It's hard to keep track of all the changes in healthcare, but UPMC Hamot tried to break it all down Thursday morning at the Manufacturer and Business Association.
Erie is taking on the challenges felt by hospitals nationwide.
James Fiorenzo, president of UPMC Hamot, said a major change will be outcome- based payment, which will put more emphasis on quality of care.
That means if additional treatment is required, after a guaranteed surgery, for example, the hospital will cover the cost.
Probably the biggest challenge affecting hospitals across the country, is the cut in funding to Medicare and Medicaid.
The U.S. as a whole lost over a$140 billion. UPMC Hamot accounted for half a million of that.
"Expense control is gonna be really critical... trying to do more with less is really gonna be a challenge for the health care industry," said Fiorenzo, "because people know we're a 24/7 business, so we've gotta stay open all the time and be able to continue to give that level of care, so it's going to continue to be a managing of our efficiencies and our resources."
Fiorenzo noted that with changes to healthcare laws, more and more hospitals will be striving to partner, as Hamot did, to better serve patients.
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