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954-964-1660

A message from our President

As an Industry, Are We

Doing Enough?

First, some good news! Fitch’s
Ratings report was recently released EVENTS
and for the first time since 2016,
nonprofit hospitals saw improving November 4
operating margins. This is good 27th Annual Golf
news because nonprofit hospitals Tournament at Lago Mar
Country Club
tend to be smaller in size, less able to
negotiate for more favorable rates, November 12
and are also less able to reduce their SFHHA Academic Talks
costs of operation. FIU Main Campus
Even with this good news, hospi-
tals need to remain diligent and con- December 5
tinue to discover how to provide 5:30 – 8:30 pm
Jaime Caldwell services in a cost effective manner. Annual Meeting and Dinner
This challenge becomes more signif- Signature Grand
icant as we see new entrants coming into the healthcare provider
market.
I am an avid reader of The Keckley Report and I had my eyes opened when reading Paul’s discussion
and, in particular, his quote that, “the public’s views about healthcare are poorly informed but strongly
held.”
Paul discusses two themes that seem to be forming. The first that insurance coverage is some proxy
for healthcare access and, second, that the healthcare delivery landscape is changing, new players are
entering market, and that outside investors are playing a larger role in providing healthcare.
In support of his themes he cites the positions being taken by the Democratic presidential candidates
ranging from Medicare for All to fixing the Affordable Care Act and recent elections in North Carolina
where access to healthcare insurance played a major role in the candidate’s positions.
He also cited recent U.S. Census Bureau report that Americans without health insurance increased to 27.5 million, an eight percent increase in 2018.
Paul rightly so then talked about the fact that the mere presence of health insurance does not insure access, In fact, with narrow networks and reduced provider networks, you
aren’t guaranteed that you can see your physician or go to your hospitals of choice.
Paul then talked about Walmart’s opening their first primary care clinic, CVS, Walgreens, and Amazon’s foray into the provision of healthcare. He also talked about the increasing
number of physicians that are partnering with investment firms to purchase large portions of their specialty practices.
The take on this article is that the American public is not informed about these nuances in healthcare and as a result they make choices that are not necessarily in their best
interests. He calls on the healthcare industry to do more to “fill the gap in their understanding so purchases, choices, and votes are based on facts and objectivity.”
In this day of social media, so many users are dependent on getting their information in small bites and, many of those bites, from dubious sources. Healthcare providers must
use any avenue available to them to get the word out that fills in those so called “gaps.”

2019 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ann nual M
Meeting g
CHAIRMAN: David Wagner, Kindred South Florida Market CEO
VICE CHAIR: Mark Doyle, Chief Executive Officer, Memorial Hospital Pembroke
D
dDinner
SECRETARY: William "Bill" Duquette, Chief Executive Officer, South Miami Hospital an nd Di
TREASURER: Charles Felix, Publisher, South Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR: Lincoln Mendez, Chief Executive Officer, Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Baptist Health South Florida
AT-LARGE: Ben Riestra, Chief Administrative Officer, UHealth’s Lennar Foundation Medical Center
AT-LARGE: Joel Wherley, Chief Operating Officer, VITAS
AT-LARGE: Maria Currier, Partner, Holland & Knight, LLP
Doug Bartel, MBA Michael Gittelman Gino Santorio H N O R IN G
HO
Sr. Director of Business Development, Media Chief Executive Officer Chief Executive Officer
and External Relations University of Miami Hospital and Clinics Broward Health P I L L I H S I OE T ERS
Florida Blue

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o t
Patricia Greenberg Jared Smith Co ng ra t t B l u t io r o f s i l l
Phi
Wael Barsoum, M.D. President Chief Executive Officer 30 a e y ar s n u f o w e v a ring
Chief Executive Officer National Healthcare Associates Broward Health Coral Springs p u s p p a t r o nd r e s vic e
o
Cleveland Clinic Hospital o t o r u as n o i t a i c o s

c

m

Brian Keeley Patrick Taylor, MD a nd o m u nit . y

Grisel Fernandez-Bravo President & CEO Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer Baptist Health South Florida Holy Cross Hospital
Memorial Hospital Miramar
Ralph A. Marrinson, NHA, FACHA Steven Ullmann
Kevin Conn President Director
Regional Vice President of Operations Marrinson Group University of Miami Health Policy Sig gnature Gr rand Davie
Encompass Health Management
Charles Michelson 6900 W. Stat te Road 84
Darcy Davis Partner Ana M. Viamonte Ros, M.D. Davie, Florida a | 3331 7
Chief Executive Officer Saltz Michelson Architects Medical Director for Palliative Care For any qu s e tions pl leas e
e
Health Care District of Palm Beach County and Bioethics contact Ste phanie Foy: December r5, 201 9
2019
December r 5
foy@sfhha
Aristides (Ardy) Pallin Baptist Health South Florida s f @ fhha.com
Aurelio M. Fernandez III Chief Operating Officer or call 954.964 4.1660 Cocktail l Reception & Reg gistration 5:30-6:30 P M
e
President & CEO Catholic Health Services Jonathan Watkins To pu urchas e ticke ts or to b come Dinner 6:3 30-8 P M
Memorial Healthcare System Chief Executive Officer a spons or vis it www.s ha.
fhh com
Michael Roffelson Broward Health Imperial Point
Chief Executive Officer,
- 15 | Dania Beach h I FL I 33004 I 9
Encompass Health – Sunrise w w w .SF FHHA. c om I 185 5 G Griffin R oad, Suit e A-4 54.964. 1660
South Florida Hospital News southfloridahospitalnews.com November 2019 7