The Florida Health Care Coalition would like express our deepest sympathies to our Orlando community which is enduring one devastating event after another this week. Many of our FLHCC "family members" have been directly impacted by these tragedies and our hearts go out to all of you at this difficult time. Events like these show us how precious life is and how fortunate we are to have such dedicated and skilled health care professionals in our city and state who have continuously worked to save lives, comfort loved ones and support our community. We are proud to call Orlando home. We are a resilient and caring community and we are #OrlandoStrong and #OrlandoUnited.

Our members and partners drive FLHCC, and each new organization represents an additional, committed partnership that helps to promote quality improvement while managing the rising cost of health care.  We would like to welcome the newest 
Affiliate Partner organizations to our FLHCC family!


We would also like to welcome the newest 
Health Care Advisory Council member to our FLHCC family!




With more than 200 participants in attendance, this year's 23rd Annual National Conference theme, "The Health Care R(E)volution: Building the Health Rosetta,"  introduced attendees to a key breakthