AHA Stat Blog

When you talk with hospital and health system leaders about their biggest challenges and opportunities, one theme continues to be at the top of their list — workforce.

In order to achieve this mission, hospitals must remain financially viable. But for many hospitals and health systems that’s becoming increasingly difficult as they manage the aftermath and aftershocks of the most significant public health crisis in a century, all of which occurs against the backdrop of historic workforce shortages, broken supply chains, and rabid inflation that has increased the cost of caring.

As part of those efforts, we’ll be releasing radio spots that we recorded with state, metropolitan and regional hospital association executives this week and spotlighting case studies from hospitals describing the challenges they are facing.

UnidosUS honors Raul Yzaguirre for his life, legacy and commitment to equality for the Latino community. Hispanic Heritage Month, held annually from September 15 through October 15, celebrates the history, culture and legacy of the Hispanic and Latino communities in the United States.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month — a time for mental health advocates, community organizations, health care organizations and others to highlight resources and raise awareness of this stigmatized, and often taboo, topic.

This week’s observance of Labor Day reminds us of the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity and well-being.

Stress has always been present in our lives, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, it reached new levels for many groups of people.

On this episode, I talk with Julie Yaroch, D.O., president of ProMedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital in Adrian, Mich. Julie and I talk about the issues that rural hospitals face, including workforce shortages, increased costs of care, and an aging population.

Congress has headed home for its traditional August recess. That tradition began, by the way, as a sensible concession to Washington, D.C.’s steamy summer climate, long before central air conditioning came to Capitol Hill in 1938.

The work that hospitals and health systems are doing to improve the overall health of their communities is just as important as the work to treat injuries and diseases.

At this summer’s AHA Leadership Summit, senior health care executives, clinicians and experts shared state-of-the-art thinking on conquering the challenges facing our field and bold ideas for transforming health care in our country.

Situated in the heart of Westchester County and just outside of New York City, White Plains Hospital was among the first hospitals in New York to face the COVID-19 pandemic during the early days of 2020, back when there were many unknowns.

This is a confusing time in the public health emergency. Americans are thinking less about COVID-19 on a daily basis and many are eager to move on.

The AHA has long believed that tackling health disparities and promoting diversity within health care leadership are critical to ensuring high-quality care for all people.

One important learning from the two-and-a-half-year COVID-19 pandemic is that the public health emergency (PHE) waivers made an enormous difference for hospitals and health systems.

A Quality Leadership Roundtable that took place at the 2022 American Hospital Association Leadership Summit in San Diego. Hosted by the AHA Living Learning Network.

Remaining resilient as new variants of COVID-19 spread. Launching mobile health services to help ensure equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

Delaying and denying authorizations for medically necessary care. Forcing patients to try potentially ineffective treatments through step therapy, or “fail first” protocols that require patients to try and fail certain treatments before the insurer will authorize more costly treatments.

Like many hospitals and health systems across the nation, the AdventHealth Central Florida Division is experiencing a shortage of nurses. According to the Florida Hospital Association, the state could face a shortfall of nearly 60,000 nurses by 2035 if changes aren’t made in inspiring, recruiting and supporting nursing students and nurses.