Advocacy - Find a Way
A Message on Health Care Reform from Trinity Health President and CEO Joseph R. Swedish
Through our Find a Way Campaign, Trinity Health has been at the forefront of the national effort to enact meaningful health care reform since 2006. Our hard work now has paid off for 32 million uninsured Americans who will have access to affordable health care coverage and millions more who won’t be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions. While the recently passed legislation is not perfect, it goes a long way toward phasing in many of the elements Trinity Health has been advocating – high-quality, affordable health coverage that is delivered through a coordinated, cost-effective system of care.
Our voices were heard, and the impact of our advocacy as a Unified Enterprise Ministry was significant. Over the years, the Trinity Health team nationwide built momentum for reform by: visiting every federal and state legislator who represents our Ministry Organizations; engaging over 1,500 hospital staff and community leaders in town hall settings; sending over 4,000 postcards and emails in support of reform; and distributing more than 50,000 brochures. Our team lived the Trinity Health mission by working together to improve the health of our communities. I am proud to be part of a team so committed to our values, which call for helping the poor and underserved.
Reform improves a broken system by achieving most of the top priorities Trinity Health called for, including expanded access to affordable health care coverage, a stop to insurance companies canceling policies when people got sick, a cap on out-of-pocket costs and an end to annual and lifetime dollar limits on coverage. (Click here for a list of Trinity Health priorities accomplished in reform.)
Our early involvement in reform established Trinity Health as a respected advocate. Importantly, it also guided our strategic decisions, which have positioned us to thrive in what will surely be a turbulent transition over the next several years. We have anticipated the changes that will be ushered in by reform and now we are ahead of the curve on electronic health records, evidence-based clinical practices and the coordination of care in a patient-centered model.
While this is a historic moment, the work to implement reform is just beginning. Trinity Health will work with the Administration, Congress and other groups to ensure the goals of reform are realized. While we have much to do, Trinity Health is poised to succeed in a world where payment structures encourage and reward such advancements. I am confident our strategies will accelerate our push toward clinical and operational excellence, and drive our success post-health care reform.
> Trinity Health Priorities Accomplished in Health Reform Legislation
Trinity Health Weighs in on the Definition
of Meaningful Use
Since the passages of the Stimulus Bill in 2009, the Department of HHS, specifically the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, has been working to define a "Meaningful Use of EHR." The Meaningful Use definition will be used to determine eligibility for incentive payments to eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs). CMS issued a rule in January on this matter. Trinity Health has responded to the rule with the following comments, which were developed by a cross-functional team. More>
