/ en Fri, 25 Apr 2025 20:16:19 -0500 Tue, 11 Feb 25 08:37:07 -0600 /news/chairpersons-file/2025-02-11-chair-file-building-trust-todays-environment <p>Edelman recently released its <a href="https://www.edelman.com/trust/2025/trust-barometer" target="_blank" title="2025 Trust Barometer">2025 Trust Barometer</a> titled “Trust and the Crisis of Grievance,” and it couldn’t be more timely. Trust — in one another, our hospitals and health systems, our communities and our government — feels more important than ever.</p><p>The AHA knows how important public trust and confidence are to advancing the health of all individuals and communities. In fact, we included it as one of the principles in our 2025-2027 Strategic Plan, which was built on listening to feedback from our members. The plan is designed to tackle trust and other key issues so hospitals and health systems can continue to be places where our communities can go for healing, no matter what.</p><p>The Edelman report explored how fear has turned into polarization and, in turn, into grievance. Many people feel a sense of grievance, not just with health care but with the government, media and other fields. However, rebuilding trust isn’t impossible. It starts by listening and taking action.</p><p>The foundation of listening is seeking to understand. Our communities and patients want to feel seen and heard. Our teams want to feel valued and supported in the extraordinary care they provide.</p><p>However, listening on its own isn’t enough. We need to take that feedback on what’s working and what isn’t and create better experiences for those providing and receiving care. We can also help proactively build trust by sharing stories of our incredible work and the people we serve with the AHA team and with legislators.</p><p>We need our local and national leaders to understand how critical our work is to our communities. Equipping the AHA with stories empowers them to better advocate for our hospitals and health systems so we can serve our neighbors who are our stakeholders.</p><p>Every one of our hospitals and health systems is here for their community despite the challenges they face, making sure that everyone has access to the care they need. And we’re not going anywhere.</p><p>Now is the time to listen. Now is the time to act. And now is the time to rebuild trust in one another. Our neighbors are counting on us.</p><p><strong>Helping You Help Communities: Key AHA Resources</strong></p><ul><li><a href="/ahas-2025-2027-strategic-plan" target="_blank" title="AHA's 2025-2027 Strategic Plan">AHA’s 2025-2027 Strategic Plan</a></li><li><a href="/tellingthehospitalstory" target="_blank" title="Telling the Hospital Story">Telling the Hospital Story</a> </li></ul> Tue, 11 Feb 2025 08:37:07 -0600 Strategic Planning /news/perspective/2025-01-10-working-together-chart-course-advance-health-america <p>Thomas Edison once said, “Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning.”</p><p>As hospitals and health systems — and the millions of dedicated individuals who work there — pursue their unwavering mission to provide accessible and affordable quality care for all who need it, it’s more important than ever to be aligned around a clear path forward that allows us to deliver the care that so many people, families and communities depend on. </p><p>This week, at the start of a new year and with new political winds blowing in the nation’s capital, the AHA released our <a href="/ahas-2025-2027-strategic-plan?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=aha-today" target="_blank" title="2025-2027 Strategic Plan">2025-2027 Strategic Plan</a>, designed to help you tackle the top issues of today and propel us to a future where all individuals reach their highest potential for health.</p><p>More than 1,000 hospital and health system leaders, including members of AHA’s Regional Policy Boards, Committees, State, Regional and Metropolitan Hospital Associations, and other key membership groups, provided input and helped shape the plan.</p><p>The plan is rooted in four core disciplines — advocacy and representation, thought leadership, knowledge exchange, and agents of change — which define AHA’s approach to providing value to members and advancing our field’s shared goals.</p><p>It includes nine principles that serve as the foundation for what we believe the health care ecosystem should be and strategies to help us make progress on our mission of advancing health in America. </p><p>In addition, on the <a href="/ahas-2025-2027-strategic-plan?