Hospitals are Symbols of Hope, Comfort and Care . . . For All People and Always

Hospitals and health systems — and the women and men who work there — are the heart of health care.  

In good times like the birth of a child, or in bad times and for so many things in between, people turn to their local hospital for caring, support, comfort and hope.  

That’s because for as long as they have existed, one sign you don’t see on a hospital’s door is “Closed.” No person seeking care is turned away from their doors, which are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  

In fact, a recent analysis from the Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare, of which the AHA is a founding member, confirmed that nearly half of all hospital emergency department visits occur after-hours (between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m.) when patients have limited options for care, especially during an emergency when they simply cannot wait until the next day or available appointment.

The Coalition earlier this year expanded its role to help positively shape the public perception of hospitals and health systems and neutralize opposition attacks. As part of those efforts, the Coalition is currently running ads on TV and digital platforms highlighting the value hospitals and health systems bring to their patients and communities, as well as spotlighting corporate insurers’ role in delaying and denying care while driving up overall health care costs. 

The reality is hospitals are vital to the health and well-being of individuals and communities, providing a range of essential services that highlight their unique and immense value. 

Who else but a hospital provides such a broad range of care services, from preventive to specialized to behavioral to emergency?

Who else but a hospital improves community health with outreach, offering vaccinations, health screenings and wellness education programs designed to tackle the root causes of poor health?  

Who else but a hospital is so often a cornerstone of their local economy by providing jobs, supporting local businesses and driving economic activity?

Who else but a hospital continues to push their field ever forward with research, innovation, and the development of new treatments and technologies that improve care and patient outcomes?

Hospitals and health systems will always be focused on promoting wellness, as well as caring for the sick and injured. And hospitals and health systems will always be cornerstones of the communities we serve. Our patients rely on us…and our communities need us.

That’s why the AHA continues to fight each and every day to advance priorities in our Advocacy Agenda, including ensuring access to care, addressing government underfunding and providing financial sustainability; strengthening the health care workforce; advancing quality, equity and innovation; and enacting regulatory and administrative relief.

While we have achieved a number of important victories this year, several critical priorities remain. Some must be addressed by the end of the year, including preventing Medicaid disproportionate share hospital cuts from kicking in; extending key rural programs like the Medicare dependent hospital program and the low-volume adjustment, as well as telehealth and hospital-at-home programs; ensuring that payment cuts for hospital services — like those so-called site-neutral adjustments — that appropriately provide a differential for hospital outpatient services are not used as an offset or to fund other programs; and addressing proposed Medicare payment reductions for physician services.

We also continue to push to: pass the bipartisan Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees Act (SAVE Act), which would make it a federal felony to assault a health care worker; hold commercial insurance companies accountable for practices that delay, deny and disrupt care; and bolster support for cybersecurity efforts and make sure that third parties, which are the source of many recent intrusions, are taking the necessary steps to defend against attacks. 

You can find more details and resources that you can use in conversations with your lawmakers in our Action Alert. 

We live in trying times. But trying times can bring out the best in us. We have seen time and time again in our nation’s history that the people of America’s hospitals and health systems always step up to the plate and are at their best when their communities need them the most.

So, while we may redefine what that blue and white “H” sign represents — we will always work to be there, ready to care … every day, in every way.