Rick Pollack, President and CEO, AHA

Rick Pollack Perspective 900x400 12-2023

Articles

Physician Self-Referral Law/Stark law, Physician-owned Hospitals

Fair competition has always been the driving principle of our nation鈥檚 economy. This includes health care, and it鈥檚 the reason the Ethics in Patient Referrals Act, more commonly known as the 鈥淪tark Law,鈥 has been on the books for decades to protect the Medicare program from the inherent conflict of interest created when physicians self-refer their patients to facilities and services in which they have a financial stake.

Innovation, Innovation/New Models of Care

In recent years, the dedication to innovation has been fueled in part by advancements in technology. Patients right now 鈥 and in the future 鈥 can expect more care delivery that is driven by 3D modeling; predictive analytics; advanced robotics for surgeries and treatments; and personalized therapies based on genomics.

340B Drug Pricing Program

After more than five years of litigation and a unanimous Supreme Court victory, the AHA is extremely pleased that 340B hospitals will finally be paid back what they deserve so they can continue providing care to their patients and communities. We are especially gratified that HHS agreed with the AHA鈥檚 position that these hospitals must be promptly repaid in full with a single lump-sum.

Leadership

The late American economist and author Peter Drucker observed that "management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things."

That鈥檚 never been truer than in health care right now. Every day leaders face many serious challenges at once and make difficult decisions that will impact their organizations, patients and communities.