Healthcare changes 'need to mean progress,' ACHE chair-elect says

Uncertainty created by healthcare's rapid changes should be met with a strategic vision that can withstand powerful forces in the marketplace, the American College of Healthcare Executives chairwoman-elect told hundreds of industry professionals in Chicago.

“As leaders of our industry, we face enormous challenges and great opportunities,” Christine Candio told attendees of the professional association's annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership. “No question, we are in a sea of change.”

Candio, a senior vice president of Inova Health System, Falls Church, Va., and CEO of Inova Alexandria (Va.) Hospital, spoke to hundreds of industry executives, managers and others in Chicago for the four-day event.

Candio's remarks opened the conference, which was expected to draw up to 4,000 attendees from more than two dozen countries to hear scheduled speakers that include Joseph Swedish, CEO of insurer WellPoint and former health system executive, and Richard Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association.

Candio called for a holistic approach to patient care as one strategy to meet challenges the industry faces. "Yes, this is a business," she said. "But it's so important to always remember that we're here to serve."

The business of medicine, quality improvement, data analytics and leadership development and compensation are among the popular topics at this year's conference, including sessions on accountable care, bundled payments, population health management and career development.

Greater demand for transparency, more savvy consumers and payment cuts are among the challenges that could leave healthcare organizations adrift like a swimmer pulled by the current without a strong strategic vision for improvement, Candio said. “In healthcare, change is important,” she said. “It needs to mean progress.”

Follow Melanie Evans on Twitter: @MHmevans

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