Strategic Planning

Hospitals are dedicated to providing high-quality, affordable care. That’s why so many are devising innovative new care models — models that address affordability in ways that help patients and the health system as a whole. 
Trustee talking points In the aftermath of a number of shootings nationwide, hospitals are re-evaluating how well-prepared they are for handling mass casualty events. The American Hospital Association has launched a yearlong initiative, Hospitals Against Violence, to help the…
They were ready. Are you? For Orlando Regional Medical Center, the moment came June 11 when a gunman opened fire at a nightclub, eventually killing 49. Thirty-five victims were operated on at Orlando Regional, and all survived. “They had wounds like I had never seen before,” a nurse…
A strategy to acquire something — a physician practice, an ambulatory surgery center or another hospital — can be desirable for improving an organization’s care for its patients, their families and their communities. Service fragmentation and duplication add cost…
Trustee talking points As health care transforms, the health care workforce will have to change, too. Hospital boards should make workforce planning and development part of their strategic process. Self-assessment is critical for hospitals to begin workforce planning. A diverse workforce…
For many years, credentialed experts have acted as gatekeepers for specialized knowledge and service. Attorneys have been gatekeepers for the legal system, universities for higher education, publishers for information and scholars for research findings. These experts have shaped available…
Honors  AHA announces annual membership awards  American Hospital Association President Emeritus Rich Umbdenstock will receive the association’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, at the AHA Annual Membership Meeting from May 7 to 10 in Washington, D.C. Kris…
Trustee talking points A growing number of small and rural hospitals, unable to recruit or afford physician hospitalists, are staffing their hospital medicine programs with nurse practitioners. Hospitals that use this approach must comply with state and federal regulations regarding scope of…
Conversations about the Affordable Care Act and its effect on hospitals have often concerned readmissions and the health insurance exchanges. Also important for hospitals and patients, though, is the effect the law has had on population health.
From bottlenecks in emergency departments to communication breakdowns between departments to lengthy walks down corridors, hospitals face daily inefficiencies that can affect patient care, staff performance and their own bottom line.