AHA Stat Blog

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by Shannon Guzman
The AARP’s Livability Index acts as a useful tool for health care organizations and communities working on innovative, place-based solutions that improve health outcomes for all, writes Shannon Guzman, senior strategic policy advisor at the AARP Public Policy Institute.
by Melinda L. Estes, M.D.
When physicians bring those same clinical skills and perspectives into leadership roles, it often leads to healthier patients and thriving hospitals and health systems. With that in mind, two years ago the AHA launched its AHA Physician Alliance to help hospitals more effectively partner with physicians.
by Rick Pollack
AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack provides perspective on Medicaid and details potential cuts to the program which threaten millions of America’s most vulnerable patients.
by Andy Shin
Health care can borrow from the startup playbook, embrace new mindsets and leverage the ingenuity and compassion that define our field’s connection to purpose, writes Andy Shin, chief operating officer for the AHA Center for Health Innovation.
by Jay Bhatt, D.O.
America’s hospitals and health systems stand ready to identify, isolate and treat those who may have been exposed to the Wuhan coronavirus.
by Melinda L. Estes, M.D.
Rural hospitals are community strongholds, serving as the key point of care for nearly 20% of Americans.
by Melinda Hatton, by Aaron Wesolowski - AHA Vice President of Policy, Research, Analytics and Strategy, by Benjamin Finder
Hospital mergers are worth discussing, but too often the criticism is far from rigorous and is more like an echo chamber where critics cite those with whom they agree and ignore inconvenient facts that show how the hospital field continues provide quality care in their communities.
by Rick Pollack
American Hospital Association President and CEO Rick Pollack outlines the steps that leaders of hospitals and health systems should take to prepare for the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
by Melinda Hatton, by Aaron Wesolowski - AHA Vice President of Policy, Research, Analytics and Strategy, by Benjamin Finder
Chief among the flaws in the most recent study on hospital consolidation published in the New England Journal of Medicine was that its conclusions were informed by preconceived notions of what the authors thought the data should show, which was then undermined further by the arbitrary choices made in comparing hospitals. Unfortunately, the media, once again, failed to closely examine the conclusions, in many instances exaggerating or misrepresenting the findings to manufacture attention-grabbing headlines.
AHA General Counsel Melinda Hatton writes that recent suggestions by FTC officials that the agency intends to challenge every hospital merger in the pipeline and antipathy toward Certificates of Public Advantage are troubling on a number of levels.
by Sean Thornton
During the yearlong Hospital Community Cooperative pilot program, 10 hospital and community organization teams achieved 300 sustainable community health improvement outputs and promoted health equity. Learn more about the HCC’s initial success as the program grows in 2020.
by Jay Bhatt, D.O.
In this AHA Stat Blog, Jay Bhatt, D.O., AHA senior vice president and chief medical officer, discusses a new Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant awarded to AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity.
by Melinda L. Estes, M.D.
America’s health care workers are a special group of people.
by Rick Pollack
AHA released its 2020 Environmental Scan which offers an overview of the trends, statistics and economic forecasts likely to affect patients and providers at every level of care.
by Jay Bhatt, D.O., by Vice Admiral Jerome M. Adams, M.D
U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Jerome Adams, M.D., and Jay Bhatt, D.O., AHA senior vice president and chief medical officer, write that American maternal health must improve, and they outline actions health care leaders should take to improve outcomes.
by Maryjane Wurth
Maryjane Wurth, AHA executive vice president and chief operating officer, shares strategies and insights gleaned from last week’s J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco.
by Tom Nickels
Tom Nickels, AHA executive vice president, responds to a PhRMA-funded study that attempts to deflect blame for a growing crisis of their own making – the skyrocketing costs of drugs.
by Rick Pollack
“Human trafficking exists all around us.” That’s a quote from Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar during his visit to Atlanta this week to meet with human trafficking victims.
by Andrew Jager
A new thought leadership video series highlights key takeaways to create and sustain a culture of transformational performance improvement at health care organizations, writes Andrew Jager, director, population health, at the AHA Center for Health Innovation.
by Melinda L. Estes, M.D.
Health care professionals are driven by heart. They are energized by a challenge to improve the lives of others. And they are dedicated to always doing what’s best for our patients. This mission has fueled me throughout my career, and it’s the reason I’m looking forward to working with all of you during my year as chair of the AHA Board of Trustees.