Advancing Health

America is already running short on physicians, and every health labor forecast projects it will only get worse in the next decade or so. Even more alarming the percentage of Black male physicians in the field has been basically unchanged for the past 80 years and isn’t showing signs of growth even now. It’s more important than ever to ask what can be done to attract, recruit and train more talented young Black men to the practice of medicine? And what implications would that have on the goal of health equity and a diverse workforce?

The just-concluded NFL season saw the retirement of one legendary quarterback and the rise of another ready to take his place. Just as athletic leaders change places, so too do health care leaders make way for the next generation. In this episode, we learn more about the AHA Next Generation Leaders Fellowship. Sponsored by Accenture, the year-long program focuses on mentoring promising leaders for the future, and training the kind of rising young stars who can help to bring about real and lasting change in the hospitals and health systems in which they serve.

In most hospitals, highly-trained staff members know just what to do in the case of an emergency, whether it is a fire, hurricane, or even an active shooter. But what happens when that emergency comes in the form of a dangerous cyberattack? Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., has developed a system-wide “off” switch that staff can activate if it is clear that the hospital has come under a broad-based ransomware or malware attack.

Hospitals and health systems continue to face serious economic challenges relating to escalating expenses and staffing shortages. One health system met the challenge head on. Mary Marran of Care New England explains how they kept their focus on short-term economic recovery plans, while addressing an urgent long-term need — improving access to behavioral health care.

On this Leadership Dialogue Series podcast, two chairs of the American Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees come together to share their insights on the state of health care in our country, and what hospitals and health systems can look forward to in 2023. John Haupert, president and CEO of Atlanta-based Grady Health System and the 2023 chair of AHA’s board, is joined by the leader he just succeeded — AHA’s Immediate Past Board Chair, Wright Lassiter III, CEO of CommonSpirit Health. It would be hard to find two health care CEOs more in touch with what’s happening in the field right now. Join John and Wright as they explore key issues, including workforce, virtual care and partnerships.

For years, hospitals and health systems have shared the goal of developing an interoperable health care information system that shares data across providers. The advantages are significant: faster, more accurate transfer of patient records that can result in more effective treatment. Less of an administrative burden for doctors, nurses and other caregivers. Overall, a smoother system that better serves everyone’s needs. But here’s a key question: how does such a system deliver sensitive information to those who have a need for it … and keep it out of the hands of those that don’t? In January 2021, Micky Tripathi assumed the job of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There, he leads the formulation of the federal health IT strategy and coordinates federal health IT policies, standards, programs, and investments. In this podcast with the AHA’s Nancy Foster, Tripathi talks about what his office is doing to help care providers achieve the

Since the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic in March 2020, our nation’s hospitals have paid a significant financial toll … and psychiatric hospitals are no exception.  Inpatient psychiatric admissions declined heavily throughout the pandemic. And while health professional shortages have long impeded behavioral health care access, the recent and forthcoming retirements of more than half of the current workforce, due in part to the COVID pandemic, only adds to provider challenges. In this podcast, Jordan Steiger, senior program manager, Behavioral Health, Clinical Affairs and Workforce at the AHA, speaks with Matthew Stanley, clinical vice president, Behavioral Health Service Line, with Avera Health, Sioux Falls, SD Like many hospitals and health systems, Avera Health continues to face significant challenges as expenses continue to escalate, patient boarding in emergency departments grows, and staffing shortages, often addressed by hiring expensive travel nurses as a solution, combine to create unsustainable budg

In part 4 of this podcast series, Nancy Myers, vice president of leadership system innovation at the American Hospital Association, is joined by clinical services director Lynette Harvey of the Camarillo Health Care District and high risk program manager Maureen Hodge of Community Memorial Health System, both in Ventura County, California. The discussion: understanding the role of hospital and community partnerships to innovate programs and models that provide family caregivers with greater support today and in the future.

Family caregivers are not just for pediatric and geriatric patients anymore. Family members are caring for patients of all ages and with a wide range of health care needs – from primary care to tertiary advanced care. In today’s episode, Nancy Myers, vice president of leadership system innovation at the American Hospital Association, is joined by gerontologist Dr. Maziar Goshtasbi and high risk program manager Maureen Hodge, both from Community Memorial Health System in Ventura, California. They discuss the growing rate of patients who rely on family caregivers, and why health care providers need hospital, family and community involvement in patient care and caregiver support.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by Quest Diagnostics. Value-based health care is truly a game changer — a model that pays care providers based on patient outcomes, not on the amount of services delivered. It is the wave of the future, the direction that nearly all hospitals and health systems are moving toward towards regardless of size or services provided. Every hospital function has a role to play in achieving value-based care, including one that patients have little direct contact with: the laboratory. Hospitals labs perform lots of different tests and diagnostics on behalf of patients. And they’re really good at it. But like most functions, if you look long and hard enough at it, you’ll identify ways to improve. Join us to hear insights from Hackensack Meridian Health on how they were able to accelerate their value-based care journey by taking advantage of three unique ways that the laboratory can help define better clinical pathways, minimize care variation across various diagnosis codes and realize

Burnout is not new, but the COVID-19 pandemic has helped fuel this workplace phenomenon. As teams banded together over the last two-plus years to support each other and the communities they serve, many of the boundaries and expectations around work and life shifted. The societal impact of the pandemic has redefined expectations for work - and life - and brought us terms like the great resignation and quiet quitting. As we emerge from the acute phase of the pandemic, understanding how we can build sustainable, meaningful careers will be the difference. In this episode, Elisa Arespacochaga, AHA vice president of clinical affairs and workforce, sits down with Dr. Gaurava Agarwal, Chief Wellness executive for Northwestern Medicine, to talk about how he is building organizational well-being through sustainability.

