Hospital-based ASC ownership; Walmart Health grows in FL; HCA reorganization; plus Jobs!

November 4, 2022

Hello NAW Subscribers -

I hope you like this issue of National Accounts Weekly.

Sincerely,

John Pritchard

President of ANAE

Publisher of The Journal of Healthcare Contracting (JHC)

Hospital-based ASC ownership

The healthcare sector has significantly consolidated in recent years. Large health systems have acquired smaller hospitals and the remaining hospitals have amassed existing outpatient facilities like urgent care, imaging locations and independent physician practices as outpatient care has become more popular. This has limited inpatient days and lowered hospital revenues, all while the healthcare sector tackles higher overhead and labor costs.

The preference for outpatient care is set to continue. Healthcare staff are encouraged to expand their abilities for a variety of alternative care sites and reimbursement models are being restructured to meet the shift toward outpatient services.

UC Davis Health breaks ground on new ambulatory surgery center

UC Davis Health recently broke ground on a major new ambulatory surgery center. Known as the 48X Complex due to its location at 48th and X streets in Sacramento, Calif., the center will blend advanced medical technologies with a human-centered approach to patient care.

UC Davis Health administration and construction team members break ground on the site of the future 48X Complex.

The $579 million complex will be 267,000 square feet and will include 14 operating rooms, 59 pre-and post-operative recovery bays and 14 single-occupant overnight recovery rooms. The center will also include clinical support, pharmacy, imaging and physical therapy services and administrative support space.

Massachusetts General breaks ground on state-of-the-art clinical care building

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding member of Mass General Brigham, on Oct. 27, broke ground on a multi-year construction project for a new, state-of-the-art clinical care facility along Cambridge Street in Boston. The facility will be home to the Mass General Cancer Center and the Corrigan Minehan Heart Center. Two inpatient towers will house 482 single-bed inpatient rooms.

With more than 1.5 million square feet, the new facility will be located entirely within the MGH campus. Larger operating, interventional and procedural rooms, imaging facilities, infusion rooms, exam rooms, and support space for pharmacy and dietary services will also reside within the new facility.

Walmart Health grows in Florida with 16 new health centers opening in 2023

Walmart Health announced plans to bring more accessible, convenient, and affordable healthcare to communities in Florida with 16 new health centers. The locations will span the metro areas of Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa and will open by fall 2023.

The new state-of-the-art facilities, located beside Walmart Supercenters, will provide a range of healthcare services seven days a week in one convenient location for members of the local community, so they can get the right care at the right time, right in their backyard. These services may vary by location, but include primary care, labs, X-ray and EKG, behavioral health, dental, hearing, select specialty services, and community health.

Allina Health, Medtronic presented inaugural Tom Hughes Collaboration Award

SMI, a nonprofit, member-driven community of healthcare provider and industry partner organizations, announced Allina Health and Medtronic as the recipients of the first SMI Tom Hughes Collaboration Award. The announcement and presentation took place at the SMI Fall 2022 Forum in Scottsdale, Ariz., in October.

This newly established annual award is in honor of the late Tom Hughes, SMI Executive Director from 2004 – 2021. Hughes was a passionate, long-time supply chain leader, tireless innovator and pioneer who was at the forefront of promoting the power of provider-supplier collaborations to create positive change in the industry.

The Tom Hughes Collaboration Award Committee chose SMI members Allina Health and Medtronic for their collaborative efforts that went above and beyond traditional transactional relationships to positively impact patient care.

Capstone Health Alliance celebrates education, partnership at Capstone Forum

Capstone Health Alliance celebrated education and partnership at its annual Capstone Forum in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in October. Hundreds of industry professionals gathered to learn and build networks.

It kicked off with opening remarks from President and CEO Tim Bugg about the challenge to adapt healthcare to today’s ever-changing environment and the 2022 Class of the Capstone Leadership Institute was celebrated, including:

Valedictorian Louis Brecht IV, Supply Chain/Contracts Coordinator, Atlantic General Hospital
Class MVP Nekeya Sanders, Procurement Supervisor, BayHealth Medical Center
Tod Hager, Director of Materials, Pleasant Valley Hospital
Faith Halford, System Analyst Coordinator, St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System
Gabriel Lawson, Shipping and Receiving Specialist, Jefferson Regional Medical Center
Lisa Rock, Administrative Specialist, Grafton City Hospital
Loukisha Russ, Material Management Specialist, Jefferson Regional Medical Center
Daniel Smith, Supply Chain Purchasing Agent, Conway Medical Center
Cynthia Stephens, Senior Buyer, Jefferson Regional Medical Center
Shane Trent, 340B Pharmacist, University of Tennessee Medical Center

Please join us for ANAE’s Supply Chain Leader webinar with Carl Tietjen of the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC).

John Pritchard interviews top supply chain executives in 45-minute segments covering their top priorities, how their supply chain is structured and what suppliers can do to best to support the health systems and work with them more effectively.

Dec. 1, 2 p.m. ET - Carl Tietjen, AVP, Purchasing and Supply Chain, University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC)

Interested in our corporate membership packages?

Contact Anna McCormick at amccormick@sharemovingmedia.com.

HCA Healthcare announces operational reorganization

HCA Healthcare announced an organizational change that includes the creation of a third operating group.

The change, which will be effective Jan. 1, 2023, is designed to enhance alignment with the company’s strategy, streamline areas that can improve long-term performance, and provide greater focus and better coordination to support the business.

The announcement includes the promotion of Jon Foster, currently President of HCA Healthcare’s American Group, to Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Foster will oversee all growth and operational support areas, including Development, Payer Contracting & Alignment, Strategy & Innovation, Service Lines, Ambulatory Surgery Division, Physician and Provider Relations, and the UK Division.

In addition, Mike Marks, currently Vice President Financial Operations Support, will be promoted to Senior Vice President-Finance and report to Foster. He will oversee Parallon, Case Management, and Performance Improvement areas as well as the company’s financial resiliency program.

Hippo Technologies announces investment by Ochsner Health in the future of virtual care

Hippo Technologies, Inc. (Hippo), a global virtual care company delivering solutions for healthcare and medical education leveraging next-generation voice and video-enabled wearable computing, announced a seed-round investment by Ochsner Health, one of the nation’s leading health systems serving the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South.

The two organizations will leverage the Hippo Virtual Care platform to improve patient access to specialist services and to advance clinician productivity, community outreach and population health.

Pfizer’s RSV vaccine ready for FDA approval

Pfizer’s RSV vaccine is ready to submit for FDA approval by the end of the year. In the trial, Pfizer gave 7,400 pregnant women the vaccine and studied the presence and effectiveness of antibodies passed to the babies.

The vaccine was 82% effective at preventing severe RSV in hospitalized babies for the first three months of life. After six months, it was 70% effective. If approved, this would be the first RSV vaccine and the first new product related to the infection in over two decades.