Vizient Hosts Congressional Briefing on Pressures Facing Hospitals

IRVING, Texas, March 7, 2023 – Yesterday on Capitol Hill, Vizient, Inc. hosted a policy briefing titled, “Provider Pressures Persist: Hospitals' Struggles Against Financial, Workforce and Supply Chain Strains” at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. Attended by more than 50 Congressional staff and other healthcare stakeholders, this briefing focused on how hospitals are responding to mounting pressures while continuing to provide essential community benefits.

“Hospitals have faced some of the most difficult challenges in history over the last couple of years, and despite federal efforts, they continue to grapple with severe financial obstacles driven by inflation and ongoing workforce issues,” said Margaret Steele, senior vice president, Med/Surg, GPO Services & Delivery for Vizient. “It is imperative that we understand the threats facing hospitals and what they anticipate in the path ahead as they remain deeply committed to meeting the needs of patients.”

Steele moderated the policy discussion with an esteemed panel of key hospital leaders including:

• Dr. Raghu Adiga, MD, President & Chief Executive Officer, Liberty Hospital
• Jack Lynch III, FACHE, President & Chief Executive Officer, Main Line Health
• Dr. Peter Newcomer, MD, MMM, Senior Vice President & Chief Clinical Officer, UW Health
• Allison Rogers, Chief Strategy Officer, Ballad Health

The panel of experts outlined the myriad shared risks their hospitals are facing, including decreased reimbursements from payers, inflationary pressures and persistent workforce shortages. Despite these challenges, these providers, and others, are committed to patient care and delivering critical community benefits. The panelists highlighted their focus on enhancing primary care access, providing clinical education, initiatives to support maternal health and reduce health disparities, and supporting patient access to care through hospital-at-home programs and rural healthcare facility investments.

Vizient looks forward to continuing to partner alongside policymakers and our provider members to help hospitals overcome challenges associated with rising costs and the evolving healthcare delivery landscape in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

About Vizient, Inc.
Vizient, Inc., the nation’s largest health care performance improvement company, serves more than 50% of the nation’s acute care providers, which includes 97% of the nation’s academic medical centers, and more than 25% of the non-acute market. Vizient provides expertise, analytics and advisory services, as well as a contract portfolio that represents more than $130 billion in annual purchasing volume. Vizient’s solutions and services improve the delivery of high-value care by aligning cost, quality and market performance. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Vizient has offices throughout the United States. Learn more at www.vizientinc.com.