The pandemic has caused financial hardship for hospitals and health systems with continuing patient volume volatility, ballooning costs of labor, staffing shortages, and payer complexity. Organizations are trying to respond to shifts in service which involve moving out of the acute space into higher volume, lower reimbursement models.

In this article, we will discuss the complex dynamics between payers and providers in the healthcare industry.

A panel discussion on the biggest behavioral health challenges coming down the pipeline.  Ruthann Cunningham, Director of Healthcare Leadership, Utah Valley University, Imran Shakir, Chief Medical Officer, Chicago Behavioral Hospital and Laura Tarantino, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Compliance and Privacy Officer, Ocean's Healthcare were on the panel.

Riz Hatton recently moderated a panel discussing quality improvement projects that add the most value to hospitals. The panelists included: - Charleen Tachibana, DNP, RN, Senior Vice President and Chief Quality, Safety and Patient Experience Officer, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health - Will Carroll, PharmD, Chief Pharmacy Officer, Hackensack Meridian Health; Clinical Assistant Professor, Dept of Neurology, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine- Julie L. Wei, MD MMM, Professor, Otolaryngology; Chair, Otolaryngology Education, University of Central Florida College of Medicine- Michele Szkolnicki, MEd, BSN, RN, FACHE, CMPE, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Health

In oncology, we have moved from looking at people's arm palms to predict their futures to using tissue to understand what someone has and target it. We have seen a 32% decrease in cancer mortality over the last three decades and President Biden has set a goal to decrease it by 50% in 25 years. We now have novel therapies like CLEA, antibody drug conjugates and immune checkpoint blockade that are transforming cancer care. These therapies are much less toxic than traditional chemotherapies and have greater efficacy.

The panel moderated by Jakob Emerson, an Associate News Editor at Becker's, and four healthcare industry professionals from various parts of the country. Christy Bray Ricks, MHA, CPRP, CDR, Vice President, Provider Talent, Ardent Health Services, Scott D Nygaard, MD, Chief Operating Officer, LeeHealth, Matthew J. Dellaquila, MD, MBA, FASA, Vice Chief, Anesthesia Operations, Henry Ford Jackson Hospital and Kimberly Cantees, MD, MBA, Clinical Director, Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, UPMC Presbyterian Hospital These professionals discussed their concerns about entrenched problems facing healthcare organizations. Headwinds such as labor costs, governmental payers, and wage increases present major problems that require significant strategies to overcome.

The panelists at a recent event discussed techniques for recruiting different types of talent to their organizations. One of the key points that emerged was the importance of finding candidates who are a good fit with the organization's culture. This involves carefully considering a candidate's CV as well as their personality traits. Engaging millennials, who prioritize culture and engagement, was also discussed. Additionally, the panelists talked about starting programs to recruit high schoolers and helping them pay for college to become medical professionals.

Cathleen Wheatley Wheatley and Catherine Fernald are two esteemed leaders that are discussing telehealth strategies for clinical leaders. Cathleen Wheatley is the President of Atrium Health, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Western North Carolina. Catherine Fernald is the Chief Nursing Officer for Christiana Care in Delaware. They discuss what is still missing from the conversation today in regards to successful telehealth strategies within hospitals.

During the panel, the focus was on creating a culture of transparency and accountability. Building a unified purpose for revenue cycle teams is key to ensuring everyone is on the same page about their goals and performance. By emphasizing the patient experience and core values, employees can better understand how their work impacts patient care.

Rani Morrison Williams is the Chief Diversity and Community Health Equity Officer at UI Health, an academic medical center in Chicago. Dianne Aroh is the Senior Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer for Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, a division of Common Spirit Health, which has 140 hospitals in 21 states. Dr. Heitham Hassoun is a vascular surgeon and Vice President for International and Medical Director at Cedar Sinai. Dr. Klaus Boel is the National Medical Director, Ambulatory and Post-Acute Services, Lifepoint Health. They are all discussing progress on D&I and equity in healthcare and where healthcare is in terms of being more equitable for patients and providers.

Hospitals have faced numerous challenges due to the pandemic. Staffing shortages, denials, and cash flow issues are among the top concerns. Hospitals have looked at their data and implemented various solutions to overcome these challenges. This article explores some of the strategies hospitals are using.

Laura Dyrda is the vice president and editor-in-chief of Becker's Healthcare, and she moderated a panel of leaders who discussed ways to build financial stability in healthcare. The panelists included Erik Wexler, Matt Love, Dr. Airica Steed, and Dr. Rich Isaacs. They talked about how their organizations work with their executive teams to achieve financial stability.

Healthcare systems worldwide are facing financial pressure due to increasing costs and demands. This has led to a reduction in access to drugs and services for patients. Medical graduates are also affected, as they are choosing to go into private equity rather than residency due to the low pay and long hours associated with residencies.

Dr. Maan Fares, Meghan Agnew, and Heather Crowell are all discussing ways to bring humanity to revenue cycle management. Heather Crowell is the Senior Vice President of National Accounts at Rev Spring and has worked in revenue cycle management for nine years. Meghan is the Chief Financial Officer for Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Fares is a cardiologist and leads Global Patient Services department at the Cleveland Clinic.

At Becker's 13th Annual Meeting recently, a panel discussion focussed on shifts occurring within physician employment, how health systems are approaching physician contracts and what changes could be coming down the pipeline in the coming years.

Mackenzie Bean is the moderator for a panel discussion on where to start building a value and innovation focused culture. The five panelists are: - Thomas M. Maddox, MD, Vice President, Digital Products and Innovation, BJC HealthCare/Washington University School of Medicine- Trishul Kapoor, MD, CSTAR Fellow, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medicine- Chia-Shing Yang, MD, Regional Chief Medical Officer, Sound Physicians- Gail Games, MHA, FACHE, Vice President, Chief Learning & Development Officer, Holzer Health System- Sriram Vissa MD, CPE, FACP, SFHM, CPHQ, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, Medical Affairs, SSM Health DePaul Hospital

The panelists discussed how inflation and increasing interest rates are creating new challenges for their hospital systems. Rick Allen, Chief Executive Officer of Warren General Hospital in Pennsylvania mentioned that agency and traveler costs have created issues throughout the hospital. Bashar Nasser with General Champion Regional Medical Center spoke about how they have been doing profit sharing and giving bonuses to employees for the past nine years. Tom Seamers, CEO at Wilbarger General Hospital in Texas discussed how labor is a key factor for their hospital. Tammy Wallace from UCLA Health discussed how they are focused on growing the top line and recruiting more specialties to reduce out migration. They also discussed how the Fed fund rate has gone up from 0.25 to 4.75%, making it still a good time to invest and grow.

The panelists discussed the current payer environment and the challenges they are facing while negotiating rates with insurance companies in their respective markets. According to them, insurance companies are taking longer to process payments and introducing more technical denials, making it difficult for healthcare organizations to negotiate rates with them.

Intermountain Health is a non-profit healthcare provider based in Salt Lake City. They operate 33 hospitals and 400 clinics and provide around $330 million annually in charity care. The hospital has been focused on expanding its Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) footprint and making an impact on publicly reported data. To do this, they have been using risk adjustment, physician advisors, and Computer Assisted Physician Documentation (CAPD) to improve outcomes.

This is a conversation about patient experience in the bottom line programs and strategies that add value. The panelists are Dr. RCI Gar, Dr. Jim Krak, Brian Carlson, and Carrie Officer. They each provide brief introductions of themselves and their organizations.