From innovations like virtual care and artificial intelligence to panels on public policy and veterans affairs, the wide-ranging discussion at the third annual Summit on the Future of Rural Health Care saw leaders from across the medical landscape tackling some of the most important issues facing hospitals today.
The event — which took place on Oct. 29 at the Sanford Barn in Sioux Falls, South Dakota — was attended by health care leaders, U.S. government officials, experts in technology, and entrepreneurs.
Virtual care and AI
Unsurprisingly, tech was a hot topic at the summit, with three panels dedicated to its challenges. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, discussed AI in his panel entitled “Navigating Health Care’s Next Chapter: Innovation, AI and the Future of Patient-Centered Care.”
The use of artificial intelligence was also discussed by Adam Berger, Ph.D., operating partner at WindRose Health Investors, who believes AI will not necessarily replace the expertise of health care workers but will instead supplement their knowledge.
“Radiologists who use AI will replace radiologists who don’t use AI,” Berger said. “There are so many opportunities for things like automatically generating impressions from findings to streamline the radiologist work. Having a second look after the radiologists are done, going back and seeing if they missed something. Maybe there’s an incidental finding they missed. This doesn’t require FDA approval. It’s a safety mechanism.”
Sanford Health led discussions on virtual care and its importance in serving rural health patients as well. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 30% of adults used telehealth or virtual care in 2022.
“It’s important to remember that telehealth isn’t just in a patient’s home,” said Eve Cunningham, M.D., chief of virtual care and digital health at Providence, and the founder and CEO of MedPearl. “When we think about these smaller community hospitals, we want patients to be able to stay in those communities.
“We have three neurologists covering 92 hospitals. We can beam them into community hospitals and do a consult, and keep patients where they are when it’s appropriate for them to stay in their communities and only transport the patients that are sickest.”
Public policy and challenges in health care
This year’s summit also covered public policy, with everything from prescription drug costs to minimum staffing mandates being discussed.
Speakers also raised the issue of health insurance plans requiring approval before a service or prescription will be covered by the plan, a practice known as prior authorization. Bruce Scott, M.D., president of the American Medical Association, voiced the frustrations of many providers.
“Prior authorization has a legitimate role, but over the last number of years it has been expanded to the point that in my own practice I have to do prior authorization for a $10 nasal spray. This is crazy,” Dr. Scott said.
“Cigna admitted that they denied 300,000 prior authorization requests in two months. That’s 1.2 seconds per prior authorization request. 90% of prior authorizations are ultimately approved. So yes, there is a role for the federal government. Tell the physician up front what’s it going to take to get this approved. Tell us on the back end why was it denied so that we can appropriately appeal.”
Catch up
To listen to these discussions and more, view the summit in its entirety or watch and share a segment:
- Opening Remarks from Bill Gassen, J.D., president and CEO, Sanford Health
- Navigating Health Care’s Next Chapter: Innovation, AI and the Future of Patient-Centered Care
- Scott Gottlieb, M.D., 23rd commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Tommy Ibrahim, M.D., MBA, executive vice president, president and CEO, Sanford Health Plan (moderator)
- Leading Through Change: Driving Innovation and Collaboration to Strengthen Access, Quality and Sustainability
- Bill Gassen, president and CEO, Sanford Health
- Christopher M. O’Connor, FACHE, CEO, Yale New Haven Health
- Shereef Elnahal, M.D., MBA, undersecretary for health, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Tina Reed, health care editor, Axios (moderator)
- Video Message from U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
- Shaping the Future: Policy, Politics and Advocacy in a Dynamic Health Care Environment
- Ceci Connolly, president and CEO, Alliance of Community Health Plans
- Zachary Shamberg, president and CEO, Pennsylvania Health Care Association
- Bruce Scott, M.D., president, American Medical Association
- Corey Brown, senior vice president, government affairs, Sanford Health (moderator)
- Uniting for Impact: Challenges, Opportunities and Delivering Value for Patients and Communities
- Ashley Thompson, senior vice president, public policy analysis and development, American Hospital Association
- Erika Batcheller, executive vice president, chief external affairs officer, Sanford Health (moderator)
- Disrupting Health Care: Prioritizing Affordability, Trust, and Patient-Centric Solutions
- Alex Oshmyansky, M.D., Ph.D., founder and CEO, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company
- Tina Reed, health care editor, Axios (moderator)
- From Expectation to Experience: Rethinking Health Care to Serve Today’s Consumer
- Nworah Ayogu, M.D., head of healthcare impact, Thrive Capital
- Adam Berger, Ph.D., operating partner, WindRose Health Investors
- Eve Cunningham, M.D., MBA, GVP, chief of virtual care and digital health, Providence; founder and CEO, MedPearl
- David Newman, M.D., chief medical officer, virtual care, Sanford Health (moderator)
- Closing Remarks from Bill Gassen, president and CEO, Sanford Health
Learn more from the summit
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Leadership in Health Care, News, Rural Health, Sioux Falls, Veterans, Virtual Care