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Where are We Headed/Outlook for Texas HTH 14 th Annual Fall Conference

Where are We Headed/Outlook for Texas HTH 14 th Annual Fall Conference . November 14, 2013. Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals. Background. Founded in 1990 501(c)(6) trade association for rural and community hospitals of 150 beds or less

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Where are We Headed/Outlook for Texas HTH 14 th Annual Fall Conference

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  1. Where are We Headed/Outlook for TexasHTH 14th Annual Fall Conference November 14, 2013 Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals

  2. Background • Founded in 1990 • 501(c)(6) trade association for rural and community hospitals of 150 beds or less • 151 member hospitals (80 of which are CAHs) • 345 total members (hospital, corporate, affiliate, ect.) • The largest statewide rural hospital association in the U.S. • Like THA, TORCH is a full-service hospital association dedicated exclusively the needs and issues of rural and community hospitals. Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals

  3. Our Mission and Vision • Vision – Rural Texas has access to the highest quality health care. • Mission – To be the voice and principal advocate for rural and community hospitals in Texas, and to provide leadership in addressing the special needs and issues of these hospitals. • We accomplish these tasks through the support and direction of our: • 21 member volunteer Board of Directors • 9 staff at the Austin, TX Headquarters • 2 employees in Anahuac and Nordheim, TX • 1 contract lobbyist in Lubbock, TX Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals

  4. Our Family of Organizations • We also manage the following organizations: • Texas Rural Health Association • Northwest Texas Hospital Association • Texas Association of Rural Health Clinics • Texas Hospital Home Health Association

  5. Our Programs and Services • Advocacy – Rural health and hospital issues at the state and national level • Public Relations – Raise the visibility of TORCH and its members • Communications – Raise awareness of the issues and solutions • Research – Data and policy analysis to support rural providers • Membership Services – Quality programs that deliver value and address member needs • Education – Conference and distance education that increases knowledge and understanding of rural health issues and solutions • Networking – Creating opportunities for peer-to-peer interaction

  6. What Legislation and Policy Impacts Rural Healthcare? • Funding is increasingly being threatened at the state and federal level. • Rural designations, exemptions are being undermined as well. • Our piece of the pie and therefore, our influence is shrinking. • The rural population in Texas has been relatively stable, but urban growth has been explosive. • The overall health and now even our life expectancy in rural areas is on the decline. • The supply and demand equation is way off in many areas.

  7. How about the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare? • There is a great deal of uncertainty among rural providers. • Texas ‘checked out’ of many aspects of the ACA that might have led to an expansion in health coverage. • We are now totally reliant on the federal government and uninsured individuals to ‘do the right thing’. • Texas has recently requested a variance from ACA mandates, but will anyone pay attention or will that fall on deaf ears? • Can hospitals count on any positive ROI due to the ACA or will we continue to rob Peter to pay Paul and at what cost?

  8. What Other Trends Are Your Hospitals Facing? • The frequency and severity of interruptions in funding has become a nearly constant issue. • The amount of hoops that hospitals and other providers must go through just to keep the funding they had is phenomenal. • The amount of ex post facto audits and payment reviews has reached epidemic proportions. • There’s an ongoing push to implement 21st century technology and delivery models within a 20th century infrastructure. • Our ability to support needed improvements will soon have to reconcile with the inadequacy of available local tax support.

  9. What Else Keeps You Up at Night? • The constant pressure that our members feel to do more with less, when less is all that is left. • The drumbeat of reform and efficiency on providers that are as lean as possible and providing equal quality for lower cost. • The unfairness and aggressive nature of RAC and other auditors and the payment models that are driving that activity. • The need to reform our delivery system and use our resources more appropriately, when the train has already left the station. • The rising turnover in the leadership and the control of rural and community hospitals and the issues that can create.

  10. It was a pleasure to speak to you! But remember: “It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future” - Yogi Berra David Pearson dpearson@torchnet.org 512-873-0045 www.facebook.com/torchnet www.twitter.com/torchnet

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