Perspective

Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association, standing in front of the AHA seal and a United States flag.

Perspective is a weekly blog from Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association, that explores the most important issues facing hospitals and health systems.

For the 57 million Americans who live in rural areas, their hospital is the lifeblood of the community.
Violence in health care settings should never be accepted as “part of the job.”
For many people, choosing an MA plan is a life-changing event and a significant act of trust, counting on the payer they selected to provide the pre-agreed upon coverage for either current medical needs or those that may arise.
As congressional leaders continue to hammer out annual spending bills ahead of the Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 deadlines to fund various agencies, a number of important issues affecting hospitals and health systems are being considered.
As we welcome a new year, this is a good time to examine the health care landscape ahead as we work to ensure Congress fully appreciates how hospitals and health systems need its support to continue delivering high-quality patient care to their constituents and communities.
Despite significant and ongoing challenges this year, hospitals and health systems can be proud of the job they do each and every day to care for our families, our friends and our neighbors.
Even prior to the pandemic, the biggest questions facing health care providers were: Where is our field headed? And, how can we continue to innovate and transform to deliver the best possible patient care in a fast-changing future?
To support and advance those efforts, the AHA recently launched a new Patient Safety Initiative that seeks to energize all the work already underway and reaffirm hospital and health system leadership and commitment to patient safety.
From all of us at the American Hospital Association, best wishes for a happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving.