/ en Sun, 17 Aug 2025 08:52:09 -0500 Wed, 30 Jul 25 16:10:48 -0500 /news/headline/2025-07-30-senate-confirms-susan-monarez-new-cdc-director <p>The Senate July 29 <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00445.htm" target="_blank">voted</a> 51-47 along party lines to confirm Susan Monarez as the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Monarez served as acting director of the agency from January through March before stepping down when she was chosen as the nominee for the director role. </p> Wed, 30 Jul 2025 16:10:48 -0500 Leadership /center/age-friendly-health-systems/empowering-teams-through-trustee-and-c-suite-leadership-age-friendly-care Wed, 30 Jul 2025 16:05:17 -0500 Leadership /education-events/empowering-teams-through-trustee-and-c-suite-leadership-age-friendly-care <p>Join this candid conversation with leaders from the AHA and Hackensack Meridian Health to explore how the Age-Friendly Health Systems framework can serve as a strategic tool to address key challenges in health care. Hackensack Meridian Health will share a compelling case example highlighting how their board and executive leaders empowered front-line teams to implement age-friendly care, the outcomes achieved, and what’s next on their journey. This session offers practical insights for trustees and executives looking to lead systemwide transformation.</p><h4>Speakers:</h4><ul><li><strong>Marie Cleary-Fishman</strong>, <em>Vice President, Clinical Quality</em>, ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Association</li><li><strong>Jose Azar, M.D.</strong>, <em>Executive Vice President and Chief Quality Officer, Professor of Medicine</em>, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Department of Hematology/Oncology | Hackensack Meridian Health</li><li><strong>Shawn Reynolds</strong>, <em>Chair of HMH Hospital Corporation Board</em>, Hackensack Meridian Health  </li></ul><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/center/age-friendly-health-systems/empowering-teams-through-trustee-and-c-suite-leadership-age-friendly-care" title="Register" data-view-context="top-level-view"><strong>Register</strong></a></p> Wed, 30 Jul 2025 15:31:43 -0500 Leadership /news/headline/2025-07-28-ashe-recognizes-2025-award-winners <p>The American Society for Health Care Engineering July 28 <a href="https://www.ashe.org/2025-ashe-awards-recognize-members-outstanding-contributions-health-care-facilities-field">announced</a> the recipients of its annual member awards during the <a href="https://www.ashe.org/education/health-care-facilities-innovation-conference">2025 Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference</a>, taking place July 27-30 in Columbus, Ohio. The Crystal Eagle Leadership Award, considered ASHE’s lifetime achievement award, was presented to Dave Lockhart, executive director for facilities operations and maintenance for Kaiser Permanente’s national shared service operations based in Oakland, Calif. The ASHE President’s Award, given at the discretion of the sitting ASHE president to an individual who excels at optimizing the health care physical environment, was presented to Larry Newlands, director of energy management for Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston. <br><br>Additionally, ASHE recognized members who attained senior and fellow status within the association this year. ASHE also announced recipients of its Emerging Regional Leader Awards, recognizing 10 young professionals and individuals new to the field.</p> Mon, 28 Jul 2025 15:58:16 -0500 Leadership /news/perspective/2025-07-25-delivering-safe-quality-care-patients-top-priority-hospitals-and-health-systems <p>The 2025 AHA Leadership Summit wrapped up on July 22, and as always, it was energizing and inspiring to connect with so many talented and dedicated people whose passion and vision for health care promise great things for the future.</p><p>But even as we heard new ideas about innovative approaches shaping care delivery today, we know that all these exciting advancements will never take anyone’s eye off the true North Star of health care: quality and patient safety.</p><p>Delivering safe, high quality care to patients remains hospitals’ top priority and is at the center of everything they do. The AHA continues to play a key role in leading and supporting the field by developing new resources, spreading innovative initiatives and strategies, and highlighting outstanding efforts through national recognition programs.</p><p>One way we do this is through the <a href="/aha-patient-safety-initiative" target="_blank">AHA’s Patient Safety Initiative</a>, which was launched in 2023 to catalyze, convene and connect members around patient safety while helping lift up your own powerful stories. This initiative focuses on providing hospitals with tools and data to advance patient safety, offers a platform for sharing their stories of improvement with peers and highlights examples of innovation that support, spread and sustain safety improvement.</p><p>As part of the initiative, this week we announced a <a href="/news/headline/2025-07-24-aha-epic-collaborate-toward-improving-maternal-health-outcomes" target="_blank">collaboration with the health care technology company Epic</a> to help more hospitals adopt a set of tools to aid in the detection and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage — a serious and potentially life-threatening complication of childbirth that accounts for 11% of maternal deaths in the United States. Point-of-care tools in electronic health records can help health care providers prevent, detect and treat postpartum hemorrhage, ultimately saving lives and improving care for mothers across America.</p><p>This work builds on the <a href="/better-health-for-mothers-and-babies" target="_blank">AHA’s Better Health for Mothers and Babies Initiative</a>, which provides a wide array of resources to help hospitals and health care systems play a key role in improving maternal and infant outcomes. </p><p>Hospitals and health systems do some of their most important learning from each other. Sharing best practices, ideas and experiences that have succeeded in improving health and safety outcomes is one of the best ways to advance health for our field.</p><p>Throughout the Leadership Summit, we hosted many workshops and sessions focused on quality and patient safety. We heard from hospital and health system leaders about how cutting-edge artificial intelligence is transforming the patient and clinical experience, how employee engagement is a driver of safety, quality and the patient experience of care, and how to integrate storytelling into patient safety efforts.</p><p>We also recognized several hospitals and health systems with AHA awards, including <a href="/press-releases/2025-07-15-aha-honors-two-exemplary-health-systems-their-dedication-and-commitment-quality" target="_blank">AHA’s Quest for Quality Prize</a>, which honors exceptional health care leadership and innovation in improving quality and advancing health in America’s communities.</p><p>Health care ultimately is about people caring for other people. While hospitals and health systems continue to make progress advancing quality and safety, we know that the journey is far from over. As we navigate the challenging road ahead with exciting opportunities to advance clinical care, even with its unpredictable twists and turns, quality and patient safety will always be our guide.</p> Fri, 25 Jul 2025 09:21:14 -0500 Leadership /education-events/2025-aha-leadership-summit <p class="field_lead">The <a href="https://leadershipsummit.aha.org/" target="_blank" title="2025 AHA Leadership Summit"><strong>2025 AHA Leadership Summit</strong></a> senior health care executives, clinicians and experts in the field presenting innovative approaches for delivering better care and greater value, ensuring financial stability, addressing workforce challenges and improving the health care consumer experience through operational excellence, creative partnerships and redefined delivery models.</p><p>Join a diverse community of strategic and visionary leaders who represent excellence in the field as they boldly transform their organizations.</p><p>Our attendees include <strong>CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CMOs, CNOs, CIOs and other C-suite leaders</strong>, as well as <strong>VPs, Physician Leaders, Advanced Practice Professionals, Directors and Managers</strong> overseeing patient care, strategy, innovation, digital transformation, finance, workforce and policy.</p><p>Additionally, the Summit welcomes <strong>emerging and next-generation health care leaders</strong> who are shaping the future of patient-centered care and health system transformation.</p><hr><h2>Leading Hospitals | Leading Health Care</h2><p><strong>Leading Hospitals</strong></p><p>Learn with colleagues in a variety of educational opportunities that facilitate the sharing of insights and leading practices.<br>You’ll hear from innovators investing in the promising ideas, technologies and scientific discoveries that are changing the consumer experience and reimagining care delivery</p><p><strong>Leading Health Care</strong></p><p>Discover inspiration and practical strategies to sustain transformation within your organization, system and community as we prepare for the future.<br>Dive into real-world applications and connect with leaders who share your commitment to driving transformative change in health care.