Caught between competing pressures
Skip to main content
MDHC_Logotype_white
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • This Week's News
    • COVID-19
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition
    • Ohio to save $240M in Medicaid drug costs by running its own PBM
      MACPAC approves recommendations on specialty drugs, behavioral health
      Top R.I. state official will take over, review hospital agency
      No region in the world spared as virus cases, deaths surge
    • No region in the world spared as virus cases, deaths surge
      We're losing engaged providers, and healthcare will pay the price
      J&J vaccine problems hamper U.S. military vaccines overseas
      U.S. suicides dropped last year, defying pandemic expectations
    • Calls mount for Biden to track U.S. healthcare worker deaths from COVID
      Front-line workers want more assistance after a year of COVID-19
      Healthcare providers enter Philadelphia's legal fight to enact gun laws
      Taking population health expertise to the market
    • Cigna and Oscar expand their small business partnership
      5 things to know about Agilon Health's proposed IPO
      More than a half million Americans gain coverage under Biden
      Insurance auto-retention policies could halve number of people kicked off coverage
    • MACPAC approves recommendations on specialty drugs, behavioral health
      No region in the world spared as virus cases, deaths surge
      CMS wants to bump pay for hospices, SNFs next year
      MACPAC wants to cut Medicaid spending on high-cost specialty drugs
    • Outgoing UHS chief made almost 50% less in 2020 than 2019
      A hundred dollar bill cut into strips with a colorful background.
      Population health still at odds with fee-for-service
      Private equity could increase long-term Medicare spending, MedPAC says
      Jeb Bush, Marilyn Tavenner getting in on healthcare SPAC frenzy
    • Healthcare data breaches
      By the Numbers: National health information service providers
      Health systems are navigating the digital divide and vaccine access
      woman doctor shaking hands with nurse and smiling
      Sponsored Content Provided By Philips
      A stronger healthcare system requires bold new ways of working together
    • Fight against STDs lost amid coronavirus testing blitz
      Beyond the Byline: Kids' unchecked mental health needs pose long-term consequences
      Hospitals vary widely in reducing C-section rates, but some progress in other maternal health metrics
      Home improvement to be provided by ProMedica's new healthy homes initiative
    • Novant Health adds chief payor performance officer
      Kaiser Permanente names Comer chief IT officer
      Mass General Hospital's Slavin to retire as CEO
      UnitedHealthcare names Thompson as new CEO
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Insights
    • ACA 10 Years After
    • Best Practices
    • Special Reports
    • Innovations
    • The Affordable Care Act after 10 years
    • A close-up of a woman receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
      Providers in underserved communities work toward equitable vaccine distribution
      Josh Bradshaw
      How one rural Illinois county vaccinated 84% of its senior citizens by early March
      Dr. John Fischer
      Patient-reported outcomes tool for hernia surgery helps physicians improve care
      New care model helps primary-care practices treat obesity
    • A family photo of the the Hangens.
      Stressing the already burdened pediatric behavioral health system
      Jennifer Pannone and her daughter Victoria.
      Mental health access for children needs attention
      What's next for on-demand telehealth companies?
      A CalOptima PACE vaccination clinic.
      Will COVID-19 be the catalyst for creating a more sustainable healthcare system?
    • Ryan McGinnis
      Finding efficiencies in the OR using tech
      Dr. Daniel Hall
      UPMC pilots machine learning, telehealth to inform patient transfers
      A woman being recorded using her inhaler on a smartphone.
      Digital check-ins, connected inhalers help control asthma
      A phone screen showing the question, "Mary we hope this information was helpful and we'd like to keep guiding you. Are you interested in knowing when it's your turn to receive the vaccine?"
      Chatbots, texting campaigns help manage influx of COVID vax questions
  • Transformation
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Nearly 1 in 5 Americans skipped care due to cost last year
      COVID-19 long-haulers need holistic treatment, providers say
      Amazon expanding employee clinics into two more states
      What's next for on-demand telehealth companies?
    • Malpractice premiums peak in 2020, AMA survey shows
      A rendering of a cancer research institute at the University of Southern California that will include 5G.
      Healthcare providers determine how to best use ultrafast 5G
      Two-thirds of largest hospitals aren't complying with price transparency rule
      'Silver lining': Hospitals keep practices born in COVID rush
    • Addressing long-standing barriers needed for mental and physical health integration
      A close-up of a woman receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
      Providers in underserved communities work toward equitable vaccine distribution
      The waiting room of a Kaiser Permanente clinic at a Target location.
      Health systems revamp their approach to retail clinics
      Josh Bradshaw
      How one rural Illinois county vaccinated 84% of its senior citizens by early March
    • CMS wants to bump pay for hospices, SNFs next year
      CMMI pauses new Direct Contracting model applications
      CMS wants to boost payments over 2% for inpatient rehab, psych facilities
      40 Oregon providers, insurers sign value-based care pact
  • Data/Lists
    • Rankings/Lists
    • Interactive Databases
    • Data Points
    • Health Systems Financials
      Executive Compensation
