such as strengthening the health care workforce, redefining the role of health systems and integrating physical and behavioral health within our workforces. Other sessions will examine how cutting-edge AI is transforming the patient and clinician experience, ways to build public trust and confidence in health care, critical response cybersecurity exercises for hospital leaders, and how hospitals and health systems can impact public policy through effective advocacy.

The AHA Leadership Summit offers something valuable for every health care professional. It’s a great way to get updated on what’s happening across our field, as well as network and tap into the terrific energy that comes from connecting with colleagues, peers and friends who share common goals and concerns.

There’s still time to register for this year’s AHA Leadership Summit. Please view the agenda and register today. In addition, please visit our Telling the Hospital Story webpage  for examples of how hospitals and health systems are driving innovation and to share your own organization’s story with us. 

We hope to see you in Nashville!