</p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="https://leadershipsummit.aha.org/" target="_blank" title="2025 AHA Leadership Summit" data-view-context="top-level-view"><strong>LEARN MORE >></strong></a></p> AHA Members – Interested in receiving complimentary registration?<br> Consider our Hosted Buyer Forum to connect with high-quality solutions providers. </h2> <p> <a href="/hosted-buyer" target="_blank"><strong>Hosted Buyer Forum</strong></a> - Sunday, July 22 | 9:00 AM-12:00 PM and 2:30 PM-5:30 PM<br> The Hosted Buyer Forum offers a private showcase for hospital and health system leaders interested in connecting with solution providers addressing key hospital issues. After the Forum is complete, participants are encouraged to join the Welcome Reception for additional networking. </p> <p> <a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="https://leadershipsummit.aha.org/hosted-buyer" target="_blank" title="2025 AHA Leadership Summit Sponsorship" data-view-context="top-level-view"><strong>LEARN MORE >></strong></a> </p> --><hr> Call for Speakers </h2> <p> We’re calling on leaders shaping the future of health care to apply to share their real-world strategies and proven solutions with peers across the field. Whether you're tackling workforce challenges, transforming care delivery or driving operational excellence, we want to hear from you. </p> <p> Proposals must be non-commercial in nature. The Call for Speakers deadline is <strong>Monday, November 25</strong>. </p> <a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" data-view-context="top-level-view" href="https://leadershipsummit.aha.org/program/speaking-opportunities-ls" target="_blank"><strong>LEARN MORE >></strong></a> <a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" data-view-context="top-level-view" href="https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/385d7c8476204286b3b500744d75dfe6" target="_blank" title="AHA Leadership Summit Call for Proposals - Apply Today!"><strong>APPLY TODAY >></strong></a> <br /> </p> <div class="RuralButton"> <a class="btn btn-primary btn-primary-avc1" href="https://www.cvent.com/c/abstracts/c8eaf006-bb32-489c-8d5e-515f82937464" target="_blank"><strong>APPLY TODAY >></strong> </a> </div> --><h2>Sponsorship Opportunities</h2><p>A variety of sponsorship opportunities offer both broad exposure and targeted connections with senior health care executives. Support the entire event, design and deliver a session that features your own executive leadership or gain visibility through numerous other opportunities.</p><p>Participation by the business community in the Leadership Summit is reserved for Summit sponsors and AHA Associates.</p><p>Learn how your organization can align with hospital and health system leaders as they meet to reimagine the future.</p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="https://leadershipsummit.aha.org/sponsor-exhibit/sponsorship-ls" target="_blank" title="2025 AHA Leadership Summit Sponsorship" data-view-context="top-level-view"><strong>LEARN MORE >></strong></a></p> Wed, 16 Jul 2025 14:15:30 -0500 Leadership /leadership-dialogue <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-8"><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/leadership-dialogue-freese-decker-pollack-0725-900x400.jpg" data-entity-uuid="170fb397-8bd2-4b79-8863-d07fac49492d" data-entity-type="file" alt="Leadership Dialogue. A Conversation with AHA Chair Tina Freese Decker and AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack." width="900" height="400"><p>In early July, Congress enacted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — a sweeping package that contained many of President Trump’s legislative priorities on taxes, border security, energy and deficit reduction, as well as significant policy changes to Medicaid and the Health Insurance Marketplaces. This legislation will have a significant impact on hospitals and health systems as the changes are enacted.</p><p>In this episode, 2025 AHA Board Chair Tina Freese Decker talks with AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack about the legislation’s key provisions that apply to health care. Freese Decker and Pollack discuss how the AHA is helping the field prepare for some of the law’s changes, as well as ongoing efforts to mitigate some of the policies.</p><p>During the conversation, Freese Decker and Pollack also look ahead to the many key advocacy priorities that are still on the table for the remainder of the year, including several provisions that the AHA hopes to get enacted as part of a government funding bill at the end of September.</p><p>Grassroots advocacy and sharing stories with legislators about the real-world impact the policies they enact will have on patients and communities remain vital, and the conversation closes by exploring what this looks like for hospitals and health systems.</p><p>* <em>Note that this conversation was recorded on July 11, 2025.</em></p><hr><p></p><hr><div></div> <details class="transcript"> <summary> <h2 title="Click here to open/close the transcript."> <span>View Transcript</span><br>   </h2> </summary> <p> 00:00:01:04 - 00:00:32:24<br> Tom Haederle<br> Welcome to Advancing Health. Most experts agree that less reliance on foreign made medical and pharmaceutical products would be a good thing for U.S. health care. But experts also agree it's going to take some time to increase control over our supply chain. In today's podcast hosted by Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health and the 2025 Board Chair of the ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Association, we hear from two experts about the potential impact of the Trump administration's trade tariffs on our supply chain and what they could mean for patients and providers. </p> <p> 00:00:32:27 - 00:00:39:28<br> Tom Haederle<br> This podcast was recorded on May 15th. </p> <p> 00:00:40:00 - 00:01:04:17<br> Tina Freese Decker<br> Hello, and thank you so much for joining us today. I'm Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health and board chair for the ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Association. This month, we are diving into a topic that is top of mind for all of our leaders, not just in health care. It's tariffs. As our nation watches the changing tariff policy play out for those in the hospital field, there are serious considerations as it relates to our supply chain. </p> <p> 00:01:04:19 - 00:01:31:00<br> Tina Freese Decker<br> Every day at Corewell Health and I'm sure at every hospital health system across our country, we use a wide array of products, devices and pharmaceuticals to deliver safe and effective care to our communities. The lives of the people we serve often depend on these items being readily available, making a robust health care supply chain critical. While the field shares the administration's long term goal of strengthening the domestic supply chain for essential medical and pharmaceutical products, </p> <p> 00:01:31:03 - 00:01:57:00<br> Tina Freese Decker<br> we know that achieving this goal will require significant time. In the short term, there is concern that tariffs could inadvertently disrupt that availability of these essential care delivery products, increase the complexity of delivering patient care, and significantly raise hospital costs. So today, I'm joined by two guests who will help us better understand the current environment as it relates to tariffs and the potential implications to health care supply chain. </p> <p> 00:01:57:02 - 00:02:06:12<br> Tina Freese Decker<br> Brian Pomper is a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld, a D.C. based law firm, and he specializes in international trade policy. Welcome, Brian. </p> <p> 00:02:06:19 - 00:02:07:05<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> Thanks for having me. </p> <p> 00:02:07:20 - 00:02:24:28<br> Tina Freese Decker<br> Before joining Akin Gump, Brian formerly served as the chief international trade counsel to the Senate Finance Committee, where he advised of all aspects of the committee's international trade and economic agenda. So we'll get into some of your expertise today. And we are also joined by Akin Demehin. Welcome, Akin. </p> <p> 00:02:25:05 - 00:02:26:03<br> Akin Demehin<br> Thank you Tina. </p> <p> 00:02:26:05 - 00:02:54:05<br> Tina Freese Decker<br> Akin is AHA's vice president for quality and safety policy. He leads public policy analysis, development and advocacy efforts related to quality, patient safety and workforce on behalf of the ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Association. He also leads a regulatory policy development efforts related to the health care workforce. So thank you so much for joining us today. There's so many ups and downs, so many negotiations about what's happening with tariffs. </p> <p> 00:02:54:08 - 00:03:00:20<br> Tina Freese Decker<br> So Brian, I'm going to start with you. Can you tell us where we are today about what's happening for tariffs. </p> <p> 00:03:00:22 - 00:03:29:23<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> Sure thing. Well there's a couple different avenues that the administration has taken on its trade and tariff plan, I'd say. The first I'd just talk about the giant reciprocal tariff regime that the president announced on Liberation Day, as he calls it, on April 2nd. On April 2nd, he announced that he would be imposing 10% tariffs on every country in the world and higher tariffs on 57 of those countries on