Health care leaders discuss ways to effectively engage legislators

Apr 16, 2024 - 02:10 PM
Kristin Schwartz, Sarah Lechner and Jeremy Nordquist at AHA's 2024 Annual Meeting

It's always important to bring the issue back to the patient, said Sarah Lechner, senior vice president and chief of external affairs for Hackensack Meridian Health, during a Q&A about building relationships with elected officials when advocating for hospitals and health systems at AHA's 2024 Annual Meeting April 14-16. Lechner, along with Jeremy Nordquist, president of the Nebraska Hospital Association, said early engagement, hosting site visits, crafting tailored messages with specific asks, and being reciprocal are key elements to establishing effective relationships with legislators.

"It has to start as early as possible," Nordquist said. "Politicians make decisions on a lot of different factors when it comes to help with [favorable] votes. … So, spending time working on yourself, and certainly working with your state associations to think through who and how you can plug in to people who are in office."
 

Related News Articles

Perspective
Hospitals Face Financial Pressures as Costs of Caring Continue to Surge
Hospitals hold an extraordinary place in our society by offering comfort and caring to all who walk through their doors, regardless of ability to pay.While the…
Headline
AHA supports rural access to care legislation considered during House Ways and Means Committee markup session
AHA submitted a statement May 8 to the House Ways and Means Committee for a markup session on proposed legislation impacting telehealth access for patients and…
Headline
AHA urges Senate committee to support federal programs promoting workforce diversity, maternal health 
Mounting pressures on the health care workforce have created a crisis with short-term staffing shortages and a long-range picture of an unfulfilled talent…
Headline
House subcommittee holds hearing on Medicaid access, program integrity 
AHA submitted a statement to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health for a hearing April 30 on proposed legislation to address Medicaid access and…
Perspective
Working Together to Advance Health and Build a Better Future
Stand up. Speak out. Be heard. The stakes for the future of health care are too high to do anything less. That was a key message for the approximately 1,…
Headline
Health care leaders examine prior authorization policies
Challenging prior authorization policy requirements were addressed in an AHA Annual Membership Meeting panel discussion moderated by Marilyn Werber Serafini,…