Join us for lunch and discussion with Sen. Leah Vukmir, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. The Brookfield Republican will talk about the past session’s major health-related initiatives and what’s next for healthcare in the state.  Register here.

Nearly 1,000 people filled an exhibit hall at Madison’s Monona Terrace March 21 to attend WHA’s 2018 Advocacy Day and hear keynote addresses from Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and Mara Liasson, correspondent for NPR and contributor to Fox News Channel. Over half of the attendees also ventured up to the state capitol in Madison to meet with their state senator and representative on issues impacting Wisconsin’s hospitals, including Medicaid reimbursement and a proposal to implement a government fee schedule in Wisconsin’s worker’s compensation program.

Bob Van Meeteren, WHA Board chair and president/CEO of Reedsburg Area Medical Center, welcomed attendees to Advocacy Day. “Every year that I’ve attended Advocacy Day, I am so impressed by the number of people who gather for this event and the passion you all have for your community hospitals, and this year is no different,” said Van Meeteren.

To kick off Advocacy Day, Van Meeteren introduced a video message from Gov. Scott Walker, recorded in advance at the Governor’s residence in Madison. In his remarks, Walker thanked everyone in attendance for contributing to Wisconsin’s achievement as the best state in the country for high-quality health care.

“On behalf of our citizens, I want to say thank you! We are so proud that our health care systems in Wisconsin are ranked number one in the nation for quality. That is so important to individuals and families all over the state, as our health is a top priority. It is also a great recruiting tool for top talent and new employers to the state,” said Walker.

The Governor told the crowd he is “proud to have such a great working relationship with WHA staff and members,” and highlighted several accomplishments achieved by working together.

“We’ve made major investments in Medicaid to keep our systems strong and to care for those in need. We even added more through the Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) program,” said Walker, referring to the last budget he signed into law, which increased Wisconsin’s DSH program by $25 million in state funds. The Governor went on to talk about additional investments in the state’s health care workforce, medical education campus expansion, eliminating the waiting period for children’s long-term care services and recent legislation—signed into law at Tomah Memorial Hospital—to create a reinsurance program in Wisconsin to help stabilize the individual health insurance market.

“Together, we will continue to reinforce Wisconsin’s reputation as a national leader in health care. Thank you for your service to your system, your community and to our state.”

When it comes to emerging technologies, not every innovation will make their mark on healthcare in the long run. For instance, CIO members of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives ranked blockchain technology as the most “overhyped” IT trend in a recent CHIME study, Healthcare IT News reports. Although blockchain technology aims to improve data integrity and advance data security, 48.2 percent of CIOs fail to see its transformative potential. Other “overhyped” trends, according to the survey, include:

• Cloud computing (23.2 percent)
• Machine learning (7.1 percent)
• Natural language processing (7.1 percent)

Instead, many healthcare organizations are focusing on trends that can make a tangible, positive impact. According to 50 percent of the CIOs surveyed, these promising innovations include Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources and application programming interfaces. Additionally, 14 percent of CIOs said their organization has launched a dedicated IT innovation center and 25 percent said their health system has formed a partnership focused on innovation with a healthcare IT startup.

—Adapted from “FHIR transformative, blockchain overhyped, CIOs say,” by Mike Miliard, Healthcare IT News, Jan. 19, 2018.

At the start of 2018, the healthcare industry is on the cusp of more significant change, according to a recent Health Affairs Blog post. Highlighted below are six trends to be on the lookout for.

Insurance Market Stability, With Some Exceptions

The healthcare reform strategy of Republicans going forward will likely be to focus on the states, granting them waivers to experiment with insurance programs and expand Medicaid coverage. That said, healthcare leaders are viewing 2018 as a year of greater insurance market stability. On the other hand, bad debt continues to climb, which means some healthcare leaders still face major financial threats.

Renewed Focus on Value-Based Care

CMS will likely continue to ramp up the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 that incents clinicians to take risks with alternative payment models. Private sector actions also appear to be expanding and accelerating the value-based payment movement, disrupting the status quo.

Continued Rise of Consumerism

To ultimately succeed, health leaders realize that they need to, above all else, excel at attracting and engaging patients, families, caregivers, and consumers. More and more, providers will work with patients, families and caregivers to develop approaches to more actively manage their health and healthcare.

Embracing Standardization and Waste Reduction

Healthcare leaders have a larger and more urgent financial imperative to identify and isolate wasteful practices, cost outliers and the root causes for inefficiencies. These efforts will rely heavily on having accurate and actionable data and analytics.

Increased Drug Market Competition

Congress and the FDA will continue to explore new initiatives designed to unleash more competition that can moderate drug price trends. Efforts could include developing more generics where competition is lacking, streamlining the generic drug approval process, eliminating loopholes that prevent the introduction of competitor drugs and promoting biosimilars.

Data Warehouse Growth and Strides in Interoperability

While providers wait for new interoperability provisions, they continue to build data warehouse systems, enhance data analytics, and train their workforce on IT-related competencies.