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=aha-today" target="_blank" title="2025-2027 Strategic Plan Webpage">webpage</a> you will find a number of resources the AHA offers to assist members with key strategic planning efforts, including the <a href="/environmentalscan" target="_blank" title="AHA Environmental Scan">Environmental Scan</a>, <a href="/aha-workforce-scan" target="_blank" title="AHA Workforce Scan">Workforce Scan</a> and <a href="https://www.shsmd.org/futurescan-2025" target="_blank" title="Future Scan">FutureScan</a>. </p><p>American health care has dedicated hospital and health system leaders, clinicians and care teams who strive to push our field forward. But they also know that there is always new knowledge to gain, new boundaries to explore and new ways to improve patient care.</p><p>Some of the best opportunities for sharing these strategies and learnings from leaders across the country occur at AHA’s flagship conferences. These include the <a href="/education-events/2025-aha-rural-health-care-leadership-conference" target="_blank" title="2025 AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference">2025 AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference</a> (Feb. 23-26, San Antonio); <a href="/education-events/2025-aha-annual-membership-meeting" target="_blank" title="2025 AHA Annual Membership Meeting">2025 AHA Annual Membership Meeting</a> (May 4-6, Washington, D.C.); <a href="https://web.cvent.com/event/b816d89d-06d6-4749-950c-7b2f2af4189b/summary?RefId=Registration" target="_blank" title="Accelerating Health Equity Conference">Accelerating Health Equity Conference</a> (May 19-22, Atlanta); and <a href="/education-events/2025-aha-leadership-summit" target="_blank" title="2025 AHA Leadership Conference">2025 AHA Leadership Summit</a> (July 20-22, Nashville).</p><p>While we know our health care system faces a number of significant challenges, we also know that we have many opportunities to build a healthier future for our patients and communities. The AHA is proud to support our nation’s hospitals and health systems as they provide 24/7 life-saving care to all patients and lead innovative efforts to advance well-being.</p><p>Hospitals and health systems are central to our national health and health care. The AHA is incredibly proud to represent and serve you. We look forward to working together this year and in the future as we continue to advance health in America.</p> Fri, 10 Jan 2025 08:17:42 -0600 Strategic Planning <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-8"><p>Thank you for sharing what matters most to you throughout 2024. We gathered feedback from more than 1,000 hospital and health system leaders, including members of AHA’s Regional Policy Boards and Committees, State, Regional and Metropolitan Hospital Associations, and other key membership groups. </p><p>The result is our <a href="/ahas-2025-2027-strategic-plan"><strong>2025-2027 Strategic Plan</strong></a><strong>,</strong> which the AHA Board of Trustees approved in November. This plan will help you tackle the top issues of today and propel us to a future where all individuals reach their highest potential for health. </p><p>The plan is rooted in four core disciplines — advocacy and representation, thought leadership, knowledge exchange and agents of change — which define AHA’s approach to providing value to members and advancing our field’s goals. It also includes nine principles that serve as the foundation for what we believe the health care system should be and strategies to help us make progress on our mission of advancing health in America.   </p><p>While we know our health care system faces a number of significant challenges, we also know that we have many opportunities to build a healthier future for our patients and communities. The AHA is proud to support our nation’s hospitals and health systems as you provide 24/7 life-saving care to all patients and lead innovative efforts to advance well-being.   </p><p>We encourage you to review the details — and related resources available on our webpage — and use them within your own organization as together we chart the course for the future.  </p><p>You are central to our national health and health care. The AHA is incredibly proud to represent and serve you. We look forward to working together this year and in the future as we continue to advance health in America. </p><table><tbody><tr><td>Tina Freese Decker<br>AHA Board Chair</td><td> </td><td> </td><td>Rick Pollack<br>AHA President and CEO</td><td> </td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="col-md-4"><a href="/system/files/media/file/2025/01/aha-releases-2025-2027-strategic-plan-special-message-1-9-2025-f.pdf"><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/aha-releases-2025-2027-strategic-plan-special-message-1-9-2025-f.png" data-entity-uuid="38e6710f-4709-4ab0-a8ed-5320aed70ad0" data-entity-type="file" alt="Special Message Bulletin" width="640" height="834"></a></div></div></div> Thu, 09 Jan 2025 14:31:06 -0600 Strategic Planning /news/headline/2025-01-09-aha-releases-2025-2027-strategic-plan <p>The AHA today <a href="/ahas-2025-2027-strategic-plan" title="strat plan">released</a> its 2025-2027 Strategic Plan, approved by the AHA Board of Trustees in November. The plan is rooted in four core disciplines — advocacy and representation, thought leadership, knowledge exchange, and agents of change. It also includes nine principles that serve as the foundation of the AHA’s work and strategies to help the field make progress on its mission of advancing health in America. View the <a href="/system/files/media/file/2025/01/2025-AHA-Strategic-Plan-20250106.pdf" title="2025-27 Strat plan">2025-2027 Strategic Plan</a> for more information.</p> Thu, 09 Jan 2025 14:23:47 -0600 Strategic Planning /ahas-2025-2027-strategic-plan <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-8"><h2 class="body-h2"><span>A Message on AHA’s 2025-2027 Strategic Plan</span></h2><p class="body-paragraph">Thank you for sharing what matters most to you throughout 2024. We gathered feedback from more than 1,000 hospital and health system leaders, including members of AHA’s Regional Policy Boards and Committees, State, Regional and Metropolitan Hospital Associations, and other key membership groups.</p><p class="body-paragraph">The result is our 2025-2027 Strategic Plan, which the AHA Board of Trustees approved in November. This plan will help you tackle the top issues of today and propel us to a future where all individuals reach their highest potential for health.</p><p class="body-paragraph">The plan is rooted in four core disciplines — advocacy and representation, thought leadership, knowledge exchange and agents of change — which define AHA’s approach to providing value to members and advancing our field’s goals. It also includes nine principles that serve as the foundation for what we believe the health care system should be and strategies to help us make progress on our mission of advancing health in America.</p><p class="body-paragraph">While we know our health care system faces a number of significant challenges, we also know that we have many opportunities to build a healthier future for our patients and communities. The AHA is proud to support our nation’s hospitals and health systems as you provide 24/7 life-saving care to all patients and lead innovative efforts to advance well-being.</p><p class="body-paragraph">We encourage you to review the details — and related resources available on our webpage — and use them within your own organization as together we chart the course for the future.</p><p class="body-paragraph">You are central to our national health and health care. The AHA is incredibly proud to represent and serve you. We look forward to working together this year and in the future as we continue to advance health in America.</p><div class="row"><div class="col-sm-6"><p><strong>Tina Freese Decker</strong><br>AHA Board Chair</p></div><div class="col-sm-6"><p><strong>Rick Pollack</strong><br>AHA President and CEO</p></div></div><hr></div><div class="col-md-4"> img.STMaxwidth { width:100%; display: block; margin: auto; max-width: 360px; } <p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2025/01/2025-AHA-Strategic-Plan-20250106.pdf" target="_blank" title="Click here to download the ���������� Association 2025-2027 Strategic Plan PDF."><img class="STMaxwidth" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Page-1-2025-2027-AHA-Strategic-Plan-20250106.png" data-entity-uuid="f6ad3ba7-22d6-4b37-b12d-e1b205477bab" data-entity-type="file" alt="���������� Association 2025-2027 Strategic Plan page 1." width="695" height="900"></a></p><div class="external-link spacer"><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2025/01/2025-AHA-Strategic-Plan-20250106.pdf" target="_blank" title="Click here to download the ���������� Association 2025-2027 Strategic Plan PDF.">Download the AHA 2025-2027 Strategic Plan PDF</a></div></div></div></div> p.body-paragraph { font-size: 16px; margin: 0 0 10px; } h2.body-h2 { font-size: 2em; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; Thu, 09 Jan 2025 10:00:00 -0600 Strategic Planning <div class="raw-html-embed"> </div><div class="container"><div