Carilion Clinic CEO Nancy Howell Agee on healthcare reform: Hospitals in 'problematic' 'state of uncertainty'

The uncertain future of healthcare reform unnerves hospital leaders and threatens the health of their bottom lines, Carilion Clinic President and CEO Nancy Howell Agee told The Roanoke Times.

"Predictability in our business is stability. Not being able to forecast where you're going, what your revenue sources are, puts you in a state of uncertainty that is problematic," Ms. Agee, who additionally holds the title of president-elect of the American Hospital Association, told The Roanoke Times.

"What a rollercoaster. I was stunned by the news last week when the bill got pulled, even though we expected they didn't have the votes, you would assume they would manage to do something after all this time," she added. 

Ms. Agee helped lobby Congress ahead of President Donald Trump's decision March 24 to scrap the AHCA. While acknowledging the ACA has flaws in need of repair, the AHA's position on healthcare reform is that all of the people who gained coverage under the ACA must be able to retain that coverage under a replacement law, according to the report.

In particular, Ms. Agee said changes that would allow hospitals to more freely collaborate with private physicians, home healthcare companies and nursing homes without risking violating the Anti-Kickback Statute, as well as changes to Medicare reimbursement, would benefit hospital systems such as Carilion.

Carilion Clinic has faced $100 million in reduced revenues under the ACA and does not benefit from Medicaid expansion, as Virginia elected not to expand its Medicaid program, she told The Roanoke Times. While she expects challenges to continue, Ms. Agee said the hospital system will continue to work toward its goals and provide high-quality care for patients.

"As providers we don't know what's going on. So my direction for our organization is we do what we do best. We take care of patients," she said, according to the report. "We continue our strategies, but we're very in touch with what's going on nationally and regionally, and we'll respond appropriately."

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