Efficiency important in 2017 and beyond

I recently gave a presentation to Campbell County Health’s directors and supervisors that I called “How to cram three years of graduate study into one hour!”

Everyone is, understandably, very focused on their piece of healthcare and their particular department or area. As you know the bigger picture of healthcare is very complicated, and at this point, the future is very uncertain.

What we know right now is that 28% of federal spending is healthcare-related, and that the government’s portion of healthcare spending is continuing to grow as a percent of gross domestic product (GDP), estimated to be 9% in 2020. (For those who don’t know, GDP is one of the primary indicators used to gauge the health of a country’s economy.) Overall healthcare spending in the United States is approaching 18% of GDP. This makes healthcare spending, especially government reimbursement, an attractive target for spending cuts.

Physicians and hospitals especially will see their model of payment and delivery of services change. Some of these changes will serve to enhance the opportunity to participate in alternative payment models like bundled payments. Others will be employed to encourage the use of electronic medical records (EMRs), while still others will drive the push toward population health. The overall purpose of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is to bring value to their beneficiaries, that all important equation that balances high quality care and affordable pricing.

Some of these initiatives, like bundled payments, are already used for total joint surgeries and will be expanding to cardiac and cancer care in the not too distant future. Payors and employers are beginning to ask us here in Wyoming to participate in these new models.

So, what does this mean for CCH? With continued downward pressure on inpatient stays and no new money flowing into the system, efficiency will be in everyone’s job description. Consumers will continue to expect more and more transparency when it comes to information about pricing, quality and safety, but they still want choices as to providers and hospitals. Those choices will become more limited with some of the reforms that are happening across the country.

I think that payment reforms will happen, probably more slowly here than in other parts of the country. As the leading provider of healthcare in Campbell County, CCH has a vital stake in becoming the best in every category: care delivery and quality; safety; patient and resident experience; and business efficiency.

In 2017, those of us who carry the mantle of leadership will need to be innovative and relentless in the search for high quality, efficient service delivery that will help us be successful in the continued pursuit of serving our community by providing a lifetime of care with dedication, skill, and compassion.

A Year in Numbers
Who likes statistics? 2016 was a busy year! Check out the busy year we had at Campbell County Health:

• Cath Lab Procedures: 584
• Emergency Department Visits: 22,767
• Inpatient Admissions: 2,874
• Lab Tests: 362,028
• Legacy Resident Days: 43,543
• Pharmacy Doses: 516,250
• Pounds of Laundry (CCMH & Legacy): 1,146,885
• Radiology Procedures: 49,622
• Total Clinic Visits: 98,499
• Total Surgeries (CCMH): 4,396
• Total Surgeries (PRSC): 1,383
• Volunteer Hours: 13,085

It’s both a privilege and a great responsibility to be able to care for the people in our community at every stage of life. Thank you for placing your trust in us.