      Physician Compensation
  • Op-Ed
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
    • Dr. Alan Kaplan
      The risks, rewards of taking organizations 'where they haven’t gone before'
      Wellstar CEO calls adapting for the pandemic her bold move
      Howard P. Kern
      Recognizing the value of telehealth in its infancy
      Dr. Stephen Markovich
      A bold move helped take him from family doctor to OhioHealth CEO
    • Drs. Hal Paz and Joshua J. Joseph
      Mobilized to fight the COVID crisis: a blueprint for community and academic partnerships
      Dr. Stephen Markovich
      Making sure we're aligned along the path to achieving inclusion
      Barry Ostrowsky
      Ending racism is a journey taken together; the starting point must be now
      Laura Lee Hall and Gary Puckrein
      Increased flu vaccination has never been more important for communities of color
    • We're losing engaged providers, and healthcare will pay the price
      Bonnie Castillo and John Welton
      Dueling opinions: The role of mandated nurse staffing ratios
      Dr. Chris DeRienzo
      How COVID-19 broke health systems and made them stronger
      Still crossing the quality chasm: a look at the IOM's seminal report 20 years later
    • Letters: Eliminating bias in healthcare needs to be ‘deliberate and organic’
      Letters: Maybe dropping out of ACOs is a good thing for patients
      Letters: White House and Congress share blame for lack of national COVID strategy
      Letters: VA making strides to improve state veterans home inspections
    • Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      How blockchain could ease frustration with the payment process
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Three steps to better data-sharing for payer and provider CIOs
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Reduce total cost of care: 6 reasons why providers and payers should tackle the challenge together
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Why CIOs went from back-office operators to mission-critical innovators
  • Awards
    • Award Programs
    • Nominate
    • Previous Award Programs
    • Other Award Programs
    • Voting Open - 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
      Nominations Open - Top 25 Innovators
      Nominations Open May 24 - Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Minorities in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Minority Leaders
      • - Minorities to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Excellence in Nursing Awards
    • Design Awards
    • Top 25 COOs in Healthcare
    • 100 Top Hospitals
    • ACHE Awards
  • Events
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Webinars
    • COVID-19 Event Tracker
    • emburse certify modern healthcare custom media webinar logo lockup
      Sponsored Content Provided By Emburse
      Webinar: Making it easy to manage costs
      virtualmed staff modern healthcare custom media logo lockup
      Sponsored Content Provided By VirtualMed Staff
      Webinar: Best practices for creating a successful telepsychiatry program
      telehealth visit man touching neck while speaking to doctor on computer
      Sponsored Content Provided By Accumen
      Webinar: How telehealth has evolved into a standard of care
      modern healthcare custom media and trimedx custom webinar logo lockup
      Sponsored Content Provided By TRIMEDX
      Webinar: Bridging the gap between clinicians and administration to improve capital equipment planning
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Healthcare Transformation Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Virtual Briefings
      • - Hospital of the Future
      • - Mental Health
      • - Patient Safety & Quality
      • - Strategic Marketing
      • - Virtual Health
      • - Workplace of the Future
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Minority Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
  • Listen
    • Podcast - Next Up
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Dr. Chris DeRienzo
      Next Up Podcast: Building team spirit in the wake of COVID-19
      Mikelle Moore
      Next Up Podcast: Mikelle Moore on recognizing all hospital workers during the pandemic
      Empty boardroom
      Next Up Podcast: What's going to happen tomorrow? Succession planning during emergencies
      Next Up Podcast: Educating patients on the COVID-19 vaccine with Tanya Andreadis
    • Beyond the Byline: Kids' unchecked mental health needs pose long-term consequences
      Beyond the Byline: How COVID-19 has impacted hospital finances
      An older man sitting on a hospital bed with his back toward the camera.
      Beyond the Byline: Upcoding could explain why hospitals are increasingly billing for the most complex treatment
      Beyond the Byline: Insurers are betting on virtual-first plans as COVID-19 shifts care pathways
    • James garvert neustar healthcare insider podcast image
      Building on basics
      Healthcare Insider Podcast Episode Art - Premier
      Why Roger Weems and other consultants are leaving the big firms to join Premier
      James garvert neustar healthcare insider podcast image
      Outreach during COVID-19
      ann barnes healthcare insider podcast image
      Leading with intention to promote diversity and inclusion
    • The Check Up: Matt Eyles
      The Check Up: Matt Eyles of AHIP
      The Check Up: Dr. Tom Shanley
      The Check Up: Dr. Tom Shanley of Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
      The Check Up: Dr. Harold Paz
      The Check Up: Dr. Harold Paz of Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University
      The Check Up: Pat Schou
      The Check Up: Pat Schou of the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network
    • ivana naeymi-rad one on one intelligent medical objects
      Video: Ivana Naeymi Rad of Intelligent Medical Objects
  • MORE +
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Finance
March 08, 2014 12:00 AM

