Hospitals In Focus

Artificial intelligence (AI) is dominating headlines and conversations, from how it will change our day-to-day routines to the debate on how far regulation of the ever-changing technology should go. AI's impact on health care is profound, promising advancements in diagnostics, treatment plans, and patient care, but also raising questions about privacy, bias, and the role of human oversight. Our gu...

Maryland’s 50-year experiment with the hospital rate-setting system stands out as a unique and long-lasting initiative – but has it accomplished its goal of reducing health care costs? This rate-setting scheme has been sustained due to additional Medicare funds supplementing the model, an additional $20.6 billion through 2017. It’s also inspired CMS’s All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Develop...

Cybersecurity is a central part of every nation’s infrastructure – especially when it comes to health care.  The availability and free flow of health information is critical to providing care. Unfortunately, patient information isn’t just valuable to caregivers, it’s also becoming a primary target for criminals across the globe. In this special episode, Chip Kahn moderates a panel of cybersecurity...

With zero-dollar premiums, caps on out-of-pocket costs, and perks that range from meal delivery to gym memberships – even loaded debit cards – membership in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans is surging in enrollment and popularity among seniors.    In fact, earlier this year, enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans surpassed enrollment in traditional Medicare, with more than 50 percent of eligible seni...

The recent cyberattack on Change Healthcare exposed fissures in the American health care system that are still reverberating - impacting patients and providers alike months after it was exposed. As hospitals, physicians, and other providers get back on their feet, they're also improving their cyber defenses to stay one step ahead of increasingly persistent hackers. This crisis also sparked convers...

Good health care depends on good health coverage, particularly for the most vulnerable. The Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid eligibility and created exchanges where many Americans could access health insurance, often at a subsidized price. These new pathways to affordable coverage led to the uninsured rate dropping to record lows. Unfortunately, those recent gains in coverage and access now f...

The Change Healthcare cyberattack on February 21st upended a huge slice of the U.S. health care system, virtually crippling all aspects of the patient care continuum when the clearinghouse’s services were hacked. That is because Change Healthcare processes 15 billion claims totaling more than $1.5 trillion a year and may handle 50 percent of all medical claims in the country. The impact has been d...

There are two Americas - rural and urban – particularly when you look at access to health care.   With roughly 60 million people, or one in five Americans, living in small communities from coast to coast, how do we ensure patients have access to the care they need when they need it? And what policies can help bridge the gap?  Former Senator Heidi Heitkamp has dedicated her life to representing the...

GUEST:  Dr. Jonathan Perlin, President and CEO, The Joint Commission  IN THIS EPISODE:   The Joint Commission is possibly the most impactful health care quality and performance organization in the world. With the rise of AI and concerns growing over issues like environmental sustainability, its mission has never been more critical. Dr. Jonathan Perlin, in his second year at the helm of The Joint C...

IN THIS EPISODE: For the past 15 years, drug shortages have been a persistent problem for hospitals and the patients they serve – and extreme cases can even lead to rationing, delaying, or canceling treatments or procedures. Tackling the drug shortage crisis is a complicated issue requiring creative solutions. That’s where Civica comes in – a non-profit pharmaceutical company created by hospitals...

Guest: Phillip Morris, Partner & Leads Strategic Insights Practice, LSG In this episode: It is only January, but the campaign season is already in full swing. From the White House to control of Congress - power in Washington is up for grabs. In this episode, Chip Kahn talks with Phillip about what issues matter most to voters and where health care fits into that list of priorities. Topics they...

Chip and Dr. Liz Fowler, Deputy Administrator of CMS and Director of the agency’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), discuss CMMI’s mission to improve health outcomes, overcome the obstacles to health equity, and reduce care costs. They look back on what CMMS has accomplished in its first 10 years, what we have learned from this experimentation, and the future of care and payment...

In this episode:   As we recognize Rural Hospital Week 2023, Chip and Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association, discuss the importance of having medical care 30 miles or 30 minutes away and the battle to maintain patients’ access to vital services in small communities across the country. They also examine the ways lawmakers can throw a lifeline to hospitals struggling to keep thei...

