Strategic Planning

The number of new cases of diabetes diagnosed in the United States declined significantly from 2009 to 2014 after steadily rising for 25 years, according to data released in December by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The country recorded 1.4 million new cases in 2014, down from 1.7…
The American Hospital Association last month awarded its 2015 Shirley Ann Munroe Leadership Award to Vince Oliver, CEO and superintendent of Island Hospital in Anacortes, Wash. The award honors small or rural hospital leaders who have improved health care delivery in their communities through…
Misprescribed in Pediatrics 50%: An estimated half of antibiotic prescriptions given during pediatric office visits are inappropriate. Source: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, Aug. 20, 2015  
Deeply held beliefs can blind boards to the true nature of change. It’s time to challenge the orthodoxies. In the early 2000s, the Nokia board debated creating a smartphone. The company’s wireless handset was the global best seller. Management believed consumers would not use a touch…
American Hospital Association leaders like to say that every day is advocacy day, and that there is no better advocate for your hospital than you, the hospital trustee.
• Large employers, aiming to reduce the health costs for their employees, are forming tighter relationships directly with large provider networks, tying the contracts to the Triple Aim. • Such direct-contracting strategies for now require a command of the whole continuum of care, and an…
After 40 years in health care, eight as top executive at the American Hospital Association, RICH UMBDENSTOCK, 65, concluded his career at the end of August. He’s meeting some final commitments for the association through this month, but plans to step away from the field to spend some time…
The U.S. birthrate rose 0.6 percent in 2014 to 62.9 per 1,000 women, the first increase since 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Birthrates rose 3 percent for Asian/Pacific Islanders and 1 percent for whites, and fell 9 percent for teens, 3 percent for American…
Trustee Talking Points Trustee Talking Points Population health management techniques are taking hold in different ways across the country. Technology is playing a big role in population health management, but so is maintaining the human side of the equation.…
Health care executives and boards no longer can lead with only one organization in mind. Value-based payment, along with a renewed emphasis on developing healthy communities, makes care coordination among community providers in multiple entities a necessity.