Leaders at Northern Light Health, Brewer, Maine, know that to continually improve patient outcomes, the 10-hospital, fully integrated health system must squeeze every ounce of efficiency out of its EHR system.

It was heartening to see some good news on the COVID-19 front this summer when coronavirus vaccines were made available to roughly 18 million children younger than five years old. Many healthcare workers, however, continue to face the mental and physical tolls of being asked to work especially long hours in unpredictable environments.

With the midterm election weeks away, campaigns in countdown mode and inflation dominating the domestic agenda, the regulatory climate for healthcare in 2023 is predictable yet perplexing for a number of reasons.

Here’s some good news in today’s financially challenging healthcare environment: Opportunities exist for decreasing inappropriate laboratory ordering and unnecessary lab spend. Provider organizations just need to know where to look.

The pandemic has required hospital CEOs to put certain priorities on the back burner so they could effectively respond to their communities’ needs and ensure staff members’ safety. 

A core premise of governance is that the board has only one direct report: the CEO. The theory is, however, that the board also oversees other executives, and the entire organization, through its oversight of the CEO.

The melody of the nursery rhyme “Rock-a-Bye Baby” is recognized around the world. It elicits an image of a cradled baby perched high in a tree, lulled to sleep by gentle breezes. Suddenly, the bough breaks, and the cradle and baby fall. The workaround to let nature do the rocking has worked—until it has failed. 

Sponsorship is a way to foster diverse leadership talent and prepare individuals for advancement to the executive level. Although many healthcare organizations have a stated goal of enhancing diversity at the executive level, executing this goal effectively often remains a challenge and an opportunity.

The core business of health systems is making people better. Across America, doctors, nurses, radiology techs and a litany of well-qualified executives with an alphabet soup of credentials are doing just that. They palpate, auscultate, prescribe and administer. They listen, hold hands, grieve and celebrate. 

This year, ACHE had the privilege of recognizing three individuals with the following awards, established to recognize healthcare management excellence in the federal sector:

Creating a resilient workforce has become a focus for many healthcare organizations. The pandemic underlined the presence and damaging effects of healthcare worker burnout at all levels.

The American College of Healthcare Executives highlights members who were recently promoted, changed positions or retired.

The American College of Healthcare Executives congratulates members who recently received awards recognizing their contribution to healthcare management.

ACHE chapters are providing a mix of in-person and virtual events to their members, resulting in old relationships rekindled, new ones formed and achievements recognized. 

Many successful clinicians struggle in leadership roles. The same is true of promising administrators who take on management responsibilities.