class="col-sm-3"><p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2024/11/Environmental_Scan_2025-Presentation.pptx" target="_blank" title="Environmental Scan 2024 PowerPoint Presentation"><img src="/sites/default/files/2024-12/Environmental-Scan-v2-2025-cover_700x906.jpg" alt="Environmental Scan 2025 PowerPoint Presentation Title Slide"></a></p><p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2024/11/Environmental_Scan_2025-Presentation.pptx" target="_blank" title="Environmental Scan 2024 PowerPoint Presentation">Download Presentation</a></p></div><div class="col-sm-5"><p>This PowerPoint presentation offers an overview of the 2025 Environmental Scan, outlining key themes and trends facing the health care field today. Not only does the scan contribute to strategic planning efforts, but it also helps the field tell the hospital and health system story to colleagues, the public, the media and policymakers. This presentation is designed to help you tell your story and share insights with various community stakeholders.</p><p>Please delete any slides you do not need before giving the presentation. We also encourage you to personalize the presentation by adding examples of how these issues are playing out in your organization and community.</p><p>Additional planning resources:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.shsmd.org/futurescan" title="Futurescan">Futurescan</a></li><li><a href="/aha-workforce-scan" title="Workforce Scan">2025 AHA Health Care Workforce Scan</a></li></ul></div><div class="col-sm-4"><div class="panel panel-default"><div class="panel-heading"><h3>Environmental Scan</h3></div><div class="panel-body"><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/environmentalscan" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Latest Edition</a></p></div></div></div></div> Tue, 03 Dec 2024 10:00:00 -0600 Strategic Planning <p>In this webinar, AHA Policy staff Shannon Wu, Tammy Love, Stephen Hughes, and Akin Demehin delved into the key provisions outlined in the <a href=/news/news/2024-04-10-cms-issues-hospital-ipps-proposed-rule-fy-2025">FY 2025 Inpatient Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule</a>. They explored topics, such as proposals concerning Medicare disproportionate share hospitals, Medicare-severity diagnosis-related group changes, area wage index adjustments, and the promotion of interoperability programs, alongside quality reporting initiatives. </p><p><br>Members can view the <a href="https://aha-org.zoom.us/rec/play/X6VSzGQCitQ83E8C0TwwVNgFlAk42DkDvAw3iCdNXZ3D5Di4pFwNKcG2pPGDJgJJa608Fu-m9vd7olmG.jBqy-9iuk6Pyp7WA">recording of the session</a> and download slides below for further review.</p> Wed, 15 May 2024 11:37:48 -0500 Strategic Planning <p>The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) on April 10th proposed a new mandatory bundled payment model called the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM). The proposed payment model, included as part of the <a href="/news/news/2024-04-10-cms-issues-hospital-ipps-proposed-rule-fy-2025" target="_blank">CY2025 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule</a>, expands upon previous episode-based payment models like the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model and the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI-A) model. </p><p>On May 7, 2024, the AHA policy experts discussed the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) in a webinar. Members can <a href="https://aha-org.zoom.us/rec/share/mp8VkV31Gw8obAVi3gu1mm1UTqYPYe8hchKvhHR2RXFt7yCHDvYceJE3hci65QYe.n0nu8qfOXFX8HfLW" target="_blank">View Recording</a><a href="https://zoom.us/rec/play/Zs0JYYDvxMYB26eZiU7lu3YJXxC9Mq1S-m7dRqIQInfGGYqmGeZXJ8US2EergbTyOg-KbpKNZ889TxuE.KmXemA8BTZtCBpYQ?autoplay=true" target="_blank"> </a>and <a href="/system/files/media/file/2024/05/TEAM%20Model%20Member%20Webinar%20Slides.pdf" download="file" target="_blank" title="Slides ">Download Slides</a> from the event. </p> Wed, 08 May 2024 10:43:39 -0500 Strategic Planning /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2024-03-26-4-ways-drive-transformational-change-sustainability <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-8"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/4-Ways-to-Drive-Transformational-Change-in-Sustainability.png" data-entity-uuid="131e0f9e-7c2b-4c38-bf5a-aa070d5b4e50" data-entity-type="file" alt="4 Ways to Drive Transformational Change in Sustainability. A plant growing in a green field is surrounded by a bubble label with carbon dioxide CO2 down." width="100%" height="800"></p><p>Like a growing number of health care organizations, New Jersey’s Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) system has been on a journey for some time now to reduce its environmental impact and boost sustainability practices.