So far, 2018 has been a dynamic year in healthcare. Rochester hospitals and healthcare systems are essential to our economy and our overall well-being. Not only have they served more than 4.1 million patients in Rochester – they’ve generated $733 million in tax dollars and $6 billion in economic activity.
However, hospitals are also facing a myriad of challenges, including funding cuts, the opioid epidemic, employee burnout, cyber security threats and market-disruption from Amazon. We need to ensure that our hospitals are protected because they’re vital to the health of our community. The five categories below address the top issues in healthcare.
Driving the Local Economy
In the Rochester area, hospitals provide 41,000 jobs and $1.8 billion in salaries and benefits. They also provide hundreds of construction jobs through capital projects, such as the Sands-Constellation Center for Critical Care and the new pediatric units at Golisano Children’s Hospital. In addition, more than 3,000 researchers at the University of Rochester are working on vaccines to prevent AIDS, new strains of the “super flu” and MRSA infections. It’s something that we often take for granted – we associate hospitals with healthcare, but they’re responsible for jobs, research and innovation. Our hospitals must be protected for the beacons that they are – not subjected to funding cut after funding cut.
Opioid Crisis
It is well documented that the opioid crisis has reached epidemic levels. In 2011, there were 8 deaths from opioids in Monroe County, and in 2016, there were 169. However, we need to look at addiction like a chronic illness. Some people are more predisposed to addiction than others. To get to the root of the problem, many people have blamed the high rate of prescription opioids and an aggressive marketing campaign by the pharmaceutical industry.
In recent years, a decrease in prescription opioids has led to an abuse of other opioids - including heroin and fentanyl, which can be deadly. Pandion Healthcare: Education & Advocacy is helping to address the issue locally by bringing hospitals together to discuss how they can share data and work with law enforcement to prevent further overdoses.
Physician/Nurse Burnout
Another major issue in healthcare is physician and nurse burnout. Patients have needs 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, 365-days a year. Physicians, in particular, are tethered to cell phones and computers, subjecting them to an increasing level of stress. A healthy work-life balance is nearly impossible given their excessive workload and lack of resources. Long hours can take a major toll on the mental and physical health of all hospital workers. This phenomenon has been recently been recognized by the healthcare systems, and we need to find new ways to ease the burden on providers.
Cyber Security
Cyber security is another major threat to hospitals and healthcare systems. As we’ve seen locally in the Finger Lakes, ransomware can wreak havoc on electronic communications and records. Cyberterrorists can notify health systems electronically that their systems have been encrypted and demand a ransom in order to free the data. Unfortunately, these cyber attacks are becoming increasingly common. Rochester healthcare systems have taken preventative measures to back up their data, and they’re prepared to notify the FBI immediately if a cyberterrorist attacks.
Amazon
Another major issue in healthcare is the potential for Amazon, JPMorgan and Berkshire Hathaway to disrupt the marketplace by creating a new healthcare system for their employees. Although the companies made a big announcement without providing any details, it has generated a lot of interest in the health insurance world. These major companies aim to lower health care costs, but how it will happen and its long-term effect remains to be seen.
Despite all of these challenges, we need to support our hospitals to ensure that they come out stronger than ever before. Healthcare is what drives our economy in the Rochester region, so it’s important that we recognize, advocate, and work to protect our local hospitals.
Pandion Healthcare: Education and Advocacy is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 association whose membership is comprised of 17 hospitals and their related health systems in the nine counties of Monroe, Livingston, Ontario, Wayne, Seneca, Yates, Allegany, Steuben, and Chemung. The Association works closely with the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) and the American Hospital Association (AHA), collaborating on many issues and activities.