Hospital and health system CEOs have a lot of issues dominating their thoughts, including questions about navigating financial, operational and workforce challenges in the industry.
Some of these problems may not have an obvious or immediate solution, leaving leaders with unanswered questions.
To gain more insight into executives' top concerns, Becker's asked hospital and health system leaders to share the questions they need answered right now. Below are their responses, listed in alphabetical order of the respondents.
Peter Fine. CEO of Banner Health (Phoenix)
Question: How are health systems working to develop [an] understanding [of technology and data], beyond their IT staff, so they fully understand the best solutions for their needs and the needs of the consumers they serve?
Why this question is important: In planning digital strategies that give consumers more control and greater efficiencies in managing their healthcare, organizations must understand the core technologies and the data and analytics support needed to make it work as intended.
Brian Gwyn. Market President, Mercy Health-Cincinnati
Question: How can health systems address the mental health needs of their staff and associates?
Why this question is important: It's no secret addressing the mental health of staff and associates is important for health systems. When we prioritize mental well-being, it creates a work environment where employees feel supported and valued. This helps us keep our valuable staff and attract new talent because, as we know, all individuals want to work for an organization that cares about their mental health. Additionally, when our staff and associates are mentally healthy, they can provide better care to our patients, which leads to our ultimate goal of better patient outcomes.
Investing in mental health also helps create a supportive culture where we can talk openly about mental health and reduce the stigma around it. This makes it easier for our folks to ask for help when needed. By being proactive about mental health, health systems can have a positive impact on the whole community. We set an example and promote awareness and support for mental health, which helps everyone — our staff, our patients, and the communities we serve.
By investing in mental health, we can ensure we have a strong workforce that provides exceptional care that makes a positive difference in the lives of our staff, our patients, and the communities we serve.
John Hennelly. President and CEO of Sonoma (Calif.) Valley Hospital
Question: Can the Association of American Medical Colleges and Medicare (federally funded residency slots) catch up to growing demand for providers?
Why this question is important: As an aging country, demand for healthcare is only growing. Yet there aren't enough providers to meet demand. Hospitals and medical groups are grabbing anyone available and paying premiums to land them. This scarcity limits access, can reduce quality and drives up cost. We're living in a time where rural communities often lack a single MD to provide care and many hospital call panels lack core services as there are not enough providers to provide coverage. If scarcity worsens, many hospitals and communities will be left barren.
Question: The inflation the country has experienced in the past few years has placed added pressure on an already tenuous system of healthcare. Will our federal and state governments revise reimbursement to keep pace?
Why this question is important: Most hospitals buy our goods and services from the private sector but are reimbursed from public payers. Private sector suppliers are marking up their goods to cover their own inflated costs. With inflation at a 40-year high, hospitals' expenses are ballooning. In addition to inflation, labor costs are rising due to labor shortages and increased demand due to an aging country. Hospitals have seen expenses climb by 10+% since COVID. And yet increases in reimbursement from public payers over the same period is roughly 3%.
Maulik Joshi, DrPH. President and CEO of Meritus Health and President of Proposed Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine (Hagerstown, Md.)
Question: How much more patience do consumers have for healthcare being so slow to improve?
Why this question is important: There are many variables creating challenges in our healthcare system — such as increased costs, staffing challenges and burnout. Quality hasn't greatly improved, and progress toward reducing health inequities is way too slow. Yet, healthcare comprises some of the most compassionate, dedicated and talented people. How do we, healthcare organizations, harness speed as an important variable in everything we do? We cannot expect to solve root problems or find permanent solutions fast enough — but we can begin to address issues immediately. At Meritus Health, we noticed an increase in food insecurity among our patients. The dynamics of this social determinant of health are complex, but we still need to make sure our patients can find their next meal. We created a system to ensure patients can take free food at their medical appointments as a bridge strategy to our social workers connecting them with longer-term resources. How can this be used as a microcosm for other dynamic issues facing healthcare? How can we work to find wins as we work to improve the system? Being fast to implement solutions is what we owe to the people we serve.