In this episode:  Chip and Dr. Sammie Mosier, SVP & Chief Nurse Executive at HCA Healthcare, discuss the growing health care workforce crisis in health systems – from how it is affecting care at the bedside to developing cutting-edge programs aimed at training the next generation of nurses. Topics they examine include:  COVID-19’s lasting impact on nursing Using innovative care models and...

In this episode: Chip and Marty Bonick, President and CEO of Ardent Health Services, discuss how cutting-edge technology is reshaping the health care system - by treating patients like consumers, and doing it while improving quality and cutting costs. Topics they examine include: Prioritizing patient centered care and cost containment  Embracing disruptors - Using technology to make care more acce...

Chip and Dr. Lynn Blewett put a spotlight on Medicaid, which is now the largest government-funded health program in the nation – covering more people than even Medicare. Crucial topics they discuss include: The current state of the Medicaid program and where it is headed in the future. Medicaid redetermination has led to more than a million people being disenrolled from the program. What is the re...

In this episode:   Chip sits down with Wendell Primus, former Senior Policy Advisor on Budget and Health Issues to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to discuss:    The current state of the Affordable Care Act – have the effects met the expectations when the law passed 13 years ago?  The lasting impact of recently passed drug reform legislation on Medicare and beneficiaries  Many are pushing for health care pr...

In this episode: What is prior authorization and how does the process work in the real-world. Startling results of a recent American Medical Association physician survey highlighting the negative impact of prior authorization on patient care: 94% of physicians report that prior authorization delayed access to necessary care for patients; 89% report prior authorization had a negative impact on pati...

In this episode: Why non-compete clauses are important in health care setting. How proposed rule from Federal Trade Commission (FTC) banning employers from using non-compete clauses on employees could impact patients’ access to care. The additional burden new non-compete rule could have on tax-paying systems. Effect of FTC’s increased scrutiny on health systems integration. Repercussions of slowin...

In this episode: What are the prospects of McCarthy Speakership? Functionality of Washington with divided government?    Comparing similarities/differences between the House in the late 1990s and now.   Discuss Speaker Gingrich’s experience leading a Republican House and how he dealt with health care while balancing the budget and attempting to reform entitlements.   Speaker Gingrich’s outlines hi...

In this episode:  What is Medicare Advantage (MA)? We examine the roots of this supplementary private health insurance coverage for seniors and its explosive growth, which now includes almost half of all Medicare beneficiaries (more than 28 million people).  There are increasing cases of abuse by insurance companies in charge of MA plans. Reports show they are denying and delaying doctor’s request...

In this episode: We’ll discuss the major stresses and challenges facing rural hospitals, including geography, patient mix, a growing workforce crisis, and funding shortfalls.   Since 2010, 140 rural hospitals have closed, including 25 since the start of the pandemic. Congressional support helped keep that number from being even higher, but what happens now as COVID-19 relief runs out? What’s the i...

In this episode: The Joint Commission’s role in working to reduce the health care workforce shortage. How TJC is addressing health equity moving forward. How hospital measurement is used to assure patients that their hospitals are safe and providing quality care.  Guest: Dr. Jonathan Perlin, M.D., Ph. D., M.S.H.A., M.A.C.P., F.A.C.M.I., President and CEO, The Joint Commission The Joint Commission...

In this episode:  How the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center’s integrated care model allows for high quality patient care close to home.  The research being done at Sarah Cannon, including finding the potential cure for sickle cell disease.   Hospitals are safe and patients should not put off cancer screenings – they save lives.  Guest: Dr. Dax Kurbegov, Vice President and Physician-in-Chief of Clinical P...

The overturning of Roe V Wade has far reaching implications for hospitals and health care providers. Hospitals have a duty to care for every patient that walks through their emergency room, however that care may create a gray area that conflicts with new state laws on abortion. Hospitals are in every community across the country and will continue to care for women with very real and dangerous cond...