Perspective

Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association, standing in front of the AHA seal and a United States flag.

Perspective is a weekly blog from Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association, that explores the most important issues facing hospitals and health systems.

We continue to press Congress, the Administration and UnitedHealth Group to step up their efforts to respond to this unprecedented incident.
The cyberattack against Change Healthcare that began on Feb. 21 is the most serious incident of its kind leveled against a U.S. health care organization.
This week’s cyberattack on Change Healthcare, one of the nation’s largest health care technology companies, is yet another unwelcome reminder of the ability of cybercriminals to take advantage of our mission of caring by disrupting daily operations.
It is important for us to continue to exercise the principles of democracy that Washington and the Founding Fathers fought so hard for and speak up, asking hard questions of candidates in this election year and evaluating their thinking on the issues that affect our field.
For the 57 million Americans who live in rural areas, their hospital is the lifeblood of the community.
Violence in health care settings should never be accepted as “part of the job.”
For many people, choosing an MA plan is a life-changing event and a significant act of trust, counting on the payer they selected to provide the pre-agreed upon coverage for either current medical needs or those that may arise.
As congressional leaders continue to hammer out annual spending bills ahead of the Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 deadlines to fund various agencies, a number of important issues affecting hospitals and health systems are being considered.
As we welcome a new year, this is a good time to examine the health care landscape ahead as we work to ensure Congress fully appreciates how hospitals and health systems need its support to continue delivering high-quality patient care to their constituents and communities.