This article makes the point that with the Supreme Court's decision to not overturn the Patient Protection and Affordable Care act (Obamacare), hospitals are now freed up to move quickly to prepare for new payment and delivery models. The issue however, is that smaller community hospitals do not have the existing infrastructure to transform their organization quickly. Here is a recap of the challenges that these hospitals face:
1. Community hospitals have a challenge with their revenue cycle
With Medicare reimbursement levels on the decline, community hospitals serve a higher level of Medicare and Medicaid patients. These hospitals may suffer more that hospitals with a privately insured patient load. Another good point made is that the smaller, community based hospitals often don't have the same clout as larger hospitals, and this negatively effects their ability to negotiate the best rates from managed care providers.
2. Community hospitals have a challenge with access to capital
3. Community hospitals have a challenge with physician recruitment
4. Community hospitals have a challenge with hospital-physician alignment
The article then presents 6 immediate actions community hospitals can take to tackle these challenges:
6 Immediate actions:
- Optimize internal operations Before looking externally for support, community hospitals should assess their internal operations and optimize efficiency.
- Benchmark performance Community hospitals can improve efficiency and increase savings by bench-marking performance against similar hospitals. Comparing clinical data can help hospitals identify opportunities for improvement and spur change
- Assess feasibility of independence After a community hospital makes as many internal improvements as possible, it should assess the feasibility of remaining independent. The ability of a community hospital to remain independent depends on many factors, such as the size of the patient population and competition in the area.
- Consider forming new relationships If internal improvements are not sufficient to compete in the marketplace, community hospitals should consider forming relationships with other organizations to help meet the demands of high quality and low cost.
- Ensure board involvement The future success of community hospitals also depends on the involvement of their board of directors and/or trustees. In fact, the board's engagement with the hospital administration and medical staff may be a determining factor in the hospital's ability to survive healthcare reform.
- Collaborate with physicians Community hospital leaders need to commit to a collaborative relationship with physicians to improve quality and cost efficiency. One way Great Plains Regional Medical Center builds a positive relationship between hospital executives and physicians is by including physicians in leadership positions. The hospital's bylaws require the board to include two physicians elected by the medical staff as well as the chief of staff and vice chief of staff, who are both physicians. Currently, physicians account for roughly one-third of the hospital's board. Involving physicians in the hospital's governance ensures they have a voice in the hospital's strategic decisions.
By knowing the challenges that medical facilities have...in particular community hospitals, our unique medical recruiting approach can be tailored with these challenges in mind. We can help your community hospital find the right fit and we can work with the candidate to allow them to see the great benefits of working at your institution!
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