Advancing Health

It has been well established that Patient and Family Advisory councils (PFACs) are an excellent way to capture the patient’s voice and perspective. These councils help health care institutions and providers to hear the voice of the patient, identify the needs of their patient population and bring patient and clinicians views closer together. In this four-part series we hear from leaders in this area and explore the important role of PFACs as hospitals navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. In today's episode Elisa Arespacochaga, AHA vice president of clinical affairs and workforce, sits down with Robyn Begley, AHA senior vice president and chief nursing officer, and Pamela Rudisill, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at Community Health Systems to discuss the value of nursing leadership in PFACs.

Today, in our final episode of our four-part series on Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs) Elisa Arespacochaga, AHA vice president of clinical affairs and workforce, sits down with Nicole Iarrobino, senior project administrator of Patient and Family Advisory Councils at John Hopkins Hospital and Health System to discuss how their PFACs helped to support their organizations through the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the final episode of this Members in Action podcast series, Julia Resnick, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the AHA, is speaking with Scott Hawig, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administration Officer at Froedtert and Paul Spencer, Vice-President of Managed Care and Revenue Cycle Services to learn how Froedtert in Wisconsin is consolidating bills from across the continuum of care to make the process more patient friendly.

In episode two of this Members in Action Podcast series, Julia Resnick, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the AHA, is speaking with Stephanie Schneider, Vice President for MedStar Georgetown Medical Center, and Susan Whitecotton, Vice President of Patient Financial Services and CBO at MedStar Health about how the Maryland based health system is creating a simpler billing experience for their patients.

Hospitals across the country are re-designing their billing process to improve the patient experience. The AHA will share resources designed to help hospitals to implement the AHA Patient Billing Guidelines. In this Members in Action podcast series, Julia Resnick, director of Strategic Initiatives at the AHA is speaking to Rob McMurray, Chief Financial Officer of ChristianaCare in Delaware. They will discuss how ChristianaCare is tailoring their billing approach to better meet the needs of their patients.

In this podcast John Riggi, Senior Advisor for Cybersecurity and Risk at the American Hospital Association, talks to two leading experts in the field of cybersecurity, Section Chief David Ring, FBI’s Cyber Engagement and Intelligence Section and Errol Weiss, Chief Security Officer at H-ISAC. David and Errol will discuss the latest ransomware attacks on hospitals as well as the partnership between H-ISAC, AHA, and the FBI to exchange cyber threat intel and to broadcast and amplify warnings.

In recognition of National Rural Health Day, John Supplitt, Sr. Director, AHA Rural Health Services is joined by 4 colleagues from AHA each of whom has a unique perspective on pathways to recovery and solutions to the challenges confronting rural health care providers and the communities they serve. Workforce, behavioral health, and maternal health are among the highest priorities of rural communities. Experts offer their insights and solutions with a special focus on the role of the hospital board in leading the effort.

Community Investment, otherwise known as place-based investment, helps create the social and physical environments that support community health over the long term. In the final episode of the series, Gary Yates, M.D., board of stewardship trustees at CommonSpirit Health discusses the community investment at CommonSpirit Health and the Board of Stewardship Trustees, including directing and championing their work and helping to develop measures and metrics to track progress. Learn more about this series at https://www.aha.org/center/population-health/community-investment-health/conversations

Community Investment, otherwise known as place-based investment, helps create the social and physical environments that support community health over the long term. In the fourth episode of the series Kevin Barnett, board of trustees of Trinity Health discusses Trinity Health and the Board of Trustees' community investment, including directing and championing their work and helping to develop measures and metrics to track progress. Learn more about this series at https://www.aha.org/center/population-health/community-investment-health/conversations

Community Investment, otherwise known as place-based investment, helps create the social and physical environments that support community health over the long term. In the third episode of the series, Ray Prushnok, executive director of UPMC Center for Social Impact, and Rob Koenig, senior director of strategy and operations at Boston Medical Center discuss both health systems participation in the Accelerating Investments for Healthy Communities initiative and their health system’s work with community partners to create and sustain community investment. Learn more about this series at https://www.aha.org/center/population-health/community-investment-health/conversations

