Wednesday, February 2, 2011
And So We've Come to the End
11:37 AM | Posted by
Matthew
The 24th Annual Rural Health Care Leadership Conference is over and it was a good one. We covered a range of topics vital to the survival of rural hospitals: health IT, accountable care, reimbursement, governance and so much more. Here are some closing thoughts:
• Marty Fattig, CEO of Nemaha County Hospital in Auburn, Neb., said rurals are going to have a hard time getting their hands around accountable care organizations. Jamie Orlikoff's comments about "why an ACO" notwithstanding (see the post below), several CEOs echoed Fattig's thoughts that rurals will be challenged to figure out how they can participate in an ACO.
• David Blumenthal cares. As Stephen Stewart, CIO at Henry County Health Center in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, told me: the fact that Blumenthal came here to deliver a keynote address spoke volumes. Now, he may not have delivered the message folks wanted to hear—that ONC would relax timelines and criteria for rurals—but he came and he listened. The question is: will any of the factors unique to rural hospitals be reflected in the next phases of meaningful use regulations?
• It's all about quality. From Blumenthal to Orlikoff, speakers here noted that patient-centered quality care must become the central business imperative for health care providers.
• Change and leadership: More than 480 rural hospital executives and trustees came to Phoenix this week. It's a record attendance for this excellent meeting. And many came to learn new ways of guiding their institutions through the massive changes that are coming down the round. Session after session highlighted that leaders need to inspire their organization to be innovative, creative and proactive.
So, that's it from chilly Phoenix. I know, I won't get much sympathy from my family and colleagues back in the Windy City, or those of you on the East Coast, but hey, it's barely 40 degrees here today. Hopefully, it will warm up by March, because the way things look now, I won’t be able to get back to Chicago until then. Or, maybe I'll just stick around until next year's meeting.
• Marty Fattig, CEO of Nemaha County Hospital in Auburn, Neb., said rurals are going to have a hard time getting their hands around accountable care organizations. Jamie Orlikoff's comments about "why an ACO" notwithstanding (see the post below), several CEOs echoed Fattig's thoughts that rurals will be challenged to figure out how they can participate in an ACO.
• David Blumenthal cares. As Stephen Stewart, CIO at Henry County Health Center in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, told me: the fact that Blumenthal came here to deliver a keynote address spoke volumes. Now, he may not have delivered the message folks wanted to hear—that ONC would relax timelines and criteria for rurals—but he came and he listened. The question is: will any of the factors unique to rural hospitals be reflected in the next phases of meaningful use regulations?
• It's all about quality. From Blumenthal to Orlikoff, speakers here noted that patient-centered quality care must become the central business imperative for health care providers.
• Change and leadership: More than 480 rural hospital executives and trustees came to Phoenix this week. It's a record attendance for this excellent meeting. And many came to learn new ways of guiding their institutions through the massive changes that are coming down the round. Session after session highlighted that leaders need to inspire their organization to be innovative, creative and proactive.
So, that's it from chilly Phoenix. I know, I won't get much sympathy from my family and colleagues back in the Windy City, or those of you on the East Coast, but hey, it's barely 40 degrees here today. Hopefully, it will warm up by March, because the way things look now, I won’t be able to get back to Chicago until then. Or, maybe I'll just stick around until next year's meeting.
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