Page 14 - SFHN1020finalStuartK.qxp_SFHN 0608 Friday 5.0

P.O. Box 19268 Plantation FL 33318
954-964-1660

A message from our President

It Is Not A Sprint, but, a Marathon!

The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt for many years. Market ments of the economy can reopen safely and foster
and employment turmoil caused by our seeming inability to control the spread of a sustained labor market recovery.”
COVID-19 will impact individuals and businesses for years. Hospitals are also having to contend with a
For healthcare providers, they need to get in shape and be prepared to run the longer trend, but exacerbated by COVID-19,
distance. Several factors will add to the long term uncertainty concerning patients, where more and more patients are selecting other
revenues, and existing business models. The question for our community is, “have ambulatory care settings for their care. Quicker
we seen a shift in the healthcare paradigm resulting from the influences of COVID- access, conveniently located, same-day care, and
19, technology, and clinical practice?” recovery at home, a potent combination. Jaime Caldwell
First, according to a recent report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “Ambulatory care is one of the fastest-growing and
almost 3,300,000 people have lost employer sponsored healthcare insurance highest-margin segments of the healthcare industry. [McKinsey & Company:
between late April and mid-July this year. Added to that result, an additional Walking out of the hospital: The continued rise of ambulatory care and how to
2,000,000 people are now uninsured. The implications for the healthcare system take advantage of it.]
are a dilution of insurance going from reasonably good reimbursing commercial Hospitals and hospital systems have to position themselves in this market to
insurance to lesser insurances like exchange plan insurance or Medicaid. Of those ensure that they maintain their patient base. “Advances in clinical approaches and
who lost coverage, the super majority of those losing coverage were men and the technology, including new developments in anesthesia and pain control, as well as
majority (1,600,000) were Hispanic. [HEALTHPAYER INTELLIGENCE: Employer- minimally invasive surgical procedures” mean this trend is here to stay and, likely,
Sponsored Healthcare Coverage Fell by 3.3M, 2M Uninsured, September 23, 2020] we will see more leakage from hospitals.
This report also points out that Medicaid expansion states seemed to fair better Suggestions by the authors for hospitals are to create strong alignment with sur-
when it comes to changes in the number of uninsured. “Uninsurance was also geons with them having an ownership/equity position; identify talented leadership
slightly more prevalent in states that did not engage in Medicaid expansion. The to manage the ambulatory sites; leverage existing hospital support services such as
twelve states that have not expanded Medicaid saw uninsurance rise by 1.7 percent billing, collecting, and regulatory requirements; create patient awareness campaigns
points or 1.1 million adults, while the 39 Medicaid expansion states saw an to highlight ambulatory care and redesign clinical pathway to identify those
insignificant rise in uninsurance that left 800,000 more individuals without cover- patients who can be treated safely in the ambulatory environment; and, shift con-
age.” Hospitals have to stabilize and care for patients regardless of their ability to tracting strategies to create a win-win between payers and hospitals.
pay. Finally, when will COVID-19 be over? A recent report by the General
The longer term implications of this result have already been played out in look- Accounting Office states that, “we continue to face shortages of personal protective
ing at the early impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on elective procedures. Many equipment and testing supplies.” Supply chain disconnects are likely to reoccur
studies have identified the impacts on patients who put off care due to COVID-19 later this year. And, when will there be a viable vaccine.
fears or due to the loss of coverage. Those delays in care led to higher acuity levels Two issues on the vaccine front. First, vaccine politics have not helped the situa-
requiring emergency care and, in some cases, causing death. The healthcare system tion. In recent polls, the trust level in potential vaccines has plummeted from 72
is then tasked to treat these higher acuity patients with little hope of being reim- percent in May to 51 percent last week. This increases the slope of the road that we
bursed. have to travel to get our patients to get vaccinated. And, by most indications, vac-
The report further stated that, “Ultimately, stemming coverage losses will require cines won’t be generally available until well into 2021.
improved efforts to reduce transmission of the novel coronavirus so that more seg- Lace up those shoes!

Accolades Accolades Accolades Accolades

Delray Medical Center and St. Mary’s Medical Health Care District’s C. L. Brumback Primary

Center Receive Additional Comprehensive Care Clinics Recognized as a Quality Leader

Stroke Center Certifications The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recognized the C. L.
Brumback Primary Care Clinics with several Health Center Quality Improvement
Delray Medical Center and St. Mary’s Medical Center are now certified from an Fiscal Year 2020 Grant Awards, including $180,431 and a gold badge as a Health
additional agency for its comprehensive stroke programs. DNV GL-Healthcare award- Center Quality Leader for ranking among the top 10% of health centers nationally for
ed the new certification to both Delray Medical Center and St. Mary’s Medical Center clinical quality. The Brumback Clinics also received $167,000 for the second year of
for their comprehensive stroke care, a prestigious designation reflecting the highest supplemental funding for Integrated Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) for fiscal year
level of competence for treatment of patients who have experienced a stroke. The 2019. HRSA’s Quality Improvement Awards (QIA) program grants funds to expand
Palm Beach Health Network is the only hospital system in Palm Beach County with clinics’ achievements in clinical quality improvement, care delivery efficiency, and the
two comprehensive stroke centers, and both are designated with this certification. overall value of health care in the communities they serve.

Delray Medical Center’s Surgical Weight Loss JFK Medical Center First Hospital in South Florida

Program Receives National Accreditation to Implant Next Generation Cardiac Device
as a Center of Excellence to Reduce Risk of Stroke

Delray Medical Center’s Surgical Weight Loss program receives National JFK Medical Center recently became the first hospital in South Florida to offer patients
Accreditation as a Center of Excellence in Bariatrics from Optum Health. Optum’s with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AFib) an alternative to long-term blood thinners
Clinical Sciences Institute (CSI) awards designations based on clinical quality and with the next-generation WATCHMAN FLX™ Left Atrial Appendage Closure (LAAC)
cost effectiveness to programs in the United Healthcare network of specialties. Implant. This device is the only FDA- approved implant proven to reduce stroke risk in
people with AFib not caused by a heart valve problem. People with AFib have a five times
greater risk of stroke than those with normal heart rhythms.

14 October 2020 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News