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.

That commitment to being always there and ready to care is being tested as hospitals and health systems navigate historic workforce shortages, broken supply chains, rapid inflation that has increased the cost of caring, and other severe financial pressures that could jeopardize access to care.
The AHA is committed to helping hospitals and health systems support their people today, prepare them for tomorrow and build a pathway for the future.
With fall in full swing, there are two easy steps that individuals can take to protect themselves and their families against illness – get a flu shot and get a COVID-19 vaccination or booster.
Forty-six days from now on Nov. 8 millions of Americans will cast their ballots and exercise their most sacred right – the right to vote.
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…
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.
This week’s observance of Labor Day reminds us of the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity and well-being. The millions of caregivers and team members at our hospitals and health systems are counted among the ranks of those who have worked hard to make our nation…
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.
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.
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.