But whatever is to come in 2017 and beyond, Carl Armato, CEO of Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health, says Novant Health is ready to “reinvent the healthcare experience to be more convenient, easier to access and more affordable.” Novant Health offers medical centers, hospitals, physician clinics, imaging centers, surgery centers, rehabilitation centers, sleep centers and other healthcare services across the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia.
ACA
As a supporter of the ACA, Mr. Armato notes it’s been difficult operating in a state that opted out of Medicaid expansion. If North Carolina chose to expand Medicaid coverage, Mr. Armato says an additional 244,000 residents would have gained eligibility for coverage.
Even so, Novant Health did its part in encouraging patients to sign up for care through community forums, education and town hall meetings.
“Our national imperative was clear: improve the patient experience, improve population health and reduce costs,” says Mr. Armato. “The ACA truly got us focused at Novant Health to deliver on those three objectives.”
With President-elect Donald Trump’s recent win, Mr. Armato stresses the importance of maintaining coverage for the people who gained insurance under the ACA.
“I’ve heard a lot about ‘repeal and replace,'” Mr. Armato says. “We would advocate for a replacement if it ensures 21 million-plus people still have the coverage they need.”
Policy reform
In the first 100 days, Mr. Armato hopes President-elect Trump’s cabinet serves up short-term and long-term objectives, focused on:
- Changing the Medicare physician payment schedule
- Curbing the prescription pharmaceutical price spikes
- Investing more in public health improvement
- Decreasing healthcare disparities
Further, Mr. Armato believes the industry stands to benefit from more consolidation, resulting in affordable and accessible care. He views the anti-trust law as a great barrier to moving forward with coordinated care.
“When I look at two large healthcare systems [in North Carolina] and look at the infrastructure, we duplicated so many efforts, not only in the back office, but in the clinical areas,” he explains.
By consolidating efforts, Mr. Armato thinks the industry can expand healthcare to zip codes without access. “Allowing for new partnerships and mergers to occur could result in savings and synergies that could meet unmet healthcare needs,” he says.
Mr. Armato is currently drafting a proposal with the American Hospital Association for the new administration to reevaluate anti-trust and Stark laws.
In regards to the anti-kickback statute, Mr. Armato says more safe harbor regulations would prove useful as the industry moves from fee-for-service to value-based care. He argues the policies don’t apply to the current healthcare landscape, as new incentives will be needed to align with physicians and other clinicians to deliver value. Additional safe harbors will also allow hospitals to collaborate on alternative payment models, says Mr. Armato.
Information technology
Novant has leveraged HIT to its benefit, implementing an EHR system across 14 hospitals, 500 clinics and surgery centers. Any physician within the system can access data on every patient, regardless of the initial point of contact within the system.
“It’s a very safe environment for patients to access healthcare, because every provider sees all physician notes,” adds Mr. Armato.
Novant’s patients have also joined in, using the EHR for e-visits; viewing lab tests; and scheduling appointments.
“I look at how we’re opening up access to care through the technology, and the patients have more of a voice and a choice in their care,” notes Mr. Armato.
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