COVID has spotlighted disparities in American healthcare, and large urban hospitals have been hit hard by the pandemic. However, many of these “safety net” hospitals, whose primary mission is to serve low-income, working-class communities, have been in crisis for years. In “The Healthcare Divide,” FRONTLINE, NPR, and the investigative Reporting Workshop examine the market forces and uneven government support that deepen the problems and widen the resources between rich hospitals and those that serve the poor.
Answer the provided reflection questions focusing on the nature of for-profit hospital ownership, its impact on low-income communities, and the management and leadership decisions critical to hospital survival but with significant trade-offs. For example, what leadership and management principles were considered, and what leadership lessons can be extracted? After watching the PBS Healthcare Divide documentary, Answer the following questions. ” https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/the-healthcare-divide/?
Please answer with 1-2 sentences for each question.
- Safety-net hospitals like Erlanger have operational and financial struggles before and after the pandemic. Name a few of the challenges. How did the hospital’s leadership try to make the hospital revenues more profitable?
- How does the decision of private hospitals impact vulnerable communities?
- If you were the CEO of a safety net hospital overwhelmed by uninsured or underinsured patients surrounded by private hospitals? What would be your strategy to balance the need to survive and meet the organization’s mission financially?
- Given the challenges of the Medicaid supplemental payments, what policy recommendations may you have to address the financial and operational margins for safety net hospitals?