</p><p><strong>Recent achievements include:</strong></p><ul><li>Investing more than <span><strong>$116 million</strong></span> in energy-efficient upgrades.</li><li>Purchasing <span><strong>99%</strong></span> of furnishings free of harmful chemicals.</li><li>Ensuring that all the electronics it purchased in 2022 were <span><strong>EPEAT</strong></span> [Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool]-certified, meaning that they meet environmental compliance criteria that address issues like materials selection, supply chain greenhouse gas-emissions reduction and energy conservation.</li><li>Saving more than <span><strong>$1.7 million</strong></span> by reprocessing medical devices, thereby diverting 40,000 pounds of medical device waste from landfills.</li></ul><p>Decarbonization efforts like these helped four HMH hospitals to be the first in the country to achieve <a href="https://www.jointcommission.org/resources/news-and-multimedia/newsletters/newsletters/joint-commission-online/march-13-2024/four-hackensack-meridian-health-hospitals-first-in-nation-to-achieve/" target="_blank" title="The Joint Commission: Four Hackensack Meridian Health Hospitals first in nation to achieve The Joint Commission’s Sustainable Healthcare Certification">The Joint Commission’s Sustainable Healthcare Certification</a> earlier this month.</p><h2><span>Confronting a Global Imperative</span></h2><p>Sustainability programs like that of HMH were once seen as an add-on to hospital operations and health care delivery. Today they are an operational priority as health care organizations confront climate change and work to reduce its impact on patients, employees and communities.</p><p>The recently released AHA-American Society for Health Care Engineering’s <a href="/system/files/media/file/2024/02/Sustainability-Executive-Toolkit.pdf" target="_blank" title="AHA: The Health Care Leader's Guide to Sustainability and Decarbonization">Health Care Leader’s Guide to Sustainability and Decarbonization</a> spells out the challenge facing the field.</p><p>The U.S. health care sector is responsible for 25% of global health care emissions and 80% of emissions in this sector come from goods and services in the supply chain, the report states, adding that hospitals should view sustainability as a means to protect human health.</p><h2><span>4 Ways CEOs Can Drive Transformational Change</span></h2><h3><span>1</span> <span>|</span> Drive leadership from the top.</h3><p>The complexities of health systems require top-down leadership and creative problem-solving from the bottom up to increase value.</p><h4>Takeaway</h4><p>Make sustainability transformation an organizational goal. Acknowledge that sustainable hospitals offer unique benefits to their surrounding communities. Engage your board of directors and document the value of sustainability practices. Be clear that this is an executive priority and long-term commitment.</p><h3><span>2</span> <span>|</span> Identify internal leaders and allocate the resources needed for success.</h3><p>Engage and empower all employees to improve sustainability. Work internally with departmental leaders to build new relationships focused on reducing waste and increasing value.</p><h4>Takeaway</h4><p>Frame sustainability within a growth context; embrace current challenges and seek innovative solutions. Engage your suppliers in the conversation. This work requires partnerships; no individual can get all of this work done, Kyle Tafuri, HMH’s vice president of sustainability, said in a recent interview. Not all suppliers will be willing to dive in, but they will discuss the issue. The goal is to start the conversation and work together.</p><h3><span>3</span> <span>|</span> Report your progress consistently.</h3><p>Communicate initiatives and progress regularly to your community and the sector.</p><h4>Takeaway</h4><p>Show the value you’re creating through your actions. Recognize the functional roles for leadership and innovation. Collaborate with other CEOs to share successes and overcome obstacles.</p><h3><span>4</span> <span>|</span> Take advantage of federal funding to support your efforts.</h3><p>The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 allocated $369 billion to support clean energy efficiency and clean energy projects.