Rick Pollack, President and CEO, AHA

The cyberattack against Change Healthcare that began on Feb. 21 is the most serious incident of its kind leveled against a U.S. health care organization.
This week’s cyberattack on Change Healthcare, one of the nation’s largest health care technology companies, is yet another unwelcome reminder of the ability of cybercriminals to take advantage of our mission of caring by disrupting daily operations.
For the 57 million Americans who live in rural areas, their hospital is the lifeblood of the community.
Violence in health care settings should never be accepted as “part of the job.”
The federal government has a history of reimbursing hospitals below of the cost of providing care to patients.
For many people, choosing an MA plan is a life-changing event and a significant act of trust, counting on the payer they selected to provide the pre-agreed upon coverage for either current medical needs or those that may arise.
As congressional leaders continue to hammer out annual spending bills ahead of the Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 deadlines to fund various agencies, a number of important issues affecting hospitals and health systems are being considered.
As we welcome a new year, this is a good time to examine the health care landscape ahead as we work to ensure Congress fully appreciates how hospitals and health systems need its support to continue delivering high-quality patient care to their constituents and communities.
Despite significant and ongoing challenges this year, hospitals and health systems can be proud of the job they do each and every day to care for our families, our friends and our neighbors.
Even prior to the pandemic, the biggest questions facing health care providers were: Where is our field headed? And, how can we continue to innovate and transform to deliver the best possible patient care in a fast-changing future?