Becker's Hospital Review

18 2015 YEAR REVIEW in Dr. Larry Kaiser: e whole issue of consolidation in healthcare — in- cluding the pro- posed consolidation — has interested me. I think what we're seeing is sig- nificant consolida- tion on the provider side; hospitals are forming larger systems and acquiring larg- er physicians practices, and the same is happening on the part of the insurers as well as in the pharmaceutical industry. Consolidation and its ramifications among various players has been most fascinating. Dr. Margo Karsten: I think for me, [as a leader of ] an independent, county-owned hospital, [it] is stepping back and watch- ing the mergers [and] acquisitions that are happening and the consolidation of inde- pendent hospitals into multisystems and staying very curious on, "Is that the right approach to healthcare?" And I think it's too early to tell right now, but that's been fascinating to watch. Mike Kasper: It's actually the pend- ing mergers of Cig- na and Anthem and Humana and Aetna. It's very unique to see companies of that size coming to- gether. It's going to be fascinating to see how it plays out and what impact it has on local markets and the national landscape of healthcare finance. ey'll either be- come two bigger insurance companies or they'll find ways to work with partners and communities to be a part of helping health- care. No one knows which side of the coin these relationships will fall into. It'll cer- tainly be one of the most interesting stories in the coming years. "The pending mergers of Cigna and Anthem and Humana and Aetna." John J. (Jack) Lynch III: e whole healthcare system's reaction to Ebola fasci- nated me, and I think it brought out some of the best and some of the worst in health- care. e finger pointing, accusations and the assault on the healthcare industry as "not being prepared" were unjustified. When you look at the American hospitals' response, the preparation was intensive, especially for the major centers that were identified to care for patients. Or you look at the communities like ours that are near major airports where potential travelers at risk could have landed…e risk to care- givers in these communities was every bit as great as the risk of caregivers that were working at one of the major centers that could get a patient transferred. And, as an industry, we talk primarily about patient safety, and I think we all assume employ- ees know we care just as much about their safety. However, we used the Ebola crisis as an opportunity to underscore for our em- ployees and our medical staff that their safety was of equal concern. In many cases, we exceeded the CDC's recommendations to protect our patients and our employ- ees. So the level of preparation I witnessed — not just within my system but systems across the country — almost without re- spect for financial impact in training their staff, was remarkable. I was fascinated at how rapidly the country came together. I was also inspired by the bravery and commitment of the many clinicians and volunteers from the United States and around the world that made such great sacrifices by traveling to Africa to help care for patients and stop the spread of Ebola at its source. With that said, while Ebola had the potential to kill lots of people in the United States, the likelihood was remote. On the other hand, there are other medical risks in this country, such as the risk of flu, for example, that we do not spend as much time and attention on, but for which the mortality is far greater and is a reality for thousands of patients every year. Mary Lou Mastro: e recent papal vis- it to the United States was fascinating. Mil- lions of people followed Pope Francis as he toured the United States in September. He addressed the United Nations, U.S. Con- gress, U.S. Bishops, the POTUS, interfaith leaders, families of 9/11 victims, low-in- come students and many others along the way of his visit. He spoke openly on pover- ty, war, climate change, sexual abuse, arms trade, immigration and other politically and religiously charged topics. Although he could have been polarizing, he was able to appeal to the hearts and minds of so many. Pope Francis speaks of justice, for- giveness, peace and mercy, and he exudes humility. At the end of the day, it's his love for humanity that attracts people to him, and I find a message there for all of us. Joseph Mullany: e extreme weath- er disasters that oc- curred in 2015 — particularly the r e c o r d - b r e a k i n g wildfires in the Northwest, which cost the U.S Forest Service around $200 million a week to battle across the country during the summer. As healthcare providers, we have great compassion for those whose lives will be forever affected by those events and great admiration for the firefighters and all those who support families and emergency responders during natural disasters. Lynn Nicholas: e King v. Burwell debate before the Supreme Court, which was resolved in June. In the Com- monwealth of Mas- sachusetts we be- lieve strongly in the obligation to pro- vide healthcare coverage for all citizens, "The extreme weather disasters that occurred in 2015."

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