- Florida: A coalition of six hospitals in Northeastern Florida—Brooks Rehabilitation, Baptist Health, Mayor Clinic, St. Vincent's HealthCare, and University of Florida Health—will offer free mental health intervention training to first responders. The training program, called Mental Health First Aid, is eight hours long. The group hopes 10,000 first responders, including firefighters and police, will complete the training over the next three years. Brooks Rehabilitation CEO Doug Baer said, "Our goal is to take the fear and hesitation out of the conversation about mental health by providing an action plan that teaches [people] how to safely intervene" (Moyer, News 4 Jacksonville, 1/27).
- Hawaii: State Sen. Josh Green (D) introduced a bill earlier this month that would classify homelessness as a medical condition. The hope is that eventually doctors would be able to write prescriptions for housing that would be funded by the state's Medicaid program. Green said paying for housing could actually save money because it could help cut down on frequent hospital visits among the homeless. "It is paradigm shift for sure," Green said (Associated Press/Modern Healthcare, 1/26).
- Washington, D.C.: American University (AU) has named former HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell as its first female president. Burwell joined HSS in 2014, just as the Affordable Care Act's insurance marketplaces were coming into effect, and she played a key role in the Obama administration's push to expand value-based care. Before serving as head of HSS, Burwell was the director of the Office of Management and Budget between 2013 and 2014. "My family and I are honored and excited to become a part of this vibrant AU community," Burwell said in a statement. "American University's distinctive mix of academic strengths, its influential scholars, engaged students, successful alumni, and extraordinary location are great assets" (Anderson, "Grade Point," Washington Post, 1/26; Hellmann, The Hill, 1/26; Adams, Roll Call, 1/26).
12 things CEOs need to know in 2017
The continued growth of the consumer-driven health care market threatens the durability of patient-provider relationships—and, at the same time, the push toward population health management and risk-based payment is greater than ever.
Hospitals and health systems must adopt a two-pronged strategy to respond to these pressures and serve both public payers and the private sector.
At the core of that strategy? A formula of accessible, reliable, and affordable care that wins consumer preferences and drives loyalty over time. Below, we share 12 key insights for senior executives working to create a consumer-focused health system.