American Hospital Association President and CEO Richard J. Pollack penned a letter to the editor to The New York Times March 4 in response to a previous article by Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, begging the question: Are hospitals obsolete?
In his op-ed, Dr. Emanuel, a physician and author perhaps best known as the architect of the ACA, argued a plethora of factors have contributed to declining hospitalizations during the past two decades or so. As the trend continues, hospitals will either be forced to "downsize, merge or close, [while] others will convert to doctors' offices or outpatient clinics," he wrote.
"Instead of trying to forestall the inevitable, we should welcome the advances that are making hospitals less important. Any change in the healthcare system that saves money and makes patients healthier deserves to be celebrated," Dr. Emanuel wrote.
However, Mr. Pollack argued hospitals are unequivocally not obsolete. In times of disaster or tragedy, communities lean on their hospitals to provide care, a "fact [that] will never change," he wrote.
"Hospitals and health systems … will continue to perform sophisticated surgery, diagnostics and therapeutics at the cutting edge of scientific development. This work will always be there and will only grow," Mr. Pollack wrote. "The real issue is the redefinition of the hospital. Hospitals and health systems are leading the greatest transformation in history. They are working to provide coordinated and convenient care beyond their four walls that is more responsive to patients and communities than ever before, all with a focus on keeping people healthy."
To access Mr. Pollack's letter to The New York Times, click here.