Becker's Hospital Review hosts regular advisory calls with several health system CEOs. The following challenges were raised during the most recent conversation.
Special thanks to San Diego-based Scripps Health President and CEO Chris Van Gorder for his contributions.
1. The pace of and need for digital disruption on many levels, including clinical affairs and back-office operations. Also worth noting is the challenging nature of digital change and its impact on teams and staff. The need to move fast raises concerns for teams and staff at every level of a health system.
2. Increased competition, not necessarily from new entrants but from regional and local competitors. There is increased fight for market share when there is not always reimbursement coming with said market share.
3. Trying to control drug costs, particularly in oncology. Organizations are responding by involving more physician leaders to engage heavily here and throughout the broader health system at large.
4. Large challenges funding and responding to behavioral health needs. In addition to financial pressures and underfunding, organizations are also dealing with communities' "not in my backyard" attitude toward behavioral and mental health centers.
5. The focus on transitioning and growing leadership. As more senior leaders start to retire, hospitals and health systems are challenged to handle important transitions well.
6. Increased challenges for academic medical centers, but they still seem well funded and aggressively competitive.
7. Challenges of merging cultures with mergers. In addition to making real business and clinical improvements through mergers, leaders are faced with questions in managing the integration of systems and cultures.