Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/912958
23 23 CEO/STRATEGY Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove: Healthcare to Undergo 'Total Restructuring' to Accommodate Shift in Payment Models By Alyssa Rege C leveland Clinic President and CEO Toby Cosgrove, MD, said during an Oct. 23 panel discussion the health- care industry will have to completely restruc- ture the way it works in order to effectively transition from a fee-for-service model to a value-based payment system, Crain's Cleve- land Business reports. Dr. Cosgrove and CMS Administrator Seema Verma spoke as part of a panel at the Cleve- land Clinic's 15th annual Medical Innovation Summit taking place from Oct. 23 through Oct. 25 in downtown Cleveland. During the discussion, Dr. Cosgrove said the transition in payment models will hopefully allow providers to care for more patients and improve the quality of care. "I think as [the industry transitions] we're go- ing to see the quality improve, we're going to see the cost come down, and hopefully that will allow us to look aer more and more people across the United States. But this is an enormous transition; we've been at it now nine years, and we're just beginning to see the effects of this," Dr. Cosgrove said. Dr. Cosgrove and Ms. Verma spoke for rough- ly an hour about the rising cost of healthcare, the use of EMRs as a communication tool, and the potential repeal and replacement of the ACA, among other topics, the report states. Regarding a potential repeal and replacement plan for the ACA, Dr. Cosgrove said Con- gress will have to be more flexible about the ideas put forth by either side and come to an agreement on a single plan that will benefit all Americans. "We don't want 50 different healthcare pro- grams across the country. Ultimately, we need to experiment, we need to figure out what we can do well and get it applied across the coun- try in an even-handed way so that you're not going to have people moving from one state to another simply for their healthcare," Dr. Cosgrove said. n Jefferson Health Announces Job Cuts By Ayla Ellison P hiladelphia-based Jefferson Health is eliminat- ing less than 1 percent of its 30,000-person workforce. Jefferson Health has significantly expanded its footprint over the past three years, growing from a three-hospital sys- tem to a 30-hospital organization. In addition to expanding its network, Jefferson Health is also focused on streamlining operations and has identified positions that are no longer needed due to technology advancement or integration. "Our growth, along with the changes in technology, healthcare and education, present Jefferson with the op- portunity and the responsibility to effectively manage lim- ited resources," said Stephen K. Klasko, MD, president and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health. "This ongoing process has identified staffing reductions, representing less than 1 percent of our workforce." Jefferson Health will offer affected employees retraining through the Jefferson Institute of Emerging Health Pro- fessions, and human resources teams in each division will give these individuals priority when reviewing resumes for open positions. Regarding the workforce reduction, Scott Becker, pub- lisher of Becker's Hospital Review, said, "Steve Klasko is a judicious, smart leader doing all he can to minimize the pain of workforce adjustments." n Freestanding ER Operators Want Google to Find Out Who Left Them 22 Bad Online Reviews By Ayla Ellison T wo Dallas-based freestanding emergency room op- erators — Highland Park Emergency Room and Pres- ton Hollow Emergency Room — filed a joint petition Oct. 17 in Dallas County District Court seeking to find out who left them 22 negative online reviews, according to The Dallas Morning News. The ER operators are seeking the full names of the Goo- gle reviewers because they claim the individuals who rat- ed them poorly were never treated in their facilities. They allege a third party gave them one-star ratings and posted negative comments "to defame and disparage" their busi- nesses, according to the report. The ER operators have the reviewers' screen names but want Google to provide their identities as well as metadata to assist with the investigation. Although few healthcare organizations have filed lawsuits over negative online reviews, the legal route may become more common as patients increasingly use the web to re- search their physicians and medical facilities, according to the report. n