Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE NEW IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • COVID-19
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Digital Health
  • Insights
    • ACA 10 Years After
    • Best Practices
    • Special Reports
    • Innovations
  • Data/Lists
    • Rankings/Lists
    • Interactive Databases
    • Data Points
  • Opinion
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Custom Media Event: ESG Summit
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Transformation Summit
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Supply Chain Revenue Cycle
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Virtual Health
    • - Future of Healthcare Staffing
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • MORE +
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Providers
January 05, 2013 12:00 AM

Integrating care, cutting costs

Ashok Selvam
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print

    Hospital leaders have spent years in an unsettled environment talking about integrated care, but 2013 could mark a key year when officials follow through on those conversations and make significant headway in improving efficiency through new delivery models.

    Successful organizations will make sure staff is better engaged, says Thomas Dolan, president and CEO of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Physicians play a critical role, and system and hospital executives will need to find new ways to collaborate effectively with them, ensuring they're on the same page as more accountable care organizations and patient-centered medical homes are established in the months ahead.

    Communication with staff is key, Dolan says, because there's a good chance personnel will be reduced as providers continue the shift toward ambulatory services. That's a prediction echoed by the country's largest nurses union, National Nurses United, especially since labor is a healthcare organization's largest cost.

    “Hospitals and health insurance companies are trying to figure out how” the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is going to affect the bottom line, says NNU Co-president Deborah Burger. “And they're trying to figure out how to maximize their profits by doing everything they can to restructure how healthcare is provided.”

    At the same time, further implementation of Six Sigma and Lean strategies, coupled with other process-improvement techniques for cutting costs, will continue to grab a lot of attention from hospital administrators, Dolan says.

    “The No. 1 story is the continuous quest to reduce costs and integrate care,” he says.

    Hospitals will continue to acquire physician practices as they work to ensure a strong continuum of care to mesh with provisions of the Affordable Care Act that are expected to boost patient volume. Medicaid expansion under the ACA could add as many as 30 million enrollees under the program starting in 2014, driving demand for physician services, especially in primary care.

    Related content

    Modern Healthcare Video: Reporters share their 2013 predictions

    Reform drives industry's shift

    Design of new spaces lagging

    Bonuses, risks of ACOs

    No letup seen in consolidation

    Small hospitals on the radar

    Anti-trust battles add drama

    Value taking a major role

    Changes expected to be good

    Hoping for a recovery

    Cost pressures fueling change

    Dolan has announced he will step down in May, and last week the ACHE named Deborah Bowen, the group's executive vice president and chief operating officer, as his successor. More healthcare organizations could be making similar transitions in the C-suite. Executive turnover is likely to increase in 2013 as more baby boomers retire, Dolan says. The most recent ACHE data shows hospital CEO turnover held steady in 2010 and 2011 at 16%, but Dolan says he wouldn't be surprised if that rate increases to 18%, which is where it stood in 2009 when hospital CEO turnover hit an all-time high.

    Beyond CEOs, increased executive turnover at all levels also could be a symptom of appointing a senior-level replacement from outside the organization, Dolan says. Not only can such transitions cause resentment from staffers who perceive they weren't given a fair shot at a promotion, but also sometimes the replacement executive just isn't a good fit. Because they aren't as familiar with the system or hospital, those new hires can require a longer learning curve compared with an internal candidate who is more comfortable with the organization's policies and culture.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    For top healthcare execs, leadership shapes legacy
    For top healthcare execs, leadership shapes legacy
    Supporting a truly diverse C-suite
    Supporting a truly diverse C-suite
    Sponsored Content
    Modern Healthcare A.M. Newsletter: Sign up to receive a comprehensive weekday morning newsletter designed for busy healthcare executives who need the latest and most important healthcare news and analysis.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • COVID-19
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Digital Health
    • Insights
      • ACA 10 Years After
      • Best Practices
      • Special Reports
      • Innovations
    • Data/Lists
      • Rankings/Lists
      • Interactive Databases
      • Data Points
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Transformation Summit
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Supply Chain Revenue Cycle
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Virtual Health
        • - Future of Healthcare Staffing
      • Custom Media Event: ESG Summit
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • MORE +
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing