From Health Care to Partisan Politics – A Fireside Chat w/ Sen. Roy Blunt

In this special edition of Hospitals in Focus, we are sharing a fireside chat Chip recently had with retiring Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO). It was recorded last month at the Federation’s Board of Governors meeting. 

This is a wide-ranging, informative discussion where Chip and Sen. Blunt talk about everything from Medicaid expansion to the growing partisan divide in Washington, DC.  

After serving more than 25 years in Congress and nearly 50 years in public service, Senator Blunt has a unique perspective on where we are today – and where health care policy is headed in the future. He is also one of the few members of Congress to ever hold leadership positions in both the Senate and House. 

We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as the audience did. 

Fighting COVID-19 in Rural America: A Leader Reports from the Frontlines

Despite being pushed to the brink during the COVID-19 pandemic, rural hospitals answered the call – fighting adversity to save millions of lives.

It was just another example of the important role these facilities play in the communities they serve. During this episode Chip talks to a veteran of rural hospitals – Doug Weaver, CEO of Hillcrest Hospital Pryor in Oklahoma, which is part of FAH member Ardent Health Services. He discusses the unique challenges his facility, and others like it, faced at the height of the COVID-19 surge.

Doug also talks about the changes in rural health care he has seen during his 40-year career – from the rise of telemedicine to growing staffing shortages. Additionally, Doug explains to Chip how being part of an integrated health care system, like Ardent, helps smaller hospitals keep their doors open to patients. 

“It‘s just a roller coaster with COVID.” Frontline view of the pandemic from Rural America

Jessica Smith, a respiratory therapist from outside Pulaski, Tennessee, is well known in her small community for her extraordinary dedication and compassion to her patients and family. In this episode, Jessica explains to Chip that like many frontline caregivers she has begun to experience “hero fatigue,” but adds that she still loves her job and does her best to focus on the positive. Her inspiration home life, along with her work ethic led to her winning LifePoint Health’s Mercy Award this year. The episode wraps up with her talking about what that recognition meant to her and her team at  Southern Tennessee Regional Health System.

Mental Health During the Pandemic with Karen Johnson

Every year, FAH joins mental health organizations and other proponents across the U.S. and around the world to raise awareness of suicide prevention during September, National Suicide Prevention Month. As society continues to struggle with COVID-19, there has been much discussion of the adverse psychological impacts of social distancing isolation and being away from loved ones. In this episode, Chip is joined by Karen Johnson of Universal Health Services and they discuss a wide range of topics from the ways COVID has affected the psyche of children and how to reemerge back into society after lockdown to what Universal Health Services is doing to help prevent suicides and the importance of celebrities sharing their struggles with mental health.

The Successes of Learning Health Systems During COVID with Marty Bonick

As the pandemic persists, and the increasing caseload caused by the Delta variant continues to force hospitals to adapt to new challenges, we turn to learning hospital and health systems to understand how they are uniquely positioned to treat patients during the COVID crisis. Chip and his guest Marty Bonick, President & CEO of Ardent Health Services, discuss what hospitals are seeing on the ground during this latest surge. They also spoke about the efforts of integrated health systems, like Ardent, to increase the quality of care for patients during and after the pandemic.

Hospitals at Scale with Jeff Goldsmith

Hospitals are not just the four walls of a building; they are also the backbone in an American community. As the pandemic continues across the country, Chip and Jeff Goldsmith examine how hospitals learned to treat a disease without a proven cure or readily available therapies. They also spoke about what characteristics were displayed by hospitals that demonstrated successes during the past 18 months of this COVID-19 crisis. Jeff is the President of Health Futures, Inc. The two discuss the benefits of the ever-evolving hospital as well as its changing role in health care.

Fighting on the Frontlines with Fiona Chew

Fiona Chew is the kind of nurse you want at your bedside. Her positive attitude and willingness to go above and beyond make her an excellent advocate for her patients and colleagues. Early on in the pandemic during the New York/New Jersey surge, Ardent Health Services asked for volunteers to assist the hospitals in the hotspot. Fiona didn’t hesitate to go. Listen to Fiona give you her story from the frontline.

Ron Pollack Discusses Survival of the Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has just survived its most recent challenge at the Supreme Court. We wanted to hear both its incredible history of survival in the courts and the basic tenets of the ACA. Chip is joined by the founder of Families, USA, Ron Pollack. The two discuss their personal stories of working to help support the ACA and how the ACA should be expanded under the Biden Administration to help end coverage gaps.

Interested in learning more about the ACA and its expansion? Check out What the Nation Could Learn from ACA Health Coverage Expansion in CA with Peter Lee

The Policy Implications of Medicare at 60

Medicare at 60 sounds simple enough – but is it? Chip asked expert, Dr. Lanhee Chen, on this episode to explain his latest research exploring the potential policy and its complications. Chip and Lanhee explore the many questions his report exposes that policymakers must consider to make this potential policy an actual possibility - from how to pay for the $400 billion price tag to the impacts on health coverage and access to care.

Read the report entitled “The Fiscal Costs of Medicare at 60”.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Value-Based Reporting with Dr. Ken Sands

In this episode Chip is joined by Dr. Ken Sands – the Chief Epidemiologist at HCA Healthcare, whose system has treated tens of thousands of COVID patients. Together they look at a current Health Affairs blog co-authored by Chip on how COVID is impacting Medicare hospital quality reporting and value-based purchasing programs. These programs are critical for patient decisions and the evaluation of care provided at every hospital in the nation.

Learn more about hospital reporting by listening to Chip’s conversation on HCAHPS with Dr. Claudia Salzberg.