April 9th. </p> <p> 00:03:29:23 - 00:03:53:27<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> And so the 10% tariffs went into effect April 5th and then April 9th - for about a few hours - you had much higher tariffs on those 57 countries. The bond market and the stock market reacted quite negatively at the time. And so he decided he would pause those higher tariffs on the 57 countries for 90 days to allow for negotiations. </p> <p> 00:03:53:27 - 00:04:18:21<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> He said at the time it was because the bond market had gotten, in his words, yippy. So they were watching what was happening in the broader market. Concerned about where the market was trending, decided to pause this enterprise to allow for these kind of bilateral negotiations over the course of 90 days. And so that's where we are now. Where there are, really, one hears 18 to 20 countries that are in active negotiations with the administration. </p> <p> 00:04:18:21 - 00:04:38:22<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> There are many more that have proposed some degree of, measures they could take for their own economy. So there are really are dozens of countries that are engaged in negotiations with the United States during this 90 day period. There's been one announced agreement with the United Kingdom that was late last week or earlier this week. </p> <p> 00:04:38:24 - 00:04:58:07<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> I would just note that that agreement with the U.K., it's much less of an operational agreement and much more really of a kind of a scoping exercise in agreement to agree sometime in the future on certain matters. And so it's really just a little bit of an appetizer for what maybe these agreements might look like in the future. </p> <p> 00:04:58:07 - 00:05:22:03<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> And the hard part in even negotiating with the U.K. has yet to be done. There's a rumor that there's another agreement that should be announced here fairly soon, but I expect there will be a whole series of these kinds of announcements over the course of the next 90 days, until July 9th. I wouldn't expect the very high reciprocal tariffs on those 57 countries to snap back immediately into place on July 9th. </p> <p> 00:05:22:06 - 00:05:39:01<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> My expectation is that countries that are able to negotiate, as the U.K. did, will end up with a 10% tariff. They won't get their higher tariff. But even for those countries that have expressed a willingness to negotiate with the United States, I don't think that the higher tariffs will go into place. I think the president will extend the pause there. </p> <p> 00:05:39:08 - 00:06:05:14<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> So that's reciprocal tariffs. And then there are section 232 investigations. This is a mechanism whereby the president can ask the Department of Commerce to do an investigation into the national security impact of certain imports. And there has been, a variety of investigations that this president has, has undertaken and actually imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum and autos. All those tariffs are in place under the section 232 authority. </p> <p> 00:06:05:16 - 00:06:30:16<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> But there's also investigations into pharmaceuticals, into semiconductors, trucks, timber, lumber, copper, aerospace, potentially more coming down the pike. And so we're expecting those investigations to be announced here in the coming months. But we don't know exactly where the president will land yet. The premise of those investigations is supposed to be the national security impacts of those imports. </p> <p> 00:06:30:18 - 00:06:52:20<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> But really, the president seems to be using them as a cudgel to try to force companies to restore their manufacturing from overseas to the United States by tariffing the imports. He seems to like a tariff of 25%. That's the tariff that applies on steel, aluminum and autos. I think that's where we see him landing on some of these others. </p> <p> 00:06:52:23 - 00:07:26:13<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> And unlike the reciprocal tariffs where there's a lot of negotiation that's ongoing, the section 232 tariffs feel a lot stickier. They'll be a lot harder to get out from underneath them. And then of course there are the China tariffs. When the president announced the 34% reciprocal tariff for China. China retaliated and we ended up in a tit for tat retaliation that ended up really with, 145% base tariff on imports into the United States from China and 125% tariff from US exports to China. </p> <p> 00:07:26:15 - 00:07:46:12<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> That really was like an economic blockade. And both economies really needed to lower those and in fact, they did agree. The United States and China agreed to lower those tariffs. And so now the tariffs on products coming into China, the base tariff is 30% plus whatever additional tariffs might apply. And from the US side into China, it's 10%. </p> <p> 00:07:46:15 - 00:08:02:28<br> Tina Freese Decker<br> I was just recently reading a book, history book and talked about tariffs. So can you share how tariffs have been handled differently compared in the past, how they are different today than they were used in past administrations or past years and strategies? </p> <p> 00:08:03:00 - 00:08:26:03<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> Yeah. Thank you. I love this question. Allows me to bring out my inner professor. So I would say for the first 150 years of American history, there was no topic that was more often and more frequently debated in Congress than what should be the level of the tariff. You had the incipient industrial industries in the North that wanted higher tariffs to protect their growing power up there. </p> <p> 0:08:26:05 - 00:08:49:15<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> And then you had growers in the South who wanted open export markets, and so they wanted low tariffs so that other countries don't go there. So there was this just constant negotiation. We ended in 1930 with something called the Smoot-Hawley tariff, which people may remember from their high school history class, as blamed for having deepened the Great Depression, I think widely perceived as a negative economic outcome. </p> <p> 00:08:49:17 - 00:09:10:10<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> And since 1930, what the Congress has really done is to delegate to the president quite a bit of authority over trade policy. This is why we have things like the section 232 investigation, where Congress has understood that well, you know, maybe it's not the best use of congressional time to negotiate on what the tariff on salmon imports should be. </p> <p> 00:09:10:13 - 00:09:33:18<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> You know, we're going to let the president kind of deal with that stuff. So we have for the last almost 100 years, had this kind of joint authority between Congress and the president where they would share this, this sort of responsibility. And I think there are those who will argue that that President Trump is using this authority in ways that hadn't been contemplated. </p> <p> 00:09:33:20 - 00:09:56:17<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> In particular, I would say, with a line of tariffs that I didn't talk about, which are these tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act that were imposed on Canada and Mexico, also on China. And actually, I should say IEEPA is the underlying authority the president used for this entire reciprocal tariff regime. It is a very aggressive use of this authority. </p> <p> 00:09:56:20 - 00:10:17:18<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> That that's unusual. The president is much more willing to push legal boundaries, of course, not just in tariffs, but we certainly see it in tariffs here. So much so it is currently being challenged in the courts. And it's really anybody's guess whether the courts are going to decide that he may have exceeded his authority under the IEEPA statute to him to impose these tariffs. </p> <p> 00:10:17:21 - 00:10:19:28<br> Tina Freese Decker<br> And can you explain the IEEPA statute? </p> <p> 00:10:20:01 - 00:10:43:18<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> Sure. I'm happy to. So IEEPA stands for the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. It was passed in 1977 to allow the president to act quickly in cases of some sort of economic emergency. It's actually the basis for our entire export controls regime. It has never been used before to impose tariffs. President Trump is the first president to use it to impose tariffs. </p> <p> 00:10:43:21 - 00:11:08:13<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> There was a predecessor statute called the Trading With the Enemy Act, that President Nixon used to impose tariffs when we were in the process of going off of the gold standard, because there was a balance of payments crisis at the time. That was challenged in the courts, and the court at the time decided that was okay because the court decided, well, those tariffs that the president imposed were really in response to a true economic crisis. </p> <p> 00:11:08:13 - 00:11:32:19<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> There wasn't enough gold in Fort Knox to cover the number of dollars that were in circulation at the time. And those tariffs were imposed for a relatively short period. It was only four months. And it wasn't every country and every product. If you fast forward now to the successor statute, the IEEPA statute, which was written largely because the Trading With the Enemy Act...it was an awkward fit for some of these actions that President Nixon took. </p> <p> 0:11:32:21 - 00:11:59:07<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> Here you now have a president who has used IEEPA to impose tariffs on every country, every product, effectively forever. And so the question that the court in Yoshida, which is the case I'm talking about, the court in Yoshida decided the president in that case was not seeking to usurp the role of Congress, which is clearly given to Congress in the Constitution to control international economic relations, trade with foreign nations. </p> <p> 00:11:59:10 - 00:12:30:11<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> The president wasn't seeking to stand in the role of Congress in resetting tariffs, because it was only time limited and, you know, limited in coverage. Here it's a much different circumstance where you really do have the entirety of the harmonized tariff code that covers all of our trade with every country being reset through executive order. I do think that there are very strong legal arguments that will be made and are being made in court, literally right now as we speak, that the president exceeded his authority under </p> <p> 00:12:30:14 - 00:12:40:06<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> IEEPA. So it's not inconceivable in the next few weeks, you could see a court order that would invalidate the president's actions and really get rid of this entire reciprocal tariff regime. </p> <p> 00:12:40:08 - 00:13:04:03<br> Tina Freese Decker<br> Thank you very much. That was an excellent summary, we really appreciate that. I'm going to switch to Akin. Akin, can you share an overview of concerns specific to hospitals as how it relates to the tariffs may impact access to pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, other needed devices, and do you think that there is going to be a concern about exasperate some of the shortages that we have experienced to date? </p> <p> 00:13:04:06 - 00:13:27:02<br> Akin Demehin<br> Absolutely. I think the complexity that Brian was talking about in terms of how these tariffs are being rolled out is really needing the complexity of the health care supply chain. And the concern that we hear from members and that we really put front and center in our own advocacy efforts is what does this mean for the delivery of patient care? </p> <p> 00:13:27:04 - 00:13:54:21<br> Akin Demehin<br> What does it mean for our caregivers in health care facilities? Hospitals and health systems are constantly weaving together both domestic and international sources for their drugs, for their medical devices, and for other critical supplies. And we know that even temporary disruptions to the flows of those goods can have significant impacts to how hospitals deliver care. Great example are cancer drugs. 00:13:54:24 - 00:14:20:02<br> Akin Demehin<br> Many of those are manufactured in China or rely on a significant number of key starting materials that are manufactured in China or in other locations across the globe. The disruption from tariffs could potentially lead to disruptions in those carefully planned cancer treatments that really rely on careful scheduling. The same thing is true of things like cardiovascular medicines. </p> <p> 00:14:20:04 - 00:14:57:21<br> Akin Demehin<br> As you raised at the outset, Tina, we certainly support ongoing efforts to onshore production and really strengthen the domestic supply chain. At the same time, even those medical goods and devices that are manufactured here in the U.S. often draw in content from abroad. Great example is an infusion pump, where even those infusion pumps are manufactured here in the US might have parts from 20 or more different countries, ranging from the aluminum that goes into manufacturing the pole to the computer chips to the plastics. </p> <p> 00:14:57:24 - 00:15:12:17<br> Akin Demehin<br> All of that involves a considerable amount of complexity. And switching sourcing and offshoring production really is a long term effort. So we've really tried to elevate those concerns in our work around tariffs. </p> <p> 00:15:12:19 - 00:15:19:09<br> Tina Freese Decker<br> So can you tell us what the ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Association is doing to secure exemptions for medical devices and pharmaceuticals? </p> <p> 00:15:19:11 - 00:15:56:23<br> Akin Demehin<br> Sure. So early in the rollout of the tariffs from the administration - going back to early February - we actually sent a letter to the president outlining our concerns about the potential impacts of tariffs to the delivery of patient care, to our ability to provide things like personal protective equipment to frontline providers. And we've continued to follow that up with ongoing proactive dialogue with the administration to really focus on advocating for exemptions for pharmaceutical products and for medical devices. </p> <p> 00:15:56:25 - 00:16:27:12<br> Akin Demehin<br> Bryan talked about the section 232 investigations. The administration has one ongoing for pharmaceutical products, and had an opportunity for the field to share feedback. And we share our concerns with the administration and continue to ask for exemptions. The other thing that we are trying to do is to really provide the hospital and health system perspective to policymakers, to the media, to the administration. </p> <p> 00:16:27:14 - 00:16:51:22<br> Akin Demehin<br> We're in a bit of a unique position versus other kinds of fields where we are large consumers of the goods within the supply chain. Our ability to stockpile any of these supplies is often constrained by just the sheer availability of the supplies. The shelf life for things like pharmaceuticals is finite, so it's not necessarily something that you can just have hanging out on a shelf. </p> <p> 00:16:51:25 - 00:17:20:12<br> Akin Demehin<br> There's space that you have to have in order to warehouse some of these materials. And the way that hospitals and health systems are reimbursed means that it's really our members that bear the costs of tariffs. Because our rates are set by government and by contracts in the private sector, the potential cost impacts of tariffs are ones that we really feel quite directly for our members. </p> <p> 00:17:20:14 - 00:17:33:17<br> Tina Freese Decker<br> Akin, you answered all of my questions coming through there. That was fantastic, because those are all of the concerns that we have as members and what's going on. Brian, do you think that exemptions are likely knowing this administration? </p> <p> 00:17:33:19 - 00:17:54:18<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> An excellent question I get from many, many clients. And I would go back to what I mentioned earlier. My expectation is that the American economy is going to struggle a bit under the weight of all of the tariffs that the president has imposed in all these ways. And there are more tariffs coming under these section 232 investigations that are currently ongoing. </p> <p> 00:17:54:20 - 00:18:27:09<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> I think that many in Congress, especially on the Republican side, have expressed privately but not publicly concern about the president's strategy with respect to tariffs and how it might impact their constituents. But I think over time, the political and economic pressure is going to force some kind of adjustment in the administration. And I think the most logical pressure valve to be released for the administration is for them to reimpose some type of exclusion process, as we did have in the first administration. </p> <p> 00:18:27:09 - 00:18:33:15<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> So if I'm a betting person, yes, I think we will have some kind of exclusion process. </p> <p> 00:18:33:18 - 00:18:54:27<br> Tina Freese Decker<br> We'll come back to see if you're right. And so to close out our conversation today, this has been really helpful, a great history lesson and understanding of what's going on. Brian and Akin, can you share with us what your advice would be for our members? What should we be thinking about doing, planning for, as we think about these tariffs and the impact that they have? </p> <p> 00:18:54:29 - 00:19:13:08<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> Yeah, I always tell clients if something is important to you, important to your bottom line, you need to be vocal about it, and you need to be telling people how these measures are going to impact you. It's hard to argue with the goal, or at least one of the goals the president has of increasing manufacturing employment in the United States. </p> <p> 00:19:13:08 - 00:19:34:21<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> Who doesn't want that? I think where there's debate is how best to achieve that. But I do think it's important for organizations like AHA to go talk to your members, talk to the people who focus on the policy issues, the policy areas that you deal with. Let them know how these tariffs are