—Adapted from “What To Watch In Health Care In 2018: Six Key Trends,” by Susan DeVore, Health Affairs Blog, Jan. 29, 2018.

ACHE’s 2018–2019 Nominating Committee is calling for applications for service beginning in 2019. All members are encouraged to participate in the nominating process. ACHE Fellows are eligible for any of the Governor and Chairman-Elect vacancies and are eligible for the Nominating Committee vacancies within their district. Open positions on the slate include:

• Nominating Committee Member, District 2 (two-year term ending in 2021)
• Nominating Committee Member, District 3 (two-year term ending in 2021)
• Nominating Committee Member, District 6 (two-year term ending in 2021)
• Four Governors (three-year terms ending in 2022)
• Chairman-Elect

Please refer to the following district designations for the open positions:

• District 2: District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia
• District 3: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin
• District 6: Air Force, Army, Navy, Veterans Affairs

Candidates for Chairman-Elect and Governor should submit an application to serve that includes a copy of their resume and up to 10 letters of support. For details, please review the Candidate Guidelines, including guidance from the Board of Governors to the Nominating Committee regarding the personal competencies of Chairman-Elect and Governor candidates and the composition of the Board of Governors.

Candidates for the Nominating Committee should only submit a letter of self-nomination and a copy of their resume.

All correspondence should be addressed to Edward H. Lamb, chairman, Nominating Committee, c/o Julie Nolan, and the applications to serve and self-nominations must be submitted electronically to jnolan@ache.org and received by July 15, 2018.

The first meeting of ACHE’s 2018–2019 Nominating Committee will be held on March 27, during the 2018 Congress on Healthcare Leadership in Chicago. The committee will be in open session at 2:45 p.m. During the meeting, an orientation session will be conducted for potential candidates, giving them the opportunity to ask questions regarding the nominating process. Immediately following the orientation, an open forum will be provided for ACHE members to present and discuss their views of ACHE leadership needs.

Following the July 15 submission deadline, the committee will meet to determine which candidates for Chairman-Elect and Governor will be interviewed. All candidates will be notified in writing of the committee’s decision by Sept. 30, and candidates for Chairman-Elect and Governor will be interviewed in person on Oct. 25.

To review the Candidate Guidelines, visit ache.org/CandidateGuidelines. If you have any questions, please contact Julie Nolan at (312) 424-9367 or jnolan@ache.org.

The Board of Governors Exam fee waiver promotion for ACHE Members to save $200 when they submit their Fellow application will take place between March 1 and June 30, 2018.

Eligible members must submit their completed Fellow application, $250 application fee and meet all requirements—including the three years of ACHE membership tenure and five years of executive-level healthcare management experience—by June 30 in order to receive approval to take the Board of Governors Exam. Pending application approval, ACHE will waive the $200 Board of Governors Exam fee.

When you share the value of ACHE membership with your colleagues through encouraging them to join or advance to Fellow status, you can earn points to obtain rewards such as a gift certificate toward an ACHE education program, a polo shirt, a backpack tote, a water bottle and an umbrella. If you sponsor three or more Members who successfully achieve Fellow status, you can even be entered into a raffle for a free registration to ACHE’s Congress on Healthcare Leadership.

Each time a person joins ACHE or advances to Fellow status and lists your name as a sponsor on the application, you earn a point. The more points you earn, the more rewards you can receive. Points expire on Dec. 31 of the year following when they were earned (e.g., a point earned on Jan. 1, 2018, will expire on Dec. 31, 2019). You can check your available points and discount program coupon codes in the My ACHE area of ache.org. To ensure colleagues reference you, referral cards are available that you can pass out so you receive the credit you deserve.

When you help grow ACHE, you make a strong statement about your professionalism and leadership in the healthcare field and also strengthen the organization.

For more information on the program, go to ache.org/L2L.

Improve your visibility in the healthcare field and build your professional brand by sharing career updates with ACHE. Have you started a new job or been promoted recently? Are you planning to retire? Let ACHE know for a chance to be listed in the “On the Move” section of Healthcare Executive magazine! All you have to do is email the job title, organization and location of both your former and your new job, as well as a high-resolution headshot, to he-editor@ache.org.

ACHE’s Executive Program is designed for the next generation of healthcare executives who strive to excel in management and achieve organizational excellence. Past participants have included mid-career executives or administrative directors, service-line leaders and department heads. The program’s locations and dates are as follows:

• Chicago (June 11–12)
• San Diego (Aug. 20–22)
• Orlando, Fla. (Oct. 29–Oct. 31)

The Executive Program is tailored for mid-level managers, providing them with an opportunity to assess their skillsets in order to develop stronger leadership capabilities and prepare them for change within their organizations. Participants explore a wide range of topics essential to their professional career growth and their healthcare organization’s advancement. Enrollment is limited to 30 healthcare executives, and participants must attend all three sessions. A limited number of scholarships are available for qualified individuals. For more information, contact Catie L. Russo, program specialist, ACHE’s Division of Professional Development, at (312) 424-9362, or visit ache.org/Executive.