Caught between competing pressures

Joe Carlson
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Although incentive bonuses are not uncommon in healthcare, a federal judge in Orlando said this one was illegal. (Click to enlarge image.)

    Six years ago, Elin Baklid-Kunz, the physician services director at Halifax Health in Daytona Beach, Fla., told the chief compliance officer and other executives that the hospital's payments to some of its employed physicians looked illegal. When the agreements weren't modified, she filed a whistle-blower lawsuit.

    Last week, the 582-bed tax-assisted hospital tentatively agreed to settle part of her federal suit for $85 million, of which Baklid-Kunz, who still holds her position at Halifax, will receive $13 million. And the case is far from over.

    She said she filed the case because she was afraid she and other hospital officials would face criminal charges. “I honestly felt that I didn't have a choice,” she said in an interview (See related story, at left).

    Halifax declined to provide comment for this article. In an interview last October, Halifax spokesman John Guthrie said the hospital had gotten a green light from its lawyers for the legality of the physician payment arrangements. “That's why we feel we're right and we feel we haven't done anything wrong,” he said at that time.

    Web extra

    Read more comments from Trevor Fetter and Keith Pitts as they discuss False Claims Act lawsuit against hospitals and health systems.

    Many hospitals are hiring and contracting with doctors to boost referrals and serve members in their coordinated-care networks. But how to pay those doctors has become a legally perilous area under the federal Stark and anti-kickback laws and the False Claims Act, with whistle-blowers, their attorneys and the Justice Department watching these transactions closely. Halifax and other recent big-dollar whistle-blower cases involving allegations that hospitals violated Stark self-referral rules in paying physicians highlight the huge stakes for hospitals, which are at risk for triple damages under the False Claims Act. Those damages are based on total billings, making the potential damages in these cases enormous.

    Last week's preliminary deal in the U.S. v. Halifax case is one of the largest settlements ever under the Stark law, the complex set of rules prohibiting payments that encourage unnecessary medical services and drive up federal healthcare costs. The hospital litigated the case all the way to jury selection before agreeing to pay $85 million—more than eight times Halifax's annual operating margin and nearly 18% of its $480 million annual revenue. The settlement could still fall apart, and a second phase of the same trial is already set for July.

    That whopping settlement follows last year's $237 million verdict against Tuomey Healthcare System in Sumter, S.C., which was based on allegations that the system overpaid 19 physicians. And the Justice Department announced last year that it would intervene in a large case against Infirmary Health System, a safety net hospital in Mobile, Ala., that allegedly paid illegal productivity bonuses to doctors who ordered unneeded nuclear imaging testing on patients. In recent months, Justice intervened in and consolidated a series of eight False Claims Act cases, including several with Stark allegations, against Health Management Associates hospitals, which now are owned by Community Health Systems.

    MH Takeaways

    Some experts say it's not necessarily that the Justice Department has toughened its Stark enforcement, but rather that far more hospitals are signing integration contracts with physicians that raise potential Stark issues.

    Some experts say it's not necessarily that the Justice Department has toughened its Stark enforcement, but rather that far more hospitals are signing integration contracts with physicians that raise potential Stark issues. In addition, there are more whistle-blowers and attorneys specializing in such cases looking for big paydays.

    The tough part for hospital leaders is that these legal pressures are at odds with public policy and market forces pushing health systems toward greater integration to improve care coordination and reduce costs. The federal government hasn't reconciled its goal of encouraging integration with its desire to prove that it's tough on fraud and abuse. As a result, systems pursuing integration will need to be even more vigilant because they're stepping closer to the line where traditional Stark law enforcement might come into play.

