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Hospital and health system leaders from across the country next weekend will begin to arrive in Washington, D.C. for the 2023 AHA Annual Membership Meeting.

We’ve built a program highlighted by nationally recognized speakers and special forums that bring together strategic ideas and relevant research with thought leaders driving policy on the biggest issues affecting our field.

From the Administration, we’ll gain insights from FBI Director Christopher Wray; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Blum, Veterans Administration Undersecretary of Health Shereef Elnahal, M.D.; and White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha, M.D.

We’ll get a bipartisan read on the dynamics on Capitol Hill from Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb. We’ll hear from Reps. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., and Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., about legislation to protect health care workers from violence. And we’ll hear from Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., during a special session on Monday evening.

We’ll also hear from people making and breaking news, and providing insight on the political landscape in Washington, including presidential campaign strategists David Axelrod and Karl Rove, Axios co-founders Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen, and Maria Shriver, special anchor, NBC News, with Jonathan Capehart, Pulitzer Prizee winner and associate editor at the Washington Post.

At the same time, we’ve put together some dynamic panel discussions featuring top leaders in our field on key issues, including the financial future of the field and impact on patient care, as well as evolving systems of care. We’ll also have sessions on behavioral health, rural, post-acute care, health equity and governance. And we’ll take some time to honor outstanding leaders in our field who are spearheading efforts that are advancing health in communities across our nation.

It’s a very full three days, but we’ve kept some popular changes introduced last year to create more time and space so you can connect with colleagues.

Our “Power Up” networking space is in the hub of all the action ... centrally located for quick access to phone time, face time with colleagues and anything else you may need. And, we are once again hosting live podcasts from the meeting.

Apart from the outstanding speaker and session lineup, the Annual Membership Meeting also is an opportunity for our field to deliver a unified message to Congress on our key advocacy priorities. We’ll be discussing the urgent need to:

• Stabilize the financial health of hospitals and health systems.
• Strengthen the health care workforce.
• Secure the ability to continue providing quality care for patients and communities.

We’ll be providing more details, background and key messages on these issues during AHA’s Annual Membership Meeting, April 23-25.

You can still make plans to join us in Washington if you haven’t done so yet by registering here. And if you can’t join us in person this year, you can make a difference by delivering these important messages to your lawmakers.

The prevalence of COVID-19 may be waning, but the challenges facing our field are not. From workforce shortages to increased costs of caring, inadequate government reimbursements, sicker patients and an aging population and overwhelming regulatory burdens, the pressures on hospitals and health systems are greater than ever.

We’ve seen time and time again when our field speaks with a strong, united and collective voice policymakers and lawmakers hear us. And we get results.

Let’s make that happen again to ensure our hospitals are strong and our communities healthy.