"The importance of hospital-based care will not diminish in the future, but hospitals will have to meet the high expectations of the public and all stakeholders in an increasingly challenging environment," said Mark R. Chassin, MD, president of The Joint Commission. "As they have been in the past, hospitals must be equally transformative as the future unfolds."

"The Joint Commission has brought together broad expertise in healthcare to point to directions for optimizing healthcare in hospitals," said Herbert Pardes, MD, president and CEO of New York Presbyterian Hospital and the New York Presbyterian Healthcare System and the roundtable's chairman. "Hospitals have an enduring role in the delivery of healthcare and have provided major contributions to enhancing the treatment of disease."

The report also calls for action on the economic front.

While some hospitals enjoy healthy profit margins, the report says, many hospitals continue to be unprofitable - and that gap is growing. An aging population and a continuing decline in employer-sponsored insurance means hospitals can expect increases in publicly insured patients and uncompensated care. This is expected to create more competition for the fewer patients to whom costs may be shifted.

The Joint Commission recommends that hospitals, healthcare stakeholders and policymakers pursue the following financial goals:

• Align performance and payment systems to meet quality and efficiency-related goals.
• Use process improvement tools to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
• Pursue coverage options to ensure patient access to, and affordability of, healthcare services.
• Address how general acute hospitals and specialty hospitals can both fulfill the social mission for healthcare delivery.

The report also offers recommendations on patient-centered care, staffing and hospital design.

How is this report likely to influence your healthcare organization? Send your comments to Bernie Monegain at bernie.monegain@medtechpublishing.com.