    “You have to be so careful about interactions between a provider and a referral source, because they are incredibly fraught with risk,” said Trevor Fetter, president and CEO of Tenet Healthcare Corp. Tenet has instituted major compliance reforms since its $900 million settlement of whistle-blower lawsuits in 2006, but has a pending whistle-blower case involving its relationship with a clinic providing Spanish-translation services for prenatal care. “There are conflicting goals out there.”

    But an attorney who represents the American Hospital Association says Halifax and other cases show that Justice is pursuing Stark and False Claims Act cases more aggressively at a time when the government is under pressure to show it's taking strong action to curb waste and fraud in Medicare and Medicaid. “This is about DOJ not exercising the same restraint that it used to and pursuing close-call cases that ought to be resolved otherwise,” said Jonathan Diesenhaus, a Washington partner with Hogan Lovells and outside counsel to the AHA.

    Whistle-blower attorneys counter by saying improper payment arrangements that drive unnecessary care are a legitimate target. “There are trade associations that will always say the False Claims Act penalties are draconian and the law is too strict,” said Marlan Wilbanks, the Atlanta-based attorney for whistle-blower Baklid-Kunz. “What they are missing is that it is the greatest fraud-fighting tool in the history of America.”

    MH Strategies

    How to protect against Stark whistle-blower lawsuits

    Get advice from lawyers who are experts in the field.

    Mind your exceptions

    There are about two-dozen specific exceptions for buying patient referrals, including some that allow fair-market payments for staff doctors who refer patients.

    Make sure you meet every condition of the Stark exception.

    Hire an expert valuator

    Make sure you are paying fair-market value for physician services. Relying solely on published salary lists for medical specialties is not enough.

    Form a compliance department

    Make sure compliance officials report directly to the board or the CEO, not the legal department.

    Conduct exit interviews

    Find out if employees are leaving because they don't like what they were asked to do.

    Watch what you say

    in e-mails

    Have legitimate reasons for hiring doctors

    If it's to fill gaps in coverage to better serve the community, that's fine. If it's to gain referrals, that could be a Stark violation.

    Automate, track and update physician contracts

    Have a formal system for investigating and resolving employee complaints

    Self-report

    If a violation is documented, don't wait for a whistle-blower lawsuit. Medicare may accept repayment of funds. Or self-reporting can help speed up the resolution process and gain leniency.

    Source: Modern Healthcare reporting

    Between 2008 and 2012, the federal government recovered $9.4 billion in civil healthcare fraud cases under the False Claims Act, according to an analysis by Jack Meyer, managing principal with the consulting firm Health Management Associates. (The consultancy has no connection to the former hospital chain of the same name.)

    A key issue in these cases is whether the hospitals paid physicians more than fair-market value as a way to induce them to steer more Medicare patients to the hospital. One of the more than two-dozen legal safe harbors for paying doctors under the Stark law is the “bona fide employment exception.” Hospital attorneys are struggling to figure out how to make sure their institution's financial arrangements with doctors meet the criteria for this exception.

    But it may not be enough to vet these physician deals ahead of time with hospital attorneys, which both Halifax and Tuomey say they did. For many hospital leaders, the biggest take-home lesson from these cases may be to listen closely to whistle-blowers when they first raise concerns, and take appropriate action promptly.

    “The first thing is you want to encourage your employees if they feel anything is inappropriate to report it to you,” said Fetter, whose company self-disclosed a case to the government based on an e-mail he received from an employee. Tenet ended up paying a sizable settlement.

    Baklid-Kunz's key allegation against Halifax Health is that the hospital overpaid specialty doctors to deliver unnecessary care to thousands of patients. Halifax administrators deny those allegations, saying the care was appropriate and officials had every reason to believe the physician payments were reasonable.

    The first trial was supposed to deal primarily with the physician compensation issues. The Justice Department joined that fight against Halifax three years ago, saying Baklid-Kunz had presented clear evidence that the hospital's long-time leaders illegally overpaid neurologists and oncologists nearly 27,000 times between 2001 and 2011. A second trial against Halifax slated for this summer will address Baklid-Kunz's allegations of unnecessary inpatient care and inadequate documentation of medical necessity.

