This year’s Associate Members and Partners Event brought a crowd of attendees from HASC supporting organizations to Servicon headquarters in Culver City. Attendees learned what issues hospitals are facing, how they’re innovating and moving forward, and how HASC partners can help them succeed.
Laurie Sewell, chief executive officer of Servicon, a HASC Endorsed Business Partner, warmly welcomed the audience. The event’s theme was “Innovating Together,” which, she noted, is the aim of associate members and partners. “Our goal is to ensure hospitals and partners are aligned and equipped with knowledge to continue leading the charge and providing high quality care to the communities that we all serve,” Sewell said.
She introduced George Greene, HASC president and CEO, who gave an overview of the association and its current work, such as advocating for hospitals on medical debt reporting requirements and other local issues. He also outlined the issues hospitals are facing, including financial challenges, a looming seismic retrofitting mandate for hospitals, workforce shortages and homelessness and behavioral health needs.
Sewell then spoke with Chief Executives Alina Moran, California Hospital Medical Center (CHMC), and Joe Avelino, College Medical Center, who dove deeper into these challenges and how their hospitals are tackling them.
Hospitals Meet Challenges with Creative Solutions
Both hospitals serve large Medicare and Medicaid populations, and, with the added burden of skyrocketing labor and supply costs, financial sustainability is a constant worry. Moran and Avelino are looking for creative solutions and leveraging value-based care models, negotiating with vendors and finding ways to avoid layoffs. But their cost margins are thin, and they must be strategic about any new investments.
Workforce shortages and costs, worsened by the “great resignation” that began during the pandemic, have left hospitals scrambling to fill critical roles, especially in nursing and other specialized positions. Moran is expanding CHMC’s pipeline by partnering with new graduate programs. Avelino works to foster a strong culture of trust to increase staff retention and looks for ways to support employees, such as hiring an executive coach.
Both CHMC and College Medical also serve behavioral health patients. College Medical found that many behavioral health patients coming to the emergency room also had physical needs. In response, Avelino’s team established a psychiatric legacy program that allows the hospital to better serve its high-need behavioral patients. CHMC partners with a range of community psychiatrists and outside organizations, including College Medical, to support its providers and offer holistic care to behavioral patients.
Avelino and Moran are finding ways to innovate and tackle these challenges head on. Their mission remains the same: to deliver the highest quality, most equitable care possible, driven by their deep commitment to serving the community and supporting their staff.
How AI Can Help Hospitals Innovate
The event’s keynote and final speaker, Patrick Higley, discussed generative artificial intelligence (AI) and how it can benefit hospitals in areas such as administration, workforce and clinical decision making. A vice president at AVIA and head of its National AI Collaborative, Higley also noted the importance of understanding AI’s potential and limitations, and issues to consider in its responsible use.
One example of AI’s potential lies in clinical documentation. Higley explained that the technology can automatically generate notes from physician-patient conversations, allowing providers to focus more on patient care. However, health care organizations are grappling with questions about AI’s return on investment and large-scale implementation. A growing “digital divide” presents another challenge, as larger, financially stable providers who can afford AI tools, leave behind smaller facilities with fewer resources.
Looking forward, Higley believes, AI will indeed disrupt health care, but in ways that assist humans and not replace them. The key, he said, is for leaders and organizations to view AI not as a threat that may replace human capabilities, but as a tool that can enhance their work.
Overall, the event gave HASC partners a broad overview of the challenges and opportunities health care faces today. Across the board, speakers agreed health care organizations will need to stay flexible, use technology in new ways and focus on long-term sustainability to succeed in the coming years.