Page 8 - March 2017

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President’s Message

It’s A New Day SFHHA Membership Encourages

and a New World Collaboration, Common Goals
BY VANESSA ORR
Several weeks ago, my wife and I were told by my
daughter and son-in-law that they were pregnant. For
many parents, this is wonderful news and cause for sig- Bill M. Duquette, CEO of Homestead Hospital, believes that
nificant celebration and it certainly was for us. Then, the next few years could hold quite a few challenges for the
several weeks later, we also learned that we would be healthcare industry. The best way to overcome those obsta-
welcoming a new granddaughter into this world. Oh, cles, he adds, is for healthcare providers to work together
the changes she will see. “We have a tough couple of years coming up; there looks
While my daughter has insurance through an to be a lot of disruption in the healthcare industry in the fore-
exchange plan with mandatory maternity coverage, I seeable future,” he explained. “This is why it’s important to
wonder what my granddaughter will be seeing when she Jaime Caldwell be able to talk to our peers, and to get a collective idea of
becomes a member of the workforce? It is all about shar- what’s happening and how it affects the industry.
ing the risk, “Isn’t it?” In fact, one of the earliest health- “We can’t work in a vacuum anymore - even competitors Bill M. Duquette
care insurance models was in Texas in the 1920s. Physicians created a program to help are going to need to work together for the benefit of all,” he
their patients afford the costs of hospital care. added. “We need to collaborate to make as positive an impact as possible for the industry
Health insurance coverage blossomed after World War II as employers used it as an and for our patients.”
incentive to entice returning veterans to work for their firms. It grew even more when To this end, Duquette encourages healthcare providers and affiliated businesses to join
President Nixon and Congress imposed wage and price controls in 1972. Employers, the South Florida Hospital & Healthcare Association (SFHHA), where he has been a
not being able to adjust wages, turned to other employment benefits, that were outside board member for the past four years. The association’s goal is to improve the efficient
the price controls to, again, entice workers to work for their firms. Plans back then delivery of quality healthcare services to communities by championing collaboration and
often offered first-dollar coverage, low or no co-pays, and a large network of providers communication among leaders across the healthcare continuum. It does this by provid-
and hospitals. In comparison to today, my, how things have changed in 45 years! ing networking opportunities, legislative updates and advocacy, and hosting educational
So, what might my granddaughter see? First, we will need to talk about what employ- seminars and events.
ment might look like in 2040 (damn, it was scary typing that number!). Baby-boomers “To me, the primary benefit of being a member is the legislative aspect; the SFHHA
are probably the last generation who have a significant commitment to employers. Like keeps me up-to-date with what’s going on, and acts as an additional legal advocate and
generations before us, it was uncommon for employees of these generations to work for lobbyist on healthcare issues,” Duquette explained. “I appreciate having an organization
more than a few employers over their work lives. We have already seen that the that looks out for us, whether we’re dealing with the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid
Millennial Generation does not share that attachment. Will 2040 even have traditional reform, certificates of need, or state government’s efforts to rescind regulations.”
working relationships like those that we see today? Will employers be hiring project Duquette added that he finds the SFHHA’s classes and seminars to be very useful, both
specific teams with commitments only lasting until the end of the project? Regardless, for himself and for his staff. “The annual meeting is always timely, and they cover great
I think what we can say is that those employment relationships will be different. And, topics as well as host some very impressive speakers,” he said. “I encourage my staff to
finally, will these employment relationships even include employment benefits such as go because they receive really great information, as well as networking opportunities.
health insurance? “Networking is especially useful for those just getting into healthcare because it puts
So, how might the healthcare risk be shared in 2040? In a study done by Deloitte in them in contact with people like me who will be their future peers,” he added. “Anybody