    Related content

    "Halifax whistle-blower felt she had no choice"

    Civil War origins

    Both cases are based on the False Claims Act, a Civil War-era law that makes it a civil violation to overbill government programs. The key to the law's effectiveness, proponents say, is that it empowers whistle-blowers to step forward with nonpublic information and file cases to recover misspending on the government's behalf. The law allows penalties of up to $11,000 per Medicare claim, in addition to triple damages, if the conduct is found intentional or arising from reckless disregard for the law. In hospital cases, the False Claims Act typically comes to bear when a whistle-blower can show the hospital broke another Medicare rule.

    There is a powerful financial incentive for whistle-blowers to step forward, and a number of mid- to high-level hospital officials like Baklid-Kunz have done so. They can take up to 25% of the amounts reclaimed if the government intervenes in the case, or up to 30% if the government declines to intervene, as it did in the second Halifax case.

    In U.S. v. Halifax, the alleged payment violation involves Stark—a law of such daunting complexity that its author, former California Democratic Rep. Pete Stark, has publicly called for its repeal. Federal officials have published, and regularly update, about two-dozen exceptions to the Stark law. One key exception, at issue in both the Halifax and Tuomey cases, is the “bona fide employment” exception. Under that rule, money paid to doctors is not considered compensation subject to the Stark law as long as the doctors receive no more than fair-market value for the services and the payments don't vary with the volume or value of the services done at the hospital.

    At Halifax, the oncologists received incentive bonuses. They were allowed to split 15% of the hospital oncology department's operating margin, apportioned to each doctor based on who did the most work. Hospital officials knew this pay would vary with volume. But they argued in court records that the language of the bona fide employment exception is itself subject to an exception that says productivity bonuses are not considered compensation if they pay only for services personally performed by the doctor.

    But U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell in Orlando issued a summary judgment last November that Halifax's incentive bonus did not fall within the bona fide employment exception. That each oncologist “could increase his or her share of the bonus pool by personally performing more services cannot alter the fact that the size of the pool (and thus the size of each oncologist's bonus) could be increased by making more referrals,” he wrote.

    The ruling came as a surprise because Halifax executives said the pay arrangement was vetted by their own lawyers as well as by outside counsel at McDermott Will & Emery. In a Jan. 24 statement of the case, Justice Department lawyers wrote that the review by McDermott Will & Emery found only “a reasonable argument” that the contract was legal.

    The Halifax case may never have reached this point if executives there had listened to what whistle-blower Baklid-Kunz said were her warnings to them in 2008. HHS' inspector general's office has repeatedly urged hospitals to establish internal compliance programs and take prompt corrective action when concerns arise.

    But Baklid-Kunz said that was not the culture at Halifax at the time. “I was always told that Halifax was not liable under (the False Claims Act) because we were a tax-supported hospital,” she said in an interview.

    Whatever the roots of the Halifax problems, some hospital leaders say most False Claims Act cases result not from bad intent, but from sloppy practices. The Halifax case should serve as a wake-up call because it could happen to any hospital organization.

    “There but for the grace of God could go anybody,” said Keith Pitts, Tenet's vice chairman.

    Follow Joe Carlson on Twitter: @MHJCarlson

    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
    Outgoing UHS chief made almost 50% less in 2020 than 2019
    Outgoing UHS chief made almost 50% less in 2020 than 2019
    Population health still at odds with fee-for-service
    Population health still at odds with fee-for-service
    Sponsored Content
    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
    • Instagram

    Our Mission

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

    MDHC_Logotype_white
    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 © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • This Week's News
      • COVID-19
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition
    • Insights
      • ACA 10 Years After
      • Best Practices
      • Special Reports
      • Innovations
    • Transformation
      • Patients
      • Operations
      • Care Delivery
      • Payment
    • Data/Lists
      • Rankings/Lists
      • Interactive Databases
      • Data Points
    • Op-Ed
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Awards
      • Award Programs
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Minorities in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Minority Leaders
          • - Minorities to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Nominate
      • Previous Award Programs
        • Excellence in Nursing Awards
        • Design Awards
        • Top 25 COOs in Healthcare
      • Other Award Programs
        • 100 Top Hospitals
        • ACHE Awards
    • Events
      • Conferences
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Healthcare Transformation Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Virtual Briefings
          • - Hospital of the Future
          • - Mental Health
          • - Patient Safety & Quality
          • - Strategic Marketing
          • - Virtual Health
          • - Workplace of the Future
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Minority Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Webinars
      • COVID-19 Event Tracker
    • Listen
      • Podcast - Next Up
      • 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