Becker's Hospital Review

25 25 CEO/STRATEGY AHA applauds hospitals' efforts to cut health costs, challenges other stakeholders to do same By Leo Vartorella I n a prominent advertisement in the July 26 issue of The Wall Street Journal, the American Hospital Association assured readers that while they may be frustrated with the rising price of healthcare, hospitals and health systems are doing all they can to curb costs. Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the AHA, said providers are rethinking even the most fundamental assumptions of care to "redefine the H" and deliver the most affordable care possible. "Unlike drug companies, hospitals and health systems have successfully tapped the brakes on price hikes," wrote Mr. Pollack. "They have managed to slow price growth to under 2 percent during each of the last four years despite an increased demand for emergency care due to major natural disasters and epidemics." Here are four steps he said hospitals and health systems are taking to improve value for patients: 1. Redesigning delivery systems. Hospitals are coor- dinating with physicians and clinics to create a more or- ganized continuum of care in order to reduce errors and redundant procedures. Mr. Pollack cited Houston-based Memorial Hermann's ACO, which he said has saved more than $200 million over three years in the Medicare Shared Savings Program. 2. Improving quality and outcomes. Mr. Pollack said greater access to coordinated care outside the hospital helps lower costs for patients and improve their outcomes. 3. Embracing new reimbursement models. Mr. Pollack said the increasing acceptance of bundled payments is just one example of the efforts hospitals are making to em- brace alternative payment models. 4. Leveraging technology. Not only are hospitals combin- ing new technologies and community resources to maxi- mize well-being, they're using technology to deliver care to underserved communities. "Hospitals and health systems are trimming spending while improving patient outcomes. It's time for other healthcare stakeholders to do the same," Mr. Pollack wrote. n Adventist Health System changes name By Alyssa Rege A ltamonte Springs, Fla.-based Adventist Health Sys- tem revealed plans Aug. 14 to rebrand its nearly 50 hospitals to become a single consumer-centric, identifiable organization. The system's facilities and care sites will adopt the name AdventHealth and a new logo beginning Jan. 2, 2019. Officials said the goal of the rebranding effort is to help patients and consumers more easily distinguish the sys- tem's care locations. "We are transforming to be a more consumer-focused healthcare system to better meet the needs of those we care for and the communities we serve," said Terry Shaw, president and CEO of Adventist Health System. "Becoming AdventHealth allows us to be a fully inte- grated and distinguishable health system across all as- pects of the care continuum, while also speaking to our Christian healing ministry, message of wholeness and our rich Seventh-day Adventist roots." The organization spent eight months preparing to re- brand. Officials said they plan to implement a television and print ad campaign in various markets nationwide discussing the change. Alterations to facilities' signage and logos, excluding the system's joint-venture loca- tions, will take place in January. n Amazon's newest hire is a top cardiologist from Mass General By Julie Spitzer R enowned cardiologist Maulik Majmudar, MD, is joining Ama- zon as the tech giant continues its push into the health sector, CNBC reports. Dr. Majmudar tweeted his decision to join Amazon Aug. 20. He previ- ously served as a cardiologist and associate director of the healthcare transformation lab at Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital and lectured at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. It's not clear which team he will be joining, as Amazon has numerous health-related efforts, but Dr. Majmudar called his new post an "ex- citing and challenging role." Some of Dr. Majmudar's work could be with Amazon's Grand Challenges team, a research and development group working on various projects including medical records and telemedicine, CNBC suggests. Other tech companies, like Alphabet's life sciences arm Verily and Facebook, have recently snagged heart health experts. "is is a fascinating move that signals how all the big tech players, like Amazon, Google and Apple, understand that the most prevalent disease in the world is heart disease," Vic Gundotra, CEO of AliveCor, a heart health technology company, told CNBC. "It's one of the great- est places where technology can have an impact, in diagnosing and screening for these diseases." n

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