President's Perspective – American Hospital Association Convenes Regional Meetings

Upcoming Events

Sunflower Health Network Board Meeting - Jan. 9

The Sunflower Health Network is a not-for-profit organization that consists of 26 counties located primarily in North Central and North West Kansas. Sunflower Health Network's (SHN) specific purpose is to improve the population's health status. The 26 member hospitals, in conjunction with their medical staff, have developed a network that fosters cooperation and coordination. The priority has been to enhance the integration of health-related services among the SHN member communities.

Quality Corner Call - Jan. 10

Quality Corner Calls are offered by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Healthworks and focus on quality improvement activities consistent with the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant Program.

KHA Board Meeting - Jan. 22

KHA has a 21-member board of directors. They meet at least five times a year. Each board member holds three-year terms, with a two-term limit. The board has a composition of members from all geographic areas of Kansas all sizes and types of member hospitals are represented. The board also includes two hospital trustees and two physician members. Other participants include American Hospital Association delegate.

KHA's Advocacy Day - Jan. 23

Advocacy is at the heart of every service KHA provides for our members. Whether we are educating, advocating or relationship-building, we look for ways to assist policymakers at the federal, state and local levels in understanding the implications of the policies being discussed.

KHSC Board Meeting - Jan. 28

KHSC is a wholly owned subsidiary of KHA. Therefore, a secondary objective of KHSC is to support KHA in meeting its mission of serving hospitals. Its mission is to provide enhanced value to KHA members by evaluating and endorsing selected vendors of services needed by the KHA membership. KHSC will be a valuable resource to Kansas healthcare facilities and the Kansas Hospital Association as they serve their constituents.

Current Report Articles

‹‹ Back To List

President's Perspective – American Hospital Association Convenes Regional Meetings

AHA Logo (Oct. 4, 2024) – Last week, the American Hospital Association convened the final Regional Policy Board meeting for 2024. The event occurred in St. Louis and brought together hospital leaders from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. As always, the AHA staff sets a full agenda to discuss current and future hospital and health care issues. To kick off the meeting, the AHA team provides a thorough and up-to-date briefing on the latest federal legislative and regulatory environment. While most attention is focused on the Nov. 5 general elections, AHA has already started strategizing on the advocacy priorities that will top the agenda for the upcoming "lame duck" session. The advocacy agenda will include several key initiatives, such as protecting against site-neutral payments, extending the MDH/LVH programs, avoiding Medicaid DSH cuts and holding commercial insurance plans accountable. As expected, the upcoming elections will also influence Congress's priorities. The KHA team will collaborate with our AHA colleagues to ensure we are aligned in speaking with a unified voice.

Most of the Regional Policy Board meetings focused on the health care workforce, including physician impact and projections. Recent reports from the Association of American Medical Colleges indicate that the U.S. may have a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. This shortage could be even larger, up to 202,800, if historically underserved communities had fewer health care access barriers. Another factor that is impacting the physician workforce is reimbursement. From 2001 to 2024, the Medicare physician payment has decreased by 29 percent. Several physician workforce solutions were explored by the RPB attendees that ranged from the expansion of digital health and AI to ensuring other health care professionals are permitted to practice at the top of their license.

Additional topics discussed during the RPB meeting included Enhancing Public Trust and Confidence, Impact of the SCOTUS Rulings: Beyond Chevron, Coalition to Strengthen America's Healthcare and Member Accountability. Regarding the last topic, AHA is developing an "internal self-assessment tool for public trust and accountability" to help hospitals better understand their "blind spots" and areas of strength. Once finalized, this comprehensive tool will be placed on the AHA website for member hospitals to access. Stay tuned!

I want to thank our Kansas hospital representatives who participated, including Melissa Atkins, Graham County Hospital, Hill City; Larry Van Der Wege, Lindsborg Community Hospital, Lindsborg; and Sherri Vaughn, MD, The University of Kansas Health System, Kansas City. Thank you again to the AHA team for developing a tremendous agenda. I appreciate their dedication to advocating for the hospital industry and the excellent guidance offered by our Kansas representatives!
--Chad Austin

‹‹ Back To List

Communications

Upcoming Events

Recent News