Just Got Word

Annette Racond and I attended a number of sessions of the annual American Hospital Association Conference at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. from April 10-12. The one session that stood out above all the others was hosted by Robert Reece, who is the President of the Cambridge Research Institute.  He talked about trends in the hospital industry, and for those who seek a return to the good old days of health care in the United States, I wouldn't hold my breath.  Dramatic changes loom on the horizon.  Among the things to watch for (and that we will be adding to the tPF hot button list as far as what we will be talking to prospects and clients about): - Acute care -- money for this will shrink every year going forward - ACOs are in everyone's future -- lower prices, better connectivity and higher quality - New forms of clinical integration and economic integration are emerging -- each scenario will require resetting the physician/hospital relationship (traditional ho

A big part of being a successful consulting firm is to stay abreast of developments in your area of specialty.  That's why we'll be attending the annual meeting of the American Hospital Association in Washington, D.C. from April 10-13, 2011. This should be a great meeting.  Department of Health and Human Services’ Director for Medicare & Medicaid Services Don Berwick and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, headline this year’s meeting. Prominent speakers also include former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (no friend of Al Gore), Fox News Channel political commentator Juan Williams, MSNBC’s Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski and political analyst Charlie Cook. The meeting will cover topics such as the impact of health care legislation on hospitals, clinical integration, implementing health information technology and governance and quality improvement. We'll keep you posted in our continuing efforts to get smarter and expand our rang