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A Word From the Front Office: Healthcare CEOs Have Their Say
Healthcare reform, hospital/physician relationships, and the MED's future were all talking points for healthcare leaders last month. Members of the Mid-South Health Care Executives (MHCE) heard from four local healthcare CEOs during their March meeting. The roundtable discussion was hosted by MHCE's president Mike McCormack. Approximately 50 people attended the dinner, which was held at the Fogelman Executive Center's dining room on the University of Memphis campus.
The panel, moderated by Memphis Business Group on Health's Cristie Travis, featured Kevin Mullins, CEO for St. Francis Hospital, Bartlett; Jason Little, vice president and metro market leader with Baptist Memorial Healthcare; Steve Burkett, CEO with UT Medical Group, Inc.; and Kevin Spiegel, CEO, Methodist University Hospital.
Topping the agenda was the battle in Congress to craft a healthcare reform bill. Panel members weighed in on what they saw as the sticking points in the reform discussion:
“This reform seems to be focused on the how versus the why of healthcare reform. Central to healthcare reform is identifying those perverse incentives and routing them out,” said Jason Little with Baptist Memorial Healthcare. “There's a misalignment between hospitals and physicians. That must be the focal point for meaningful reform to take place. There needs to be more alignment between physicians and providers.”
“Reform hasn't focused enough on cost,” said SteveBurkett, CEO with the UT Medical Group. “Instead, it has to do with economic theory and political philosophy.”
Another topic of interest to hospital administrators is keeping in balance the relationship between hospital's needs and those of physicians. Methodist University's Kevin Spiegel said it is important for hospital executives to value the relationships they have with their physicians, that they must make an effort to see that doctors become engaged in the planning and leadership roles of the hospital, “We must learn how to navigate the healthcare system so they can do what's in the best interest of the patient. Hospitals and doctors must see change as an opportunity, not an obstacle.”
Spiegel's thoughts were echoed by Burkett, who recommended hospital administrators, “Develop relationships with the medical staff, and consider them your greatest asset.” In the panel's mind, that means keeping the lines of communication open with physicians and talking with them on a regular basis, because, as Cristie Travis pointed out, “Hospital administrators and doctors are often talking past each other, because of the difference in training that they've received.”
“Hospitals make utilitarian decisions that might be good for all, but maybe more for one physician and not another,” added Jason Little, Baptist Memorial Healthcare. “It's incumbent on us as hospital leaders to talk to individual physicians, incorporate the partnership with the physician. How is that relationship created and enhanced. It's important to think about our reputations as hospital administrators because physicians will talk, but ultimately I must make the best decisions for our institution.”
Finally, the impact the MED's crisis is having on the medical community brought about much discussion. The public hospital made headlines last fall when plans were announced to close the emergency room by February if $32 million in operating funds could not be found.
Since many of the uninsured patients who traditionally used the MED have left the center city, the hospital has struggled to stay afloat, with lower revenues coupled by the costs of maintaining an aging infrastructure. While everyone agreed about the importance of having the MED healthy — they are the only Level 1 trauma center and burn center in the Mid-South — there was also consensus that no easy remedy awaits.
“We share a common element in our mission statements,” observed Spiegel, “We are charged with improving the health of our community. But we need to better communicate (to the state) how important the MED is to this community. For example, in providing a safety net for the region when it comes to trauma; we can't handle the caseload if they're gone. We need to collaborate and figure out a long-term solution.”
“The MED is an expert in what it does,” added Burkett. “They have the fifth busiest trauma unit in the country. They need capital and stable operations.”
Hospital administrators and state officials will be looking to the MED's new CEO Reginald Coopwood, MD, who stepped into the position March 1, to articulate a new vision and leadership. Added Mullins, “The MED is a big issue. We must figure out how we effectively deliver healthcare to all of our community.”
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