</p><h4>Takeaway</h4><p>The funds provide a combination of financial incentives for investments that ultimately may reduce pollution, expand clean energy production and address health inequities, with bonus credits for investments located in low-income communities and other census tracts, notes a recent <a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2024/how-funding-opportunities-inflation-reduction-act-can-help-move-health-systems-toward" target="_blank" title="The Commonwealth Fund: How Funding Opportunities in the Inflation Reduction Act Can Help Move Health Systems Toward Sustainability">report from The Commonwealth Fund and Deloitte</a>.</p><hr><h2><span>Learn More</span></h2><p>The AHA’s <a href="/sustainability" target="_blank" title="AHA: Sustainability Roadmap for Health Care">Sustainability Roadmap for Health Care website</a> provides a wealth of resources to support your organization’s journey. It addresses operations, procurement, purchasing, maintenance and new models of care, including how to kick-start your hospital’s sustainability efforts, a Sustainability Accelerator Tool, how to engage teams and build a sustainability culture through the HealQuest program and more.</p><p>A recent AHA Market Scan Trailblazers report, <a href="/aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2024-01-19-supply-chain-strategies" target="_blank" title="AHA Center for Health Innovation: Health Care Supply Cahin Strategies: Streamlining Supply Chain Practices as Health Systems Expand">“Streamlining Supply Chain Practices as Health Systems Expand,”</a> examines how some health systems are standardizing operations, reducing redundancy and increasing operational efficiency.</p></div><div class="col-md-4"><p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" width="721" height="130" data-entity- type="file" class="align-center"></a></p><p><a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type alt width="360" height="300"></a></p></div></div></div>.field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } Tue, 26 Mar 2024 06:15:00 -0500 Strategic Planning /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2024-02-27-3-societal-shifts-will-reshape-health-care-2035 <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-8"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/3-Societal-Shifts-That-Will-Reshape-Health-Care-by-2035.png" data-entity-uuid="318eca66-c5db-420a-9c7d-9117cacad3ca" data-entity-type="file" alt="3 Societal Shifts That Will Reshape Health Care by 2035. A businessman looking through a spyglass with a plus symbol on the lens under the year 2035." width="100%" height="800"></p><p>Projecting what health care will look like in even three to five years can be fraught with challenges. But what about 2035? Leaders at Oliver Wyman’s health care consultancy have been busy studying this issue and reimagining what the field may look like roughly a decade from now.</p><p>In their Designing for 2035 report <a href="https://www.oliverwyman.com/our-expertise/insights/2023/sep/designing-for-2035-healthcare-systems-in-10-years.html" target="_blank" title="Oliver Wyman: What Healthcare Will Look Like in 10 Years">executive summary</a>, the team assesses current trends, evaluates the undercurrents of socio-economic change that will affect those trends and identifies where there is significant potential for change in that time frame.</p><p>America’s aging population, workforce shifts, consumerism and technology innovations are among the forces that will reshape the overall economy and health care specifically, notes a <a href="https://www.oliverwyman.com/our-expertise/insights/2023/dec/8-societal-shifts-that-will-reshape-healthcare-by-2035.html" target="_blank" title="Oliver Wyman: 8 Societal Shifts That Will Reshape Healthcare by 2035">recent analysis</a> from the report’s findings.</p><h2><span>3 Key Changes to Act on for 2035</span></h2><h3><span>1</span> <span>|</span> America's Aging Population Will Need More Care</h3><p><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Americas-Aging-Population-Will-Need-More-Care.jpg" data-entity-uuid="c41f065f-44f1-4d45-97df-1a9ff31a11b6" data-entity-type="file" alt="America's Aging Population Will Need More Care" width="100" height="130" class="align-left">The senior population is exploding. Between 2010 and 2020, the nation saw the largest upsurge in people 65 and older since the 1880s, according to U.S. Census data. Seniors now account for about one in six Americans, up from one in eight in 2010. This demographic shift will have the biggest impact on government-funded programs. Medicare and Medicaid will serve larger and larger populations, while slow-growing coffers will force federal and state governments to look for ways to cover care at lower costs.