A toolkit provides lessons from more than 1,000 hospital leaders on transformation
Hospitals are cornerstones of their communities. Beyond treating injury and illness, hospitals and healthcare systems advance people’s health and well-being and serve as an economic engine in the community. Teams of physicians, nurses, volunteers, patient advocates and other health care professionals not only provide care within the hospital walls, but also improve the overall health of communities.
Hospitals today are intently focusing on redefining the “H” — that is, exploring what it means to be a hospital in a rapidly transforming health care environment. Consumers, policymakers, legislators and businesses all are demanding change in the health care field — at a time when hospital administrators are faced with diminishing resources while hospital teams are caring for an aging population and more patients with multiple chronic conditions. Despite these challenges, technological and medical advances are allowing providers to deliver care that is more complex and more individualized than ever before. This progress will impact how care is delivered and financed and will necessitate that hospitals focus on finding the best community solutions to improve health outcomes.
The 2014 AHA Committee on Research and the 2014 Committee on Performance Improvement jointly released the “Leadership Toolkit for Redefining the H: Engaging Trustees and Communities,” based on feedback from more than 1,000 C-suite leaders and board chairs about their journeys of transformation. Read more . . .