Thanks for listening to the Advancing Health podcast! We hope you have found it useful and informative! As we wind up 2022 we wanted to re-release two of our most popular episodes from the last year. Advancing Health returns with new episodes in 2023. Until then we hope you and your family have a safe and wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year!

Happy holidays and thanks for listening to the Advancing Health podcast. We hope you have found it useful and informative! As we wind up 2022 we wanted to re-release two of our most popular episodes from the last year. Advancing Health returns with new episodes in 2023. Until then we hope you and your family have a safe and wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year!

Welcome to final episode of the American Hospital Association's special podcast series #JustLead, a look at how hospitals and health systems that have been recognized with AHA awards for innovation collaboration and health equity, are transforming healthcare to better serve their communities. Over the past few years the concept of equity in health care has increasingly been moving from words in an online mission statement into real steps and concrete actions taken by health care providers all across the country. The American Hospital Association's annual Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care award was established to recognize and salute outstanding efforts among hospitals systems to advance equity of care. In this podcast, Ashleigh Hargrave, Senior Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity at Novant Health in Winston Salem, North Carolina, sits down to discuss Novant Health's drive for health equity and its achievements.

The caregiver experience is one that’s deeply personal and unique. Understanding how to support caregivers means hearing their stories, and better understanding their needs and challenges, so that collaboratively-developed programs at the community level can support them. Nancy Myers, vice president of leadership system innovation at the American Hospital Association, leads this second episode of a four-part series of discussions on hospital and community partnerships that support family caregivers. In this episode, Nancy hears the personal story of caregiver Dale Harmon of Ventura, California, and talks to Janice Aharon-Ezer, clinical program manager at Ventura’s Community Memorial Health System, to understand how CMHS’s caregiver navigator program collaboratively supports Dale and others.

Caregiving for a family member or friend affected by a chronic or long-term health condition is an important public health issue affecting millions of people. As the need for family caregivers grows, it’s critical to understand and respond to the physical and mental health burdens they face. In this special Hospital-Community Partnership podcast series, Nancy Myers, vice president of leadership system innovation at the American Hospital Association, leads a four-part series of discussions on hospital and community partnerships to support family caregivers. In this episode, Nancy is joined by Maureen Hodge, high risk program manager, and Janice Aharon-Ezer, clinical program manager, both from Community Memorial Health System in Ventura, California. The discussion: defining the role of family caregiver, understanding caregiver needs and offering help.

“We want to make sure that every provider has the ability to protect itself and its patients, and not have to worry about budgets or funding to do the right thing.” Those words from a leading health care cybersecurity expert are music to the ears of hospital and health system leaders whose systems have been the target of criminal cybersecurity intrusions … both attempted and successful. So, how can providers achieve this higher level of safety from cyber-attacks? In this episode we are joined by Ed Gaudet, founder of Censinet, one of the AHA’s carefully vetted Preferred Cybersecurity Providers. Gaudet is an expert of many years in the field. In addition to leading his company, he is active on a government task force establish by “The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015” whose mission is to improve cybersecurity in health care. Along the way, Ed crossed paths with John Riggi, AHA’s National Advisor for Cybersecurity and Risk. In this podcast, John and Ed discuss how Censinet’s approach to cyber s

Welcome to the American Hospital Association special podcast series. #JustLead, a look at how hospitals and health systems that have been recognized with awards for innovation, collaboration and health equity are transforming health care to better serve their communities. Today we are joined by an honoree of the AHA 2022 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award, Jefferson Health in Philadelphia. Here to share their story with us is Dr. Sandra Brooks, executive vice president, chief community health officer and chief medical officer for the Center City Division at Jefferson Health. Carolyn Boone Lewis was a tireless advocate for equity in health care. She was also the first African-American and first hospital trustee to serve as board chair of the American Hospital Association. The ACA acknowledges her lasting contributions with the Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care award presented annually to recognize the outstanding efforts among hospitals and health care systems to advance equity of care to all patient

Ask a hospital patient to name their #1 wish, and most will say: “I wish I were home right now.” These days, as an increasing number of hospitals and health systems rethink their care delivery models, that wish is starting to come true. Many care providers these days are considering an acute hospital-at-home approach as one of the safest and one of the most effective care options for certain patients and conditions. As a result, the hospital-at-home care model is emerging as a promising and transformative approach to improve patient outcomes and experience. Join us to hear how Palomar Health’s transformational “Acute Hospital Care at Home Initiative” is delivering great care to select patients in the environment they like best: their own homes. Palomar’s clinical operations redesign was ready in just six months, and has already been granted waiver approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Guidehouse.

The nation’s population of older adults is increasing, but the system of emergency medicine isn’t optimally designed for their specific, complex and multi-layered needs. So what can the field do to better adapt to an aging population? Medical support frameworks for older adults remain inadequate, particularly in the emergency department. In today’s discussion about older adult care in the ED, Marie Cleary-Fishman, AHA’s vice president of clinical quality, is joined by Dr. Kevin Biese. Dr. Biese serves as the University of North Carolina Hospitals Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, as well as its Co-Director of the Division of Geriatric Emergency Medicine.