MDNews - Cleveland-Akron-Canton

Cover Feature as well as patients. There will be greater emphasis on improving value ��� that is, achieving high quality outcomes at affordable costs. There will be greater attention to chronic disease management, prevention and wellness. The use of technology to deliver care in settings outside of traditional settings will become commonplace. From Mercy Medical Center, Canton, thomas e. Cecconi, FaCHe, President/Ceo ��� The only thing that I can say for sure about the future of health care is that there will be many changes coming forward, and that health care will be viewed and provided much differently than it is today. Some of the changes that we will soon be seeing from the Affordable Care Act are overdue and will benefit many people. It���s the responsibility of my colleagues and me to make sure that we adjust to a new system, continue to keep our institutions viable and work to promote good health and the prevention of illness and not just work to treat illness and disease. From Parma Community General Hospital, terrence G. Deis, President/Ceo ��� The economic unsustainability of the current model does make one thing certain, the status quo is unacceptable. Other relative certainties are: provider reimbursements will decline; reimbursement will increasingly be based more on value and less on volume; EHRs and HIEs don���t yet but will eventually improve care delivery; large healthcare systems will get larger through acquisition; and unless they band together, independent community hospitals and their related independent medical staffs, who are the current low cost providers of care, will become fewer and farther between. From robinson Memorial Hospital, Stephen Colecchi, President/Ceo ��� Health care is in a period of transition. With reform we will see a shift from a delivery system that���s traditionally focused on sick care to a system that is more focused on well care. Primary care physicians and physician extenders will play a key role in this process. Insurance will be provided to millions of individuals who previously were not covered under a healthcare plan. One of the biggest challenges will be for hospitals and physicians to efficiently care for the influx of these individuals who will be entering the system. From St. John Medical Center, William a. Young, Jr., President/Ceo ��� This is a challenging time in health care and the one constant is change. To move ahead, we must garner a better understanding of meeting these challenges/changes. In time of uncertainty, success exists with a focus on reduced costs and improved efficiencies as well as enhancement of the patient experience with a goal to provide high quality care. We also need to re-evaluate how care is provided by working in collaboration. It is imperative to engage with physicians and other community healthcare providers to achieve a universal goal of serving those in our care with the finest health care available. 10 | Cleveland/Akron/Canton MD News ��� MDNEWS.COM ��� JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2013 From St. vincent Charity Medical Center, David F. Perse, MD, President/Ceo ��� The fundamentals of health care will never change. There will always be sick patients and providers to care for them. Institutionally, we must focus on quality and efficiency. It���s the only way to survive regardless of what the reimbursement model dictates. Payment constructs to institutions will evolve. We will respond to those new models as they are presented to us. Regardless of the paradigm, the only way we can truly prepare for the changes to come is to ensure that we provide the highest quality, most efficient care. From Summa Health System, thomas Strauss. President/ Ceo ��� The current healthcare system in our nation is unsustainable and changes need to be made not only in how we are paid for the care we provide, but equally important is how we coordinate that care most effectively for our patients. By creating a system that allows physicians to communicate better and enables patients to take a more active role in their overall health, we have an opportunity to move from our current sick care system ��� where hospitals and physicians are rewarded simply for services provided ��� to a healthcare system that focuses on primary care, prevention and wellness. From Southwest General Health Center, thomas a. Selden, FaCHe, President /Ceo ��� Patients will demand cutting-edge technologies and great service and choose providers based on cost and outcome data. Increased movement toward employed physicians in a large multispecialty group or through hospitals will occur. Increased use of midlevel providers will assist in patient throughput. Consolidation of hospitals into health systems regionally and nationally can be expected to reduce costs. Government and employers will reduce healthcare expenditures through further reductions in reimbursement levels. Hospitals will focus on reducing readmissions and shifting services to outpatient settings. From university Hospitals, eric Bieber, MD, Chief Medical officer, university Hospitals and President, uH accountable Care organization ��� Our healthcare system will continue to evolve to better provide safe, timely, effective, efficient patient centered care. ACOs will provide better coordination of care, including innovations in services and systems of care for improved health. In addition, programs such as our UH Rainbow Care Connect will create new care delivery models in which primary care providers, hospitals, mental health agencies, MCOs and health educators will collaborate to provide children with high quality care at significantly reduced costs. In conclusion, it appears that the future of health care is in good hands with those who are able to rethink the traditional model of health care and find alternatives that work. As 2013 unfolds, more questions will certainly be raised as viable solutions are sought. ���

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