Redefining the H

As I have blogged previously, at the end of January I had the opportunity to speak at the American Hospital Association's Board Retreat.  The title of the retreat was "Redefining the H.”  As Rich Umbdenstock, President and CEO of AHA explained, "that big H on those blue and white signs denoting "Hospital" always carried the promise of help, hope and healing; the hospital of the future will continue to extend that promise but in new ways by improving quality while lowering cost.”  

Prior to my presentation, Rick said that the environment in which hospitals are operating is extraordinarily challenging, but by becoming proactive rather than reactive and keeping people healthy, by moving care out of the hospital and into the communities, by increasing the use of medical and information technologies and by using / applying evidence-based practices to better manage all illnesses more effectively, hospitals will continue to meet their commitment to their respective communities.  

His opening was a great lead in for my presentation on our transition to value-based care delivery and the success that WMHS has achieved through the Total Patient Revenue demonstration project that is now the standard in Maryland health care delivery.  As WMHS has successfully demonstrated, we are still there providing care under that big H in the Emergency Room 24 / 7, in our operating rooms that are still fully staffed and equipped, and in our heart program that remains one of the best in the state and the patient is now at the center of everything that we do through the Perfect Circle of Care.  But, we have also transitioned well ahead of the rest of the hospitals across the U.S. by delivering care in the most appropriate location, whether it's in the home, in a skilled nursing facility, in an outpatient clinic or a physician's office.  We have demonstrated that the big H is more about the delivery of care under a value-based approach rather than a building, a nice new hospital building that is now only one component of our new coordinated system of care.