2013, they looked into their crystal ball and saw the following. First, with the growth interested in a healthcare career, or in advancing their career, can benefit from being able
in high deductible plans, they saw the private market for health insurance growing. Not to talk to people at all levels of the healthcare spectrum. We’re all in this together.”
surprising, individuals, like business, will try to insure away unacceptable risk. Second, Duquette, a medical technologist who started at Homestead Hospital as a lab manager,
they saw consolidation in the industry to be inevitable. With the thin margins in pro- has taken advantage of SFHHA member benefits for many years. “I’ve been the CEO at
viding healthcare insurance, insurance companies will need to merge to gain the added Homestead for 11 years, and the hospital has been a member of the South Florida
economies that come with size. Market forces are dictating the direction because of Hospital & Healthcare Association for as long as I can remember - long before I got into
increasing costs (cost of regulation and paying for care) and downward pressure on pre- this position,” he said.
miums. “I still learn new things,” he added. “At the last board meeting, a company gave a pres-
What have we already seen in this market? Deloitte called it “integrated health” entation on revenue cycle management that I found very interesting. I think that it’s a real
where insurance companies are getting into the business of providing care. Or, if not benefit for those in healthcare to interact with others - both in the industry and non-
providing care, collaborating with other healthcare providers to provide the infrastruc- healthcare vendors - to find out about the breadth of services out there. You can take
ture needed to participate in population health activities. And, clearly, with the growth advantage of those business ties to increase efficiency, or to learn about new cost-saving
of “big data,” more attention will be paid to policyholders who have lifestyles that create measures.” And while the future may look a little bumpy for healthcare, Duquette is con-
more health care risk. We have already seen programs implemented to provide incen- fident that the organization, under the leadership of new president Jaime Caldwell, will
tives to quit unhealthy practices and to use technology (like FitBit) to move insured continue to be a resource upon which members can depend. “The SFHHA is moving for-
members to higher tiers of health. ward into the next generation, and everyone in the organization is committed to contin-
These will be exciting times and they will be a little scary. While I am planning to be uing the great work that it’s been doing,” he said.
here in 2040, I am also going to marvel along the way at all the changes that are coming.
In fact, I relish having the opportunity to have my granddaughter help me to navigate 2017 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
the way.
Chantal Leconte Drew Grossman Patricia Greenberg
Chair, South Florida Hospital Member at Large President, National Healthcare Associates
and Healthcare Association CEO, Coral Springs Medical Center Michael Gittelman
CEO, Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Charles Felix CEO, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
Lincoln Mendez Member at Large
SFHHA COMMITTEES Immediate Past Chairman Publisher, South Florida Hospital Charles Michelson
Partner,
South Florida Hospital News & Healthcare Report Saltz Michelson Architects
Education Committee and Healthcare Association James Ball
CEO, South Miami Hospital David Zambrana
COO, Catholic Health Services CEO, Jackson Memorial Hospital
Healthcare Finance and Management Committee David Wagner
Vice Chair, South Florida Hospital Ana M. Viamonte Ros, MD Wael Barsoum, MD
Health Information Technology Committee and Healthcare Association Director Medical Staff Development CEO, Cleveland Clinic Hospital
Baptist Health
CEO, Kindred Hospital, Hollywood Mark Doyle
Mary Zalaznik Maria Currier CEO, Memorial Hospital Pembroke
Marketing and Public Relations Committee General Counsel Partner,
Secretary, South Florida Hospital and Dr. Patrick Taylor
Healthcare Association Holland & Knight, LLP CEO, Holy Cross Hospital
Membership Committee Sr. Vice President Operations, VITAS William Duquette
Jeffrey Welch CEO, Homestead Hospital Dr. Ann Wehr
Sr. VP/CMO, AvMed
Quality and Patient Safety Committee Treasurer, South Florida Hospital and Steven Ullmann
Healthcare Association Director, University of Miami Lissette Exposito
Safety and Security Committee CEO, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center Health Policy Management CEO/President, Orange ACO
Orange Care Group
8 March 2017 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News