Hospitals continue to face multiple challenges, Irving-based Vizient Inc. said in a policy briefing this week to more than 50 congressional staff and other healthcare shareholders at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C.
The briefing, titled “Provider Pressures Persist: Hospitals’ Struggles Against Financial, Workforce and Supply Chain Strains,” focused on how hospitals are responding to mounting pressures while continuing to provide essential community benefits.
“Hospitals have faced some of the most difficult challenges in history over the last couple of years, and despite federal efforts, they continue to grapple with severe financial obstacles driven by inflation and ongoing workforce issues,” Margaret Steele, SVP, Med/Surg, GPO Services & Delivery for Vizient, said in a statement. “It’s imperative that we understand the threats facing hospitals and what they anticipate in the path ahead as they remain deeply committed to meeting the needs of patients.”
Policy discussion featured key U.S. hospital leaders
Steele moderated the policy discussion with a panel of key hospital leaders including Dr. Raghu Adiga, MD, President & CEO, Liberty Hospital; Jack Lynch III, FACHE, President & CEO, Main Line Health; Dr. Peter Newcomer, MD, MMM, SVP & Chief Clinical Officer, UW Health; and Allison Rogers, Chief Strategy Officer, Ballad Health.
The panel outlined the myriad shared risks their hospitals are facing, including decreased reimbursements from payers, inflationary pressures, and persistent workforce shortages, Vizient said.
Despite the challenges, Vizient said that these providers, and others, are committed to patient care and delivering critical community benefits.
The panelists focused on enhancing primary care access, providing clinical education, initiatives to support maternal health and reduce health disparities, and supporting patient access to care via hospital-at-home programs and rural healthcare facility investments.
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