going to impact you, and ask them to weigh in on your behalf. </p> <p> 00:19:34:21 - 00:19:46:01<br> Brian Pomper, JD<br> And just make sure that whatever the administration does, they try to maximize benefit while minimizing harm. So I would just say where there's an opportunity to engage, I encourage the AHA to do so. </p> <p> 00:19:46:04 - 00:19:50:13<br> Tina Freese Decker<br> Maximize benefit and minimize harm. Great statement. Akin? </p> <p> 00:19:50:15 - 00:20:20:02<br> Akin Demehin<br> You know, Brian's counsel here is extremely wise. I'll just build on it in a couple of ways. One of the things that I know hospitals and health systems are so good at doing is bridging that gap between data and story. And often it is those stories of what's happening on the ground, how the steps that you go through to access supplies to deliver care, how those are affected, and playing that out for what it means for patients. </p> <p> 00:20:20:04 - 00:20:49:15<br> Akin Demehin<br> Those are the kinds of stories that I know policymakers respond to. It really makes the issue even more real for them. And as Brian alluded to, raising some of those concerns with policymakers and certainly reaching out to us here at AHA, we can always be strong advocates on your behalf when we have intel and stories, and other information from all of you to help make the case as best we can. </p> <p> 00:20:49:16 - 00:20:58:17<br> Akin Demehin<br> So we want to stay connected as we possibly can with all of you going forward so that we can push for those exemptions for pharmaceuticals and medical devices. </p> <p> 00:20:58:19 - 00:21:23:02<br> Tina Freese Decker<br> That's wonderful. And your example about the cancer drugs or the smart pump or MRI and how all of those pieces come together is one of those stories that we can talk about and how it impacts us. So Brian and Akin, thank you so much for your time today and sharing in your expertise. I know this is an evolving issue and the AHA will continue to monitor closely and advocate on behalf of our field. </p> <p> 00:21:23:04 - 00:21:29:13<br> Tina Freese Decker<br> And thank you to everyone tuning in today. We'll be back next month for another Leadership Dialogue conversation. </p> <p> 00:21:29:15 - 00:21:37:26<br> Tom Haederle<br> Thanks for listening to Advancing Health. Please subscribe and rate us five stars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. </p> </details> </div> --></div><div class="col-md-4"><div class="views-element-container"> <section class="top-level-view js-view-dom-id-5d4371b7b37370324583647e8dcf5c7f37bb1c4447b9f90858f17134eb5ac233 resource-block"> <h2>Previous Leadership Dialogues and Rounds</h2> <div class="resource-wrapper"> <div class="resource-view"> <div class="article views-row"> <div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/news/chairpersons-file/2025-06-30-chair-file-leadership-dialogue-legal-advocacy-protect-hospitals-aha-general-counsel-chad" hreflang="en">Chair File: Leadership Dialogue — Legal Advocacy to Protect Hospitals With AHA General Counsel Chad Golder</a></span> </div><div class="views-field views-field-created"> <span class="field-content"><time datetime="2025-06-30T09:55:49-05:00">Jun 30, 2025</time> </span> </div></div> <div class="article views-row"> <div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/news/chairpersons-file/2025-05-27-chair-file-leadership-dialogue-tariffs-and-health-care-brian-pomper-and-akin-demehin" hreflang="en">Chair File: Leadership Dialogue — Tariffs and Health Care with Brian Pomper and Akin Demehin</a></span> </div><div class="views-field views-field-created"> <span class="field-content"><time datetime="2025-05-27T10:11:08-05:00">May 27, 2025</time> </span> </div></div> <div class="article views-row"> <div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/news/chairpersons-file/2025-04-28-chair-file-leadership-dialogue-cybersecurity-health-care-john-riggi-ahas-national-advisor" hreflang="en">Chair File: Leadership Dialogue — Cybersecurity in Health Care with John Riggi, AHA’s National Advisor for Cybersecurity and Risk</a></span> </div><div class="views-field views-field-created"> <span class="field-content"><time datetime="2025-04-28T11:46:47-05:00">Apr 28, 2025</time> </span> </div></div> <div class="article views-row"> <div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/news/chairpersons-file/2025-03-31-chair-file-leadership-dialogue-importance-advocacy-and-storytelling-rural-health-lori" hreflang="en">Chair File: Leadership Dialogue — Importance of Advocacy and Storytelling in Rural Health with Lori Wightman, R.N., CEO of Bothwell Regional Health Center</a></span> </div><div class="views-field views-field-created"> <span class="field-content"><time datetime="2025-03-31T10:49:30-05:00">Mar 31, 2025</time> </span> </div></div> <div class="article views-row"> <div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/news/chairpersons-file/2025-02-24-chair-file-leadership-dialogue-advancing-health-and-building-trust-lynn-hanessian-and-robert" hreflang="en">Chair File: Leadership Dialogue — Advancing Health and Building Trust with Lynn Hanessian and Robert Trestman, M.D.</a></span> </div><div class="views-field views-field-created"> <span class="field-content"><time datetime="2025-02-24T08:21:34-06:00">Feb 24, 2025</time> </span> </div></div> </div> </div> <div class="more-link"><a href="/topics/leadership-dialogue">Watch More Leadership Dialogues and Rounds Videos</a></div> </section> </div> </div></div></div> Wed, 16 Jul 2025 11:45:00 -0500 Leadership /news/perspective/2025-07-11-leadership-vision-and-innovation-continue-drive-us-health-care <ul><li>Personalized cancer vaccines that are tailored to individual patients, targeting the specific mutations present in their tumors.</li><li>AI analysis of pathology slides that detects cancer with higher accuracy, reducing diagnostic errors and enabling improved patient outcomes.</li><li>3D printing of living tissues with the potential for creating transplantable organs that could eventually solve the global organ shortage crisis and offer better outcomes for transplant recipients.</li></ul><p>These are among the innovations in the medical and health fields that have taken great strides forward just in the past year<em>, </em>driven by advancements in technology, research and global health needs.</p><p>Our era is a time of remarkable innovation and fresh thinking. However, we have seen that recent actions taken by Congress create formidable challenges ahead in our mission of advancing health for all — and will make it even harder to invest in technology and other advancements in clinical care. We will need to find creative and innovative ways to continue our path of progress in improving care for today and tomorrow.</p><p>I believe we are up to the task. American health care is blessed with motivated clinicians, care teams and hospital and health system leaders who strive to push the field forward, knowing that there is always new knowledge to be gained, new boundaries to explore and new ways to improve the patient care experience.</p><p>And so many of the advancements and modern techniques that are improving the patient experience today originate within the walls of our hospitals, which continue to drive innovative care transformation. Pharma drugmakers haven’t cornered the market on innovation, nor have Silicon Valley tech companies.</p><p>True innovation is in the steps forward hospitals and health systems are taking to deliver safe, high-quality care for all patients in their communities.</p><p>True innovation is how hospitals have implemented and continue to enhance telemedicine and remote patient monitoring. </p><p>True innovation is how hospitals are developing and using new technologies and strategies that improve patient care and increase operational efficiency.</p><p>True innovation is seen in the collaboration between hospitals and private sector partners to address health care’s most complex and pressing challenges and to forge practical and tactical innovations for health systems and their patients.</p><p><strong>Exchanging ideas is what drives innovation. </strong><a href="https://leadershipsummit.aha.org/" title="AHA Leadership Summit"><strong>AHA’s Leadership Summit</strong></a>, <strong>which will be held July 20-22 in Nashville, Tenn., brings together many of the best minds in health care, medicine and technology with a shared passion for innovation as the road to advancing health. </strong></p><p>Our expert speakers will explore six key health care focus areas over these three days, providing the opportunity to stay on top of the major issues, trends and developments affecting our field. </p><p>At the Summit, attendees will hear from senior health care executives, clinicians and experts in the field about innovative approaches to addressing financial challenges, future-focused strategic planning, unleashing the potential of hospital-at-home programs and dozens of other topics shaping our approach to care today.</p><p>We’ll explore solutions to challenges facing everyone, such as strengthening the health care workforce, redefining the role of health systems and integrating physical and behavioral health within our workforces. Other sessions will examine how cutting-edge AI is transforming the patient and clinician experience, ways to build public trust and confidence in health care, critical response cybersecurity exercises for hospital leaders, and how hospitals and health systems can impact public policy through effective advocacy.