← Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
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ECG Management Consultants
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Scott Becker
This is Scott Becker with the Becker Healthcare Podcast. We're going to walk through today seven stories that were following in health care that help tell the story of some of the things that are going on in health care. And just a fascinating time. The good, the bad, the ugly. There's just lots going on. We won't talk today about the big tax bill and what it might mean long term for Medicaid, but that's an over sort of arching concern to a lot of systems. But first, Sutter Health. Sutter Health is working on a nearly a billion dollar expansion plan to try and make themselves a standout system in Northern California. They're doubling down on their core growth strategy with the focus on expanding access and health care throughout California and trying to attract more physicians. Warner Thomas spoke at length about this. The CEO of Sutter Health. So you have some of these systems really expanding, trying to become destinations and leaders in their markets and areas. Second, Arkansas Children's Hospital are also working on essentially a $370 million expansion that they are working through construction projects, all kinds of things for pediatrics to help be the destination again in that area of the world for pediatrics. And amazing to see in the in the time of so many challenges with health care systems and reimbursements and profits, some of these big, big building projects. Third, a great discussion from Concierge choice physicians on why hospitals and health systems are embracing concierge medicine. You know, why is this so important? And there's a whole discussion about it in Concierge Choice and Keith Elgart, their CEO, talk about that. Fourth, a great story from Nemours Children's Health System, why Nemours is not in panic mode over the GOP bill. And again, a lot of this stuff with the GOP bill, the negative consequences are going to be felt more in the future than currently. So a lot of systems trying to figure this out and to see what happens with it. But Nemours Children's Health System CEO Caswell Sams, our executive vice president and cfo essentially said we're very thrilled with our overall stability and so we're concerned, but we're overall thrilled with where we're at. Fifth story again, in the negative side of the news, Mercy Health closes Illinois Hospital. This is their hospital in Rocked in near Rockford, Illinois. And so we'll see how that goes. Again, the closure of a hospital that's just not making it go. Sixth Reports on health system margins. Median health system margins still at 1%. Drug expenses keep on soaring. So again, this is data from Strata Decision Technology. But again, median operating margins of 1%. That's ultimately not enough in the long run. So we'll see how that continues to play out. Finally, seventh, Ed Marks has launched a new book called Voices in Innovation AI and is working on a great book launch store. We're a big fan of Ed Marks long term CIO and has been a healthcare leader and just a terrific overall person. Finally, P.S. join the 10th annual Health IT + Digital Health + RCM annual meeting, the future of Business and clinical technologies. That's September 30, October 3 in Chicago. Thank you so much for listening to this version of the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. Thank you very, very much.