Texas Hospital Association CEO Ted Shaw called on state hospitals to unite and communicate more often with lawmakers in collective advocacy efforts in a recent blog post. The post is a reprint of an article published in the Winter 2018 issue of Rural Matters magazine.
Texas saw the 20th rural hospital close in December, spurring Mr. Shaw to write the article.
"Because human nature is competitive and sometimes self-serving and becomes more so when resources are limited, we need that reminder that the only way to succeed is by banding together," he wrote. "I don't think that's ever been more true for Texas hospitals."
The pressures hospitals face are many, according to Mr. Shaw. Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements continue to be below the cost of providing care, while "the basics of hospital financing and operations are not well understood" by lawmakers. Meanwhile, these lawmakers must listen to the needs of every industry, not just healthcare.
"For these reasons, Texas hospitals need to be vocal and consistent and frequent in our communications and engagement with lawmakers and not shy away from talking about hospital operations and finances and what all Texas hospitals need to be sustainable in order to provide the very best patient care," he wrote.
Read the full post here.
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