American Hospital Association CEO Rich Umbdenstock Briefs Nashville Health Care Council Members

NASHVILLE, Tenn. --(Business Wire)--

Today, the Nashville Health Care Council hosted American Hospital Association (AHA) president and CEO Rich Umbdenstock for a policy briefing on AHA's vision for the future of the health care system under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The AHA is a national policy advocate for a membership that includes nearly 5,000 hospitals and other providers of care.

Umbdenstock shared the AHA's strategies for improving the health care system, ensuring the short- and long-term financial viability of the Medicare and Medicaid programs and bringing down the federal debt and deficit. These include restructuring the system so that it promotes and rewards accountability and focuses on using limited health care resources more wisely.

Click here to view video excerpts of Umbdenstock's comments.
Click here to view event photos online.

"Hospitals have worked hard to hold costs down by keeping health care spending growth at historically low levels for the third straight year," said Umbdenstock. "We need meaningful improvements to entitlement programs that involve all stakeholders and not indiscriminate cuts to payments for hospital services that will impact access for patients."

Umbdenstock became president and CEO of the AHA in 2007. His career experience includes hospital aministration; health system governance, management and integration; association governance and management; HMO governance and health care consulting.

"Members of the AHA, many here in our region, are on the front lines of care delivery on a daily basis. We are honored to hear from the leader of a national organization helping to shape policy and implementation of health reform," said Council President Caroline Young.

Today's program was part of the Council's Health Care Reform Series, which offers insights on key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including policy development, implementation and potential outcomes. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Institute is the presenting sponsor of the series and this program. Supporting sponsors for this program are Bass, Berry & Sims; Cressey & Company; LifePoint Hospitals; and associate sponsor is Katcher Vaughn & Bailey Public Relations.

About the American Hospital Association

The American Hospital Association is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include almost 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks and other providers of care and 42,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA Web site at www.aha.org.

About the Nashville Health Care Council

The Nashville Health Care Council, founded in 1995 as an affiliate of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, is an association of health care industry leaders working together to further establish Nashville's position as the nation's health care industry capital. Worldwide, Nashville's health care industry generates more than 400,000 jobs and $70 billion in annual revenue. The industry is Nashville's largest and fastest growing employer. For more information on the Council, please visit www.healthcarecouncil.com.