</p><p>The AHA Leadership Summit offers something valuable for every health care professional. It’s a great way to get updated on what’s happening across our field, as well as network and tap into the terrific energy that comes from connecting with colleagues, peers and friends who share common goals and concerns.</p><p><strong>There’s still time to register for this year’s </strong><a href="https://leadershipsummit.aha.org/" title="AHA Leadership Summit"><strong>AHA Leadership Summit</strong></a><strong>. Please view the </strong><a href="https://web.cvent.com/event/05ffbe14-fab7-4ddf-89d9-93f63942d9ca/websitePage:44c2cfcd-a0ea-4f01-bbe4-16d10551d7bb" title="AHA Leadership Summit Agenda"><strong>agenda</strong></a><strong> and register today. In addition, please visit our </strong><a href="/tellingthehospitalstory" title="Telling the Hospital Story Webpage"><strong>Telling the Hospital Story webpage</strong></a><strong>  for examples of how hospitals and health systems are driving innovation and to share your own organization’s story with us. </strong></p><p>We hope to see you in Nashville!</p> Fri, 11 Jul 2025 08:07:31 -0500 Leadership /06/2025/ke/exploring-advanced-data-breach-defense-us-hospitals <div> </div>header.jumbotron {display:none} <div> /* center_body */ .center_body { /*margin-top:50px;*/ /* margin-bottom: 50px;*/ } .center_body h3 {} .center_body p { font-size: 16px } p.center_Intro { color: #002855; line-height: 1.2em; font-size: 30px; margin: 10px 0 25px 0; font-weight: 700; font-size: 2em; } @media (max-width:768px) { p.center_Intro { line-height: 1.2em; font-size: 23px; font-size: 1.45em; } } .center_body .center_Lead { color: #63666A; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; font-size: 21px; } /* center_body // */ /* Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar */ .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar { position: relative; display: block; overflow: hidden; max-width: 1170px; margin: 0px auto 25px auto; } .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar h1 { position: absolute; bottom: 40px; color: #003087; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, .8); width: 100%; padding: 20px 40px; font-size: 3em; box-shadow: 0 3px 8px -5px rgba(0, 0, 0, .6); } @media (max-width:991px) { .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar h1 { bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; font-size: 2.5em; } } @media (max-width:767px) { .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar h1 { font-size: 2em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; padding: 10px 20px; } } @media (max-width:530px) { .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar h1 { position: relative; background-color: #63666A22; } } /* Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar // */ <header class="Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/VED-Celerium-banner-1170x250.png" alt="Celerium Banner Image" width="1170" height="250"><div><h1>Exploring Advanced Data Breach Defense for U.S. Hospitals</h1></div></header>/* CntMenuSub */ .CntMenuSub{ margin:20px 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; color: #afb1b1; letter-spacing: 1.5px; font-weight: 400; font-size: .7em; } .CntMenuSub .CntMenuBar{ border-bottom: 1px solid lightblue; } .CntMenuSub .CntMenuBar a:after{ content: "|"; padding: 0 3px 0 6px; color: #555; } .CntMenuSub .CntMenuBar a:last-child:after{ content: ""; } .CntMenuSub .CntMenuSubHome, .CntMenuSub .CntMenuSubParent{ text-transform: uppercase; color: #555; opacity: .9; } .CntMenuSub .CntMenuSubParent{ } .CntMenuSub .CntMenuSubChild{ } .CntMenuSub .CntMenuSubCurrent{ opacity: .7; } .CntMenuSub .CntMenuSubHome:hover, .CntMenuSub .CntMenuSubParent:hover{ text-transform: uppercase; color: #d50032; } /* CntMenuSub // */ <div class="container CntMenuSub"><div class="col-md-1"> </div><div class="col-md-10 row CntMenuBar"><a class="CntMenuSubHome" href="/education-events/aha-virtual-executive-dialogues">AHA Knowledge Exchange</a> <span class="CntMenuSubChild" id="CntMenuSubChild">Exploring Advanced Data Breach Defense for U.S. Hospitals</span></div><div class="col-md-1"> </div></div><div class="row spacer"><div class="col-sm-3"><div><a href="/system/files/media/file/2025/06/ke-celerium-exploring-advanced-data-breach-defense.pdf" target="_blank"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/VED-Celerium-cover-910x1220.jpg" alt="AHA Knowledge Exchange | Exploring Advanced Data Breach Defense for U.S. Hospitals" width="100%" height="100%"></a></div></div><div class="col-sm-9 center_body">.sponsortype { color: #9d2235; font-size: 1.5em; margin: 0px; font-weight: 700; } <p class="sponsortype">AHA Knowledge Exchange</p> Intro.............. </p> --> xxxxxx </p> --><h2>Early-warning defense measures to mitigate disruptions to clinical operations</h2><p>Preventing data breaches and containing breaches if they do occur is top of mind for hospital and health system leaders looking to deliver uninterrupted patient care and reduce operational disruptions. Executives and information technology teams must have clear visibility into breach status at the hospital or clinic level, with leadership tasked with deciding which systems to shut down or isolate. By integrating multiple defensive measures — including minimally invasive containment alongside isolation-based strategies — organizations can strengthen security and reduce clinical disruptions. This Knowledge Exchange e-book explores the importance of early breach detection, emergency management, clinical and business continuity planning and advanced data protection tools.</p><div class="row">@media (min-width:768px){ .EDsponsorFloat{ float:right; } } @media (max-width:767px){ .EDLinkFloat{ position:relative; left:27%; } .EDsponsorFloat { text-align:center } } <div class="col-sm-6"><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary EDLinkFloat" href="/system/files/media/file/2025/06/ke-celerium-exploring-advanced-data-breach-defense.pdf" target="_blank" title="AHA Knowledge Exchange | Exploring Advanced Data Breach Defense for U.S. Hospitals" data-view-context="top-level-view">Download the Report</a></div><div class="col-sm-6"><div class="EDsponsorFloat"><strong>Sponsored by: </strong><a href="https://www.celerium.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow"><img src="/sites/default/files/2024-10/Logo_Celerium_834x313.jpg" alt="Celerium Logo" width="100%" height="100%"></a></div></div></div></div></div>.sp_CTA5_holder { margin-top:0px; border-bottom: solid 1px #555; padding-bottom: 50px; } .sp_CTA5_holder_last { border-bottom: solid 0px #555; } .sp_CTA5_holder >div{ overflow: auto; } .sp_CTA5_holder ul { list-style: none; /* Remove default bullets */ padding-left: 0px; /*width: calc(100% - 15%);*/ /*margin: 50px auto 0;*/ margin:auto 50px; } .sp_CTA5_holder ul li{ margin-bottom:7px; line-height: 1.5em; font-size:16px; } .sp_CTA5_holder ul li::before { content: " "; font-size: 1em; margin-right: 10px; display: inline-block; height: 12px; background-color: #9d2235; width: 12px; position: relative; top: 0px; -webkit-transform: rotate(45deg); -moz-transform: rotate(45deg); -o-transform: rotate(45deg); } .sp_CTA5_holder ul li{ padding-left:23px; text-indent:-23px; } .body ol>li, .body ul>li{ font-size:16px: } .sp_CTA5_holder h2 { color: #002855; /*! line-height: 2em; */ font-size: 2.15em; margin: 0 0 15px 0; /*! font-size: 30px; */ } .sp_CTA5_holder h3 { /*color: #002855;*/ line-height: 1em; /*font-size: 1.5em;*/ margin-bottom: 25px; margin-top:5px; font-size: 28px; } .sp_CTA5_section{ margin-top: 25px } .sp_CTA5_ImgShadow { /*background-color:green;*/ /* just a visual */ text-align: center } .sp_CTA5_ImgShadow { padding-bottom:75px; /* must match the padding on the img*/ margin: 0px; } .sp_CTA5_ImgShadow img{ width: calc(100% - 35px - 15px); -webkit-box-shadow: 50px -75px 0px 0px rgba(185, 217, 235, 1); -moz-box-shadow: 50px -75px 0px 0px rgba(185, 217, 235, 1); box-shadow: 50px -75px 0px 0px rgba(185, 217, 235, 1); position: relative; top: 75px; max-width: 490px; } @media (max-width:990px){ .sp_CTA5_ImgShadow img{ max-width: 350px;} } @media (max-width:990px){ .sp_CTA5_ImgShadow { padding-bottom:75px; /* must match the padding on the img*/ margin: 0px; margin-right: 40px } } <div class="row spacer sp_CTA5_holder sp_CTA5_holder_last"><div class="col-md-12"><h3>10 proven strategies to prevent and respond to data breaches</h3><div class="sp_CTA5_section"><ul><li><strong>Incident command and leadership</strong>. Maintaining a strict chain of command during security incidents is crucial for clear decision-making and response.</li><li><strong>Enterprise emergency management</strong>. Physical and cybersecurity, once separate, are now deeply interconnected due to frequent disruptions. Unifying security, emergency management and business continuity strengthens preparedness, response and recovery.</li><li><strong>Vulnerability management and security awareness</strong>. Strengthened antivirus protection, identity and access management, and automated patching improve security posture. Additionally, phishing prevention and breach response training remain key priorities.</li><li><strong>Emergency preparedness</strong>. Regular drills, tabletop exercises and structured communication ensure effective crisis management.</li><li><strong>Threat monitoring and response</strong>. Early-stage outbound data blocking helps prevent exfiltration before resorting to drastic containment measures.