Strategic Planning
As the U.S. population ages and lives longer, the trajectory of Medicare per capita spending is shifting, according to a study in Health Affairs. The age at which Medicare per capita spending peaked rose from 92 in 2000 to 96 in 2011. The average spending for beneficiaries age 96 in 2011 was $16,…
Before a hospital or system launches a population health management initiative, it is essential to have clarity around the goals, required resources and success metrics.
The board’s foremost responsibility is to own the organization’s mission and vision and ensure a consistent focus on the strategic path to achieve them. While the board is responsible for setting strategic direction, it is not responsible for creating or managing implementation plans.…
This is 14 percent more than all hospitals with an organized quality improvement program that responded to the November 2014 American Hospital Association Survey of Care Systems and Payment. Hospitals use these programs to teach clinical leaders continuous quality improvement methods and team…
More Americans were able to get needed care and pay their medical bills in 2014, according to a survey from the Commonwealth Fund. The number of people who reported not having received health care because of its cost dropped from 80 million in 2012 to 66 million in 2014. Additionally, the number of…
Snapshot Infrastructure costs, lack of on-site expertise and a fierce desire to remain independent have limited rural hospitals’ ability to respond to the quality and value imperatives of reform. But innovative regional alliances and ACO models are removing these barriers while strengthening…
After years of preparation, nine rural hospitals and physician groups form an accountable care organization to focus on prevention.
Americans’ rates of obesity and physical inactivity rose in 2014, according to “America’s Health Rankings,” which is published by United Health Foundation. The obesity rate climbed from 27.6 to 29.4 percent of adults, and the percentage of adults who reported not…
Workers are spending more of their income on their employer-sponsored health insurance, according to a report from the Commonwealth Fund. While premiums rose 60 percent between 2003 and 2013, incomes grew only 11 percent. Workers contributed 21 percent on average to their employer health plan…
American Hospital Association president and CEO Rich Umbdenstock announced that he will retire at the end of this year. The AHA board of trustees has formed a search committee and engaged Korn Ferry to conduct the search for his successor. AHA Chair-elect Jim Skogsbergh, president and CEO of…