</p><h4><span>The Upshot for Hospitals and Health Systems</span></h4><p>Everyone may become a caregiver in one form or another by 2035. Seniors will make up about one in four Americans (26%) a decade from now, leading to higher demand for health services. Nearly 95% of older adults have one chronic condition and 80% have two or more. Since Medicare bed utilization is more than four times higher than commercial bed utilization, the report’s authors expect an increase in overall bed days, further straining government budgets. “Everyone will begin to act as a caregiver, with many sandwiched between parents and child,” the report explains. New tools and incentive models will be created to reward formal and informal caregivers to address the necessary expansion of the clinical workforce to serve the burgeoning senior population, the report predicts. Alternative care sites will spring up, helping seniors avoid costly and unnecessary hospital stays.</p><h3><span>2</span> <span>|</span> Staffing Gaps Will Widen</h3><p><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Staffing-Gaps-Will-Widen.jpg" data-entity-uuid="c0cb7de7-f7b4-4fb6-b2c1-f4f91f74ce04" data-entity-type="file" alt="Staffing Gaps Will Widen" width="100" height="130" class="align-left">The U.S. workforce is shrinking. The ratio of the working-to-senior population has decreased from 4-to-1 in 2015 to 3-to-1 today. Health care is not immune, with existing demand shortages for primary care providers, specialists and nurses. Burnout and the rising age of the health care workforce exacerbate this shortage, with 40% of active physicians 55 years of age or older. Staffing gaps, particularly for physicians, will worsen as the worker-to-senior ratio approaches 2-to-1 in the next decade. Projected demand gaps are expected to be 10.6% for physicians, 7.5% for specialists and 5.9% for nurses.</p><h4><span>The Upshot for Hospitals and Health Systems</span></h4><p>Across the board, the workforce will have more leverage and fewer long-term ties to employers, forcing employers to improve their benefits and employment packages, the report states. Employers will need to create more flexible work arrangements and career development opportunities to attract new talent.</p><h3><span>3</span> <span>|</span> Addressing Consumer Expectations Will Become Paramount</h3><p><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Addressing-Consumer-Expectations-Will-Become-Paramount.jpg" data-entity-uuid="c180df2c-04f3-45be-815b-71364bc95861" data-entity-type="file" alt="Addressing Consumer Expectations Will Become Paramount" width="100" height="130" class="align-left">Quality, convenience and trust all play into the brands consumers value. Health care is no different. Convenience is an overriding issue for patients when choosing a primary care physician. In addition, consumers increasingly are turning to sources outside mainstream medicine for health information, whether it be news sources, social media or search engines. Consumers also demand more from the brands they trust when it comes to broader societal issues, elevating the importance of environmental, societal and governance platforms.</p><h4><span>The Upshot for Hospitals and Health Systems</span></h4><p>With an increased number of voices and thought leaders influencing health care consumers, providers need to become more prominent in this messaging. In an <a href="https://www.oliverwyman.com/our-expertise/events/2023/sep/OWHIC-2023/videos-and-presentations.html" target="_blank" title="Oliver Wyman Health Innovation Summit 2023: Highlights from This Year's Summit">Oliver Wyman video</a>, Austin Chiang, M.D., Jefferson Health’s chief medical social media officer, discussed the importance of having health care organizations immerse themselves in social media to counter misinformation. Provider organizations also must demonstrate their impact on climate and social justice initiatives.</p><p>The adoption of advanced analytics and AI, more data and better connectivity will lead to a richer understanding of personalized next best actions, available when consumers and clinicians need them and in the manner that they want to receive them.</p></div><div class="col-md-4"><p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" data-entity- type="file" class="align-center"></a></p><p><a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type alt></a></p></div></div></div>.field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } Tue, 27 Feb 2024 06:15:00 -0600 Strategic Planning