Rick Pollack, President and CEO, AHA

Rick Pollack Perspective 900x400 12-2023

Articles

Advocacy & Public Policy, Medicare, Medical Education/Teaching Hospitals, Post-Acute Care, Telehealth, Medicare Advantage, Metropolitan Anchor Hospital (MAH)

As Congress convenes for its post-election lame-duck session, we are turning up the pressure to secure additional support for hospitals and the patients and communities they serve. We need to put on a full-court press — and that includes all of us reaching out to our senators and representatives — to urge them to include a number of key priorities in a year-end spending package.

Leadership, Workforce

For more than 400 years, we have paused each fall to give thanks. We do so during good times and bad because most years bring a mixture of both.

This year, our world, our nation and our field face many difficult challenges. But that’s why it’s so important that we take the time to express our gratitude for the many things we are thankful for. This includes the amazing work that hospitals and health systems do — every minute of every hour of every day of the year — to advance health in America.

Veteran Hiring, Recognition and Awards

The news is filled daily with accounts of conflict around the globe … notably Russia’s war against Ukraine, but other potential clashes bubble near the surface, such as military action by China against Taiwan, or a North Korean missile aimed at Japan.

We cannot know for sure what this unsettled era will bring. But we do know that we are blessed with the strongest, bravest and best-trained guardians a nation can have: the individuals who wear the military uniform of the United States of America.

Cybersecurity

The health care field continues to be a top target for cybercriminals. According to data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), there has been an 84% increase in the number of data breaches against health care organizations from 2018-2021, with 324 reported in the first half of 2022 alone.