Community Investment, otherwise known as place-based investment, helps create the social and physical environments that support community health over the long term. In this second episode of the series, Kendra Smith, vice president of community health at Bon Secours Mercy Health, and Sheryl Garland, chief of health impact at VCU Health System discuss the importance of aligning and integrating community investment strategies, authentically engaging the community, investing in local infrastructure and taking a longitudinal approach to this work and its impact. Learn more about this series at https://www.aha.org/center/population-health/community-investment-health/conversations

Community Investment, otherwise known as place-based investment, helps create the social and physical environments that support community health over the long term. In this first episode of the series, Doug Brown, CEO of UMass Memorial Community Hospitals, and chief administrative officer of UMass Memorial Health and Lillian Montoya, president and CEO, CHRISTUS St. Vincent Health discuss how the health systems are investing in their communities to address affordable housing, food insecurity and other priority needs to improve the health of individuals and communities and create sustainable change. Learn more about this series at https://www.aha.org/center/population-health/community-investment-health/conversations

In this Members in Action podcast featuring maternal and child health efforts, Aisha Syeda, program manager at the AHA is joined by leaders from Northwell Health. Dr. Viktor Klein is the System Director of Quality and Patient Safety for OBGYN at Northwell Health, and also the Vice Chairman of OBGYN at North Shore University Hospital and Dr. Adriann Combs is the Clinical Director and the Associate System Director of Quality and Patient Safety of the OB/GYN Quality & Patient Safety Dept at Northwell. Drs. Klein and Combs will share how launching the Maternal Outcomes and Morbidity or MOMs Collaborative has increased awareness of maternal health complexities, and reduce disparities in maternal care.

The AHA’s Hospitals Against Violence initiative and the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety partnered to create resources for health and security leaders on how to build safer workplaces. In this podcast, Laura Castellanos AHA associate director and HAV lead, Erik Martin, R.N., chief nursing officer of Norton Children’s Hospital, and Connie Packard, chief of public safety at Boston Medical Center, IAHSS vice president and treasurer, discuss the collaboration, resources and what steps leaders can take to create safety and improve patient care.

There are 16 critical infrastructure sectors whose assets, systems, and networks, whether physical or virtual, that are considered so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination thereof. One of the 16 sectors is the Healthcare and Public Health Sector. In this podcast, John Riggi, senior advisor for cybersecurity and risk at the AHA, speaks with three government officials covering HHS’s cyber threat intelligence and risk components to highlight how HHS and health sector partnerships support national cybersecurity.

Joining Aisha Syeda, program manager at the AHA is Dr. Nirmaljit Dhami, the medical director of the inpatient perinatal psychiatry at El Camino Health; and Dr. Alpa Shah, director of the Perinatal Mental Health Clinic at Marshfield Clinic Health System. Each of them will share their work to reduce the prevalence and impact of maternal mental health illness such as depression and anxiety.

In today’s challenging health care environment, patients, employees, caregivers and visitors expect a positive and consistent experience. Yet oftentimes, different service delivery models related to dining and environmental services exist within the same hospital or health system. Systemness, or the ability to provide a consistent experience for all stakeholders, has become a priority, as health care providers look to create environments and processes for greater continuity across their facilities.

AHA Board Chair Rod Hochman, M.D., is joined by Fritz Francois, M.D., chief medical officer at New York University Langone Health. They discuss emergency preparedness, caregiver resiliency and health equity — all through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this podcast, Rebecca Chickey, senior director of field engagement, behavioral health services of the AHA is speaking with Dr. Glenn N. Saxe, about trauma…new traumatic events seem to be happening every day – a treatment for the impact of trauma, call trauma informed care, and opportunities for hospitals to lead in improving access to this important type of behavioral health treatment. Dr. Saxe is director of the NYU Center for Child Welfare Practice Innovation. He also directs the Trauma Systems Therapy Training Center; Professor of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry; Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Child Study Center; New York, NY.

America’s hospitals and health systems are at risks of attacks that threaten the bio-economy. How do these threats affect patients and citizens and what we can do about it to help reduce risks? We are very privileged to have as our guest today, FBI supervisory special agent Edward You. You, a former colleague of John Riggi, our senior advisor for cybersecurity and risk at the AHA. You is a highly accomplished 17 year veteran of the FBI and one of the nation’s leading experts on threats to the bio-economy. In this podcast, they discuss their work defending hospitals and health systems against high impact ransomware attacks and cyber espionage campaigns.