Articles
Mergers & Acquisitions, Quality Measures
Another flawed article on hospital consolidation gets undeserved attention
By Melinda Hatton, Aaron Wesolowski, AHA Vice President of Research Strategy and Policy Communications, Benjamin Finder
Chief among the flaws in the most recent study on hospital consolidation published in the New England Journal of Medicine was that its conclusions were informed by preconceived notions of what the authors thought the data should show, which was then undermined further by the arbitrary choices made in comparing hospitals. Unfortunately, the media, once again, failed to closely examine the conclusions, in many instances exaggerating or misrepresenting the findings to manufacture attention-grabbing headlines.
Mergers & Acquisitions, Cybersecurity
AHA Stat Blog: Mergers help health systems keep patient data secure
There are numerous benefits to the community that derive from hospital and health system mergers, starting with quality improvements and expanding services.
Advocacy & Public Policy
New analysis finds recent RAND study misses the mark
Last month, researchers at RAND released a study that made broad claims about the prices that private insurers pay hospitals. AHA immediately pushed back that the study relied on severely limited data and lacked the level of reliability that could make it useful to inform serious policy discussions or decisions. A new analysis from Dr. Monica Noether and Benjamin Stearns,[i] economists at Charles River Associates, concurs.
Advocacy & Public Policy
Story does not accurately capture financial pressures facing hospitals
Earlier this week, Politico published cherry-picked metrics from the recently released Moody’s Preliminary Medians for not-for-profit and public hospitals.
Price Transparency
Response to the Law 360 article: HHS rule could disrupt how hospitals and insurers set rates
A recent article, HHS Rule Could Disrupt How Hospitals and Insurers Set Rates, discusses a proposal by the Trump administration that could require hospitals and providers to publicly disclose the payer-negotiated rates charged for hea
Mergers & Acquisitions
Story on health care wages based on study lacking necessary rigor
Regarding Modern Healthcare's "Health system consolidation may be holding down healthcare employee wages," we are concerned about the article presenting the findings of a study on consolidation as established fact given that it is identified as a working paper and has yet to go through a rigorous peer review process.
Hospital Field Realignment
AHA Clarifies the Benefits of Realignment as House Panel Convenes Hearing
The shift to a health care system that rewards value over volume is fundamentally transforming the patient care landscape. It has prompted hospitals and health systems to rethink and redesign how they deliver care to the communities they serve, identifying ways to maximize their resources and expand capabilities to ensure the patient experience is the best it can be.
Advocacy & Public Policy
More Evidence Shows that Study on Hospital and Physician Prices is Flawed
Earlier this month AHA released a blog post that pointed out numerous flaws in a recent Health Affairs study on hospital and physician prices between 2007 and 2014. We asked the respected economics consulting firm Charles River Associates to take an even closer at why the study’s findings are flawed.
Human Trafficking, Hospitals Against Violence
As part of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, AHA shares resources to assist hospitals and health systems
Hospitals and health systems have a crucial role to play in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking, and we urge you to join many of your colleagues in developing a plan to tackle this pervasive issue and deliver compassionate care to victims of human trafficking.
Hospital Field Realignment
AHA Responds to Recent Study on Hospital Realignment
AHA Senior Vice President Melinda Reid Hatton examines why a recent study on hospital consolidation from the Center for American Progress misses the mark.