GIANELLI PARTICIPATES AS PANELIST ON NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC HOSPITALS’ 2010 ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON DISCUSSION OF HEALTH REFORM IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2010
PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055
GIANELLI PARTICIPATES AS PANELIST ON NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC HOSPITALS’ 2010 ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON DISCUSSION OF HEALTH REFORM IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES
PANEL OF SAFETY NET AND HEALTH SYSTEM LEADERS DISCUSS STRATEGIES FOR WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE QUICKLY TO ENSURE CARE FOR 16 MILLION NEW MEDICAID PATIENTS IN 2014
GIANELLI DESCRIBED OPPORTUNITIES WITH HEALTH REFORM AND PRAISED FEDERAL POLICYMAKERS’ WORK TO EXPAND COVERAGE TO 32 MILLION AMERICANS
East Meadow, NY…Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the NuHealth System, recently participated as a panelist on the National Association of Public Hospitals’ (NAPH) 2010 Annual Conference held in Denver Colorado. Gianelli, along with two other panelists, John A. Benz, senior vice president and chief strategic officer of the Florida Memorial Healthcare System and Santiago Munoz, associate vice president of clinical services development in the University of California Health System, discussed strategies for health care reform implementation.
“I am honored to have served on a panel of safety net and health system leaders to discuss strategies for what needs to be done quickly to ensure and care for 16 million new Medicaid patients in 2014,” said Gianelli. “Our panel “Safety Net Leaders Discuss Reform Implementation Strategies” gave us an opportunity to talk about the new health reform legislation and the impact on safety providers and vulnerable patients.”
Mr. Gianelli described the opportunities that exist with health reform and praised federal policymakers work to expand coverage to 32 million Americans. However, Mr. Gianelli also emphasized that reform implementation will not be without its challenges, noting the problem of chronic Medicaid underpayments and the cost to provide public services such as training physicians.
The 2010 NAPH Annual Conference “Innovation and Reform = the New Health Care Paradigm provided an opportunity for 225 senior executives from NAPH member hospitals to collaborate, network and strategize. Highlights of the conference included visits to Denver Health and the University of Colorado Hospital. The NAPH strategic plan for 2010-2013 was unveiled, with the draft plan setting forth a new vision NAPH to be the nation’s leading voice for safety net hospitals and health systems and the patients and communities they serve.
The conference included a rich mix of plenary and breakout sessions. Keynote speakers, including former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle and Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, explained how the health reform legislation will drive innovation, change and transformation of the delivery of health care. Senator Tom Daschle told attendees that to succeed they should: be prepared for the robust demands of new and better health care services, be pragmatic that health reform will take time and great effort, form partnerships and that it is imperative that public hospitals reach out to other stakeholders, state and local government, the Department of Health and Human Services and many others to be full partners. Larry Gage, president of NAPH, described what the legislation will mean to safety net hospitals.
ABOUT NUHEALTH
NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life. Also known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community. By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access.
For more information about NuHealth or its Centers of Care, visit www.nuhealth.net.