</li><li><strong>Cybersecurity as a process</strong>. Security is continuous, requiring ongoing adaptation to emerging threats.</li><li><strong>Shadow IT and legacy systems</strong>. Unknown or unmanaged systems pose significant risks, requiring focused monitoring and oversight.</li><li><strong>Communication redundancy</strong>. Secondary communication channels, including an off-network paging system and backup email, ensure secure messaging during outages.</li><li><strong>Public-private partnerships</strong>. Collaboration with local, state and federal agencies enhances crisis-response capabilities.</li></ul></div></div></div><h2>Participants</h2>/* people */ .people { margin-top: 50px; } .people img:nth-child(1) { border-radius: 200px; -moz-border-radius: 200px; -webkit-border-radius: 200px; margin-bottom: 10px; max-width:200px; /* for Transformation Talks */ display:block; /* for Transformation Talks */ margin:auto; /* for Transformation Talks */ } .people img:nth-child(1):hover { opacity: .7 } @media (max-width:991px) { .people { margin: auto; } .people p { text-align: center } } .ci_profile { margin-bottom: 30px; display: block; text-align:center /* this is for the "Executive Dialogue" page */ } @media (max-width:991px) { .ci_profile { text-align: center } } .ci_profile p { margin: 0 0 7px 0 } .ci_profile_name { font-weight: 700; font-size: 20px; } p.ci_profile_name { font-size: 1.5em; line-height:1.2em; margin-top:10px } .ci_profile_title { font-style: italic; line-height: 1.3em } .ci_profile_company { font-size: 1em; } p.ci_profile_award { font-size: .8em; text-align:center; color:#55555599; font-weight: 700 } .ci_profile_social { width: auto; } .ci_profile_social i { padding-right: 25px; font-size: 20px } .ci_profile_social a:last-of-type i { padding-right: 0px; } #ci_footer-social { font-size: 1.5em; padding-top: 0px; width: 100%; text-align: right; } @media (max-width:991px) { .ci_logo { margin-top: 25px } .ci_social p { text-align: center !important; } #ci_footer-social { text-align: center } } @media (min-width:769px){ .people .rowEqual_768 { display: -webkit-box; display: -webkit-flex; display: -ms-flexbox; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; } .people .rowEqual_768>[class*='col-'] { -ms-flex: 3; /* IE 10 */ flex: inherit; /*flex*/ width: calc((100% / 3) - 2px) /*Adjust % for the number per row, will override the bootstrap - Also needed for Safari*/; } } @media (max-width:767px) and (min-width:361px){ .people .rowEqual_768 { display: -webkit-box; display: -webkit-flex; display: -ms-flexbox; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; } .people .rowEqual_768>[class*='col-'] { -ms-flex: 1; /* IE 10 */ flex: auto; width: calc((100% / 2) - 2px) /*Adjust % for the number per row, will override the bootstrap - Also needed for Safari*/; } } p.ci_profile_name { font-size: 1.5em; line-height:1.2em; margin-top:10px } .people .ci_profile_combined{ font-size:14px; line-height: 18px; } .people .ci_profile_combined span{ font-style: italic; } .people .ci_profile_combined:before{ content:""; border-bottom: solid 1px #55555522; display: block; clear: both; width: 85%; margin: 5PX auto 10px; } <div class="people"><div class="row rowEqual_768"><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-6 ci_profile"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/Belfont_Ron_300x300.png" alt="Ron Belfont" width="300" height="300"><p class="ci_profile_name">Ron Belfont, MS, CISSP, CHCIO, CDH-E, ITIL</p><p class="ci_profile_title">Chief information security officer</p><p class="ci_profile_company">Bayhealth Medical Center</p> profile_combined </p> <p class="ci_profile_award"> profile_award </p> <div class="ci_profile_social"> profile_social </div> --></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-6 ci_profile"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/Brasser_Brian_300x300.png" alt="Brian Brasser" width="300" height="300"><p class="ci_profile_name">Brian Brasser, R.N.</p><p class="ci_profile_title">Senior vice president, integrations and operations</p><p class="ci_profile_company">Corewell Health</p> profile_combined </p> <p class="ci_profile_award"> profile_award </p> <div class="ci_profile_social"> profile_social </div> --></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-6 ci_profile"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/Johnson_Emy_300x300.png" alt="Emy Johnson" width="300" height="300"><p class="ci_profile_name">Emy Johnson, MA</p><p class="ci_profile_title">Vice president and chief security officer</p><p class="ci_profile_company">Allina Health</p> profile_combined </p> <p class="ci_profile_award"> profile_award </p> <div class="ci_profile_social"> profile_social </div> --></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-6 ci_profile"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/Joy_Michelle_300x300.png" alt="Michelle Joy" width="300" height="300"><p class="ci_profile_name">Michelle Joy, MHA, FACHE</p><p class="ci_profile_title">President and CEO</p><p class="ci_profile_company">Carson Tahoe Health</p> profile_combined </p> <p class="ci_profile_award"> profile_award </p> <div class="ci_profile_social"> profile_social </div> --></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-6 ci_profile"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/Kotalik_Karl_300x300.png" alt="Karl Kotalik" width="300" height="300"><p class="ci_profile_name">Karl Kotalik</p><p class="ci_profile_title">Chief solutions officer</p><p class="ci_profile_company">Celerium</p> profile_combined </p> <p class="ci_profile_award"> profile_award </p> <div class="ci_profile_social"> profile_social </div> --></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-6 ci_profile"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/Lam_Thien_300x300.png" alt="Thien Lam" width="300" height="300"><p class="ci_profile_name">Thien Lam</p><p class="ci_profile_title">Vice president and chief information security officer</p><p class="ci_profile_company">BayCare Health System</p> profile_combined </p> <p class="ci_profile_award"> profile_award </p> <div class="ci_profile_social"> profile_social </div> --></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-6 ci_profile"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/Matera_James_300x300.png" alt="James Matera" width="300" height="300"><p class="ci_profile_name">James Matera, D.O., FACOI</p><p class="ci_profile_title">Chief medical officer</p><p class="ci_profile_company">CentraState Healthcare System</p> profile_combined </p> <p class="ci_profile_award"> profile_award </p> <div class="ci_profile_social"> profile_social </div> --></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-6 ci_profile"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/Mehta_Gulshan_300x300.png" alt="Gulshan Mehta" width="300" height="300"><p class="ci_profile_name">Gulshan Mehta, MBA, CHCIO, CDH-E</p><p class="ci_profile_title">Chief digital and information officer</p><p class="ci_profile_company">Blanchard Valley Health System</p><div class="ci_profile_social"> </div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-6 ci_profile"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/Scott_Sandra_300x300.png" alt="Sandra Scott" width="300" height="300"><p class="ci_profile_name">Sandra Scott, M.D.</p><p class="ci_profile_title">CEO</p><p class="ci_profile_company">One Brooklyn Health</p><div class="ci_profile_social"> </div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-6 ci_profile"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/Wilson_Patrick_300x300.png" alt="Patrick Wilson" width="300" height="300"><p class="ci_profile_name">Patrick Wilson, CHCIO, CHISL, CISSP, MA</p><p class="ci_profile_title">Chief information security officer</p><p class="ci_profile_company">Adventist Health</p><div class="ci_profile_social"> </div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-6 ci_profile"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/Gee_Scott_300x300%20%281%29.png" alt="Scott Gee" width="300" height="300"><p class="ci_profile_name">Moderator:</p><p class="ci_profile_name">Scott Gee</p><p class="ci_profile_title">Deputy national advisor for cybersecurity and risk</p><p class="ci_profile_company">ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Association</p></div></div></div>@media (min-width:768px){ .rowEqual_768 { display: -webkit-box; display: -webkit-flex; display: -ms-flexbox; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; } .rowEqual_768>[class*='col-'] { -ms-flex: 1; /* IE 10 */ flex: auto; width: calc(33.3% - 2px) /*Safari Fix*/; } } .center_callout_3invert { background-color: #f6f6f6; text-align: center; /*margin-bottom:25px;*/ margin-top:30px; } .center_callout_3invert h4 { color: #002855; line-height: 1.2em; font-size: 30px; margin: 10px 0 30px 0; } .center_callout_3invert h3 { margin: 25px 0 0 0; color: #555; font-size: .7em; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight: 400; 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reduce disparities.</div> </div></div> </div> </div> <div class="more-link"><a href="/aha-knowledge-exchange-archive">View All: AHA Knowledge Exchange</a></div> </section> </div> </div></div> Wed, 18 Jun 2025 10:17:09 -0500 Leadership /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2025-06-16-hospital-operators-manual-post-merger-integration <div class="raw-html-embed"> </div><div> /* Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar */ .