3 Takeaways from Politico’s Health Care Summit

Today’s health care landscape is fraught with challenges – as well as opportunities. At POLITICO’s 2024 Health Care Summit, experts from across the field discussed what’s on the health care horizon. Despite many industry hurdles, the summit focused on something more powerful – hope – with one panelist quoting an old Chinese proverb, “It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”

Here are three of the ‘big ticket’ items that were discussed and what some health care organizations are doing to face today’s issues.

Addressing Health Equity at All Stages of Care

• Challenge: Health inequities and disparities, many of which were highlighted and exacerbated during the pandemic, continue to plague patients across the U.S. Sadly, millions of Americans aren’t receiving optimal care -- from the ER to the pharmacy. If left unaddressed, the health equity divide will continue to grow, meaning more people will face life-long health challenges.

• Takeaway: Dr. Namandjé Bumpus, Principal Deputy Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, spoke about the need to address disparities at the molecular level by improving clinical trial diversity. When clinical trials include people of various races/ethnicities, ages, geographic locations, etc., these groups are better represented in drug development. Having a diverse pre-clinical and clinical trial sample is also helpful in demonstrating the potential response of drugs in the larger population. Dr. Bumpus discussed FDA’s plans to increase diversity, including making clinical trials accessible to underserved communities. That, too, can be a challenge, but tools like telehealth can help.

Supporting Mental Health

• Challenge: Ongoing racial injustice, a global pandemic, economic concerns, and climate disasters are just a few of the stressors that have impacted the mental health and wellbeing of many people. Nearly 45% of Americans report having a mental illness, yet only about half of that group receives treatment. Barriers to treatment include a lack of qualified health care providers, overwhelmed emergency departments, and more.
  
• Takeaway: Investing in behavioral health care, in the same way we invest in physical care, can help get people the mental health resources they desperately need. Health systems across the country are developing innovative solutions. For example, our client Hackensack Meridian Health, has developed a behavioral urgent care, allowing patients facing a mental health episode to receive specific, priority care, which they might not receive in the traditional emergency room setting. Bob Garrett, CEO, Hackensack Meridian Health, explained how Hackensack is converting acute care beds into psychiatrics beds, including for pediatric and adolescent patients.

Improving the Health Care Workforce Experience

• Challenge: Safety and burnout are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what’s making health care such a challenging environment for staff. Thousands of nurses, doctors, and other frontline health care workers have left the industry in the last few years. In addition, there aren’t enough diverse providers who look like and share the backgrounds of their patients. Rural areas are struggling to keep staff and provide adequate levels of care.

• Takeaway: Addressing workforce issues and creating a safe work environment is something that must happen at the organizational level, all the way to the federal level. Amirah Sequeira, National Government Relations Director, National Nurses United, spoke about positive results her organization has seen with mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios, which have drastically improved care, reduced nurse turnover rates, and reduced “moral injury” – a stressor that arises from a betrayal of one’s core values; for example, when nurses can’t give a patient the level of care they’d like to/are trained to give. These mandatory hospital staffing ratios have been implemented in rural parts of California, Maine, and other states, and nurses have actually come back to work because of the mandatory minimum. Many are even returning to their home states and communities after moving away.

Communications professionals need to understand how the industry is evolving, not only to keep our clients apprised of the latest and greatest, but to help them make strategic decisions for the future. As trusted advisors for the providers, payers, and pharma companies we work with, staying on top of industry trends can also help us identify stories that resonate with key audiences, and position clients as thought leaders and trailblazers in their respective fields.

If you'd like to learn more about how to leverage these trends for your health care brand or organization, connect with us.

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