Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/370870
Register Today! Becker's Hospital Review CIO and CEO Strategy Roundtables - Nov. 4 and 5, 2014 - Chicago 62 Dr. Makary is known for exposing failings of the healthcare system from within, pointing out problems with both the system as a whole and also with physicians themselves. "We need to change the culture of medicine," Dr. Makary said in an interview with ProPublica, noting that near- ly half of medical care does not follow evidence- based protocols 15. Larry Merlo Larry J. Merlo has been the CEO of CVS Care- mark since March 2011. CVS has been open- ing walk-in retail health clinics or MinuteClin- ics across the country. While some consider the openings of these clinics to be at the expense of family practices and other independent physi- cians, others contend the clinics provide more convenient and accessible care. Furthermore, CVS Caremark reportedly has the greatest disparity between CEO pay and the me- dian wage of its employees among the highest- grossing companies in the U.S. Supporters of CVS, however, have applauded their new cigarette ban, which discontinues all tobacco sales at all of their retail locations. 16. President Barack Obama President Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, has been heavily involved in controversial healthcare legislation throughout his presidency. He spearheaded the passage of the PPACA, which may have helped many uninsured individuals find health insurance, but also en- raged many payers and providers with its lack of effectiveness and efficiency. His health reforms also created the state health insurance exchanges, a sort of marketplace for patients to find payers. In addition to the PPACA, there has been the on- going scandal at the Department of Veterans Affairs concerning a report that confirmed allegations of long wait times and false record keeping resulting in the resignation of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. Currently, the Obama administration and federal government are working to resolve the issues in the report and improve veteran healthcare. 17. Neal Patterson Neal Patterson is the founder, CEO and chairman of the board of Kansas City, Mo.-based Cerner. Neal Patterson is best know for building Cerner into a leading multibillion-dollar company and being a hard charging, no holds barred executive leader. Mr. Patterson's company is in the midst of court- ordered arbitration in Kansas after a rural hospi- tal system sued the company in 2010. In addition to the arbitration, Cerner paid a settlement of $106 million to Trinity Medical Center in Minot, N.D., in March, to resolve allegations that the pur- chased software didn't function as promised. In 2001, Mr. Patterson made headlines after a no- torious office memo he sent went viral. The memo included threats of layoffs, hiring freezes and the shutdown of the employee gym. The memo also suggested that managers "[did] not CARE" or know what their "EMPLOYEES" were doing. He also threatened that "hell [would] freeze over" be- fore he gave out more employee benefits. 18. Nancy Pelosi Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader (D-Calif.), a well-known supporter of the PPACA, was ini- tially criticized for a controversial remark at the 2010 Legislative Conference for the National As- sociation of Counties. At the conference Rep., Pe- losi was cited as saying, "But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of controversy," which sparked out- rage all over the country about government over- reach and political arrogance. However, many of Rep. Pelosi's supporters felt the statement was taken out of context and that her true intentions lied in showing the country what the bill actually entailed versus the speculation and controversies sought out by the media. She has further defended the PPACA and Presi- dent Obama regarding a wave of health insur- ance policy cancellations. Many felt the new legislation was directly at fault for the cancella- tions, and Rep. Pelosi expressed that the Presi- dent took more blame than he should have. She made a point to say that "the law does not demand that all of these cancellations go out," but that the insurance companies are making