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar { position: relative; display: block; overflow: hidden; max-width: 1170px; margin: 0px auto 25px auto; } .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar h1 { position: absolute; bottom: 40px; color: #003087; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, .8); width: 100%; padding: 20px 40px; font-size: 3em; box-shadow: 0 3px 8px -5px rgba(0, 0, 0, .6); } @media (max-width:991px) { .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar h1 { bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; font-size: 2.5em; } } @media (max-width:767px) { .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar h1 { font-size: 2em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; padding: 10px 20px; } } @media (max-width:530px) { .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar h1 { position: relative; background-color: #63666A22; } } /* Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar // */ <header class="Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar"><img src="/sites/default/files/2024-01/Trailblazers_Amazon_banner_1170x250.png" alt="Cover of Assembly Required: An Operator’s Manual for Post-merger Integration"><div><h1>A Hospital Operator's Manual for Post-merger Integration</h1></div></header></div> h2{ margin-top: 0px; } p.center_Intro { color: #002855; line-height: 1.2em; font-size: 30px; margin: 10px 0 25px 0; font-weight: 700; font-size: 2em; } p.center_Lead { color: #63666A; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; font-size: 21px; } <div class="row"><div class="col-sm-8"><h2>Assembly Required</h2><p>Hospitals and health systems have been merging with each other, acquiring each other and strategically partnering with each other for decades. These deals offer the potential to improve quality, efficiency and more.</p><p>But the post-merger process often can be complex as crafting the merger agreement itself. What’s needed is a detailed plan — an operator’s manual, if you will — to execute the integration of two organizations. Follow this 10-step process to develop an operator’s manual to ensure a successful post-merger transition.</p><div class="row"><div class="col-sm-12"><p><strong>Sponsored by:</strong><a href="https://guidehouse.com/industries/health?utm_source=aha&utm_medium=report&utm_campaign=mergers-acquisitions-playbook&utm_content=aha-trailblazers-report" target="_blank" title="Guidehouse"><strong><img src="/sites/default/files/2020-03/Logo_Guidehouse_834x313.jpg" alt="Guidehouse logo"></strong></a></p></div></div></div><div class="col-sm-4"><h3>TrailBLAZERS</h3><a href="/type/trailblazers" title="View all of AHA's TrailBLAZERS Reports"><img src="/sites/default/files/2024-01/Trailblazers_logo-924x265.png" alt="TrailBlazers" width="100%"></a><p><br><a href="#DownloadNow" title="Download, Assembly Required: An Operator’s Manual for Post-merger Integration"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/Traiblazers_Guidehouse_cover_777x600.png" alt="Cover, Assembly Required: An Operator’s Manual for Post-merger Integration" width="100%"> </a><br><a class="btn btn-primary" href="#DownloadNow" title="Download, Assembly Required: An Operator’s Manual for Post-merger Integration">Download</a></p></div></div> .y-hr3 div:nth-child(2) { border-top: solid 15px #67c1c3; margin: 50px 0px; height: 0px; <div class="row y-hr3"><div class="col-md-3"> </div><div class="col-md-6"> </div><div class="col-md-3"> </div></div><div class="row"><div class="col-sm-4"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/Trailblazers_Guidehouse_FirstSection_700x430.png" alt="xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" width="100%"></div><div class="col-sm-8"><h2>Post-merger Integration Assembly Instructions</h2><p>Building an integrated hospital or health system after a merger can be complicated because hospitals and health systems are some of the most complicated and sophisticated organizations. Yet the general steps taken to successfully integrate hospitals and health systems are strikingly similar to the steps and concepts required to build a shelving unit, for example.</p><p><a href="#DownloadNow" title="Download, Assembly Required: An Operator’s Manual for Post-merger Integration"><strong>READ MORE.</strong></a></p></div></div><div class="row y-hr3"><div class="col-md-3"> </div><div class="col-md-6"> </div><div class="col-md-3"> </div></div><div class="row"><div class="col-sm-4"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/Trailblazers_Guidehouse_HenryFord_Health_700x532.png" alt="Exterior of Henry Ford Health"></div><div class="col-sm-8"><h2>Case Study: Henry Ford Health and Ascension Michigan</h2><h3>Putting a Premium on Change Management and Cultural Integration</h3><p>In October 2023, Henry Ford Health and Ascension Michigan agreed to transfer majority ownership of eight Ascension Michigan hospitals to Henry Ford Health through a joint venture. The parties completed the deal in fall 2024, making Henry Ford Health a 13-hospital system. Key to the successful integration of the two organizations has been the creation of a physician advisory council and a cultural integration team to ensure that physicians and valued team members closest to the care team are on the same page from both change-management and cultural-integration perspectives.</p><p><a href="#DownloadNow" title="Download, Assembly Required: An Operator’s Manual for Post-merger Integration"><strong>READ MORE.</strong></a></p></div></div><div class="row y-hr3"><div class="col-md-3"> </div><div class="col-md-6"> </div><div class="col-md-3"> </div></div><div class="row"><div class="col-sm-4"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/Trailblazers_Guidehouse_USA_Health_700x532.png" alt="Exterior of USA Health"></div><div class="col-sm-8"><h2>Case Study: USA Health</h2><h3>Operating Model First, Technology Second</h3><p>In April 2023, USA Health acquired Providence Hospital. The transaction brought the hospital and 14 clinics into USA Health, which operates University Hospital and Children’s and Women’s Hospital, and the Mitchell Cancer Institute. The integration focused on developing a common mission, vision and culture. In their post-integration operating model, the two organizations determined that tech infrastructure along with the details of how the two organizations would combine into one should support the operating model.</p><p><a href="#DownloadNow" title="Download, Assembly Required: An Operator’s Manual for Post-merger Integration"><strong>READ MORE.</strong></a></p></div></div><div> .SponsorMarketoForm { background-color: ; padding:5px 25px; border: solid 2px #307FE2; margin:50px 15px 0px !important; display:inline-block; width:100%; } .SponsorMarketoForm h3{ margin:10x 0 0 0 ; color:#eaaa00; font-size:.7em; text-transform:uppercase; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:3px; max-width:200px; /* Custom for the copy length */ background-color:#fff; padding: 5px 15px; position:relative; top:-35px; height: 0px; } .SponsorMarketoForm h2{ color: #002855; } .SponsorMarketoForm .SponsorMarketoFormHolder{ background-color: ; padding:15px; display: inline-block; margin-bottom:25px; } .SponsorMarketoFormHolder form{ margin: auto; } @media (max-width:640px){ .SponsorMarketoForm { padding:5px 0px; } .SponsorMarketoForm .SponsorMarketoFormHolder{ padding:15px 0px; } } /* Marketo Over-ride */ .mktoForm .mktoFormRow:nth-child(3){ float: left; } /*Center the last row .mktoForm .mktoFormRow:nth-child(4){ margin-left:15%; } */ .mktoForm label{ font-size: 0px; width: 0px !important; } .mktoForm input{ height: 30px } .mktoForm .mktoButtonRow{ float: left; } .mktoForm .mktoButtonWrap { margin-left:20px !important; } .mktoForm .mktoButton { background-color: #307FE2 !important; border: 1px solid #307FE2 !important; color: #fff !important; padding: 0.4em 1em; font-size: 1em; background-image: none !important; min-width: 190px; margin: 0 15px; border-radius: 4px; padding: 10px 20px; transition: all .25s ease-in-out; text-shadow: none; white-space: normal; height: 30px; font-weight: 700 } .mktoForm .mktoButton:hover{ background-color: #002855 !important; border: 1px solid #002855 !important; color: #fff !important; } .mktoForm .mktoClear { clear: none; } <div class="row spacer" id="DownloadNow"><div><div class="col-md-1"> </div><div class="col-md-10"><div class="cta--image-container full_width SponsorMarketoForm"><h3>Download Now</h3><div class="col-md-9"><h2>Assembly Required</h2><div class="SponsorMarketoFormHolder">   MktoForms2.loadForm("//sponsors.aha.org", "710-ZLL-651", 4718); MktoForms2.whenReady(function(form) { if (form.getId() == 4718) { form.onSuccess(function(values, followUpUrl) { form.getFormElem().hide(); document.getElementById("successAndErrorMessages").innerHTML = "<div><p>Thank you for downloading the latest AHA Trailblazers.<\/p><a class='btn btn-wide btn-primary' data-view-context='top-level-view' href='https:\/\/www.aha.org\/system\/files\/media\/file\/2025\/06\/Trailblazers_Guidehouse_Mergers.pdf' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer nofollow'>Download the Report<\/a><\/center><\/div>"; return false; }); }; }); <div id="successAndErrorMessages"> </div></div></div><div class="col-md-3"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/Traiblazers_Guidehouse_cover_777x600.png" alt="Cover of Assembly Required: An Operator’s Manual for Post-merger Integration"></div></div></div><div class="col-md-1"> </div></div></div></div> Mon, 16 Jun 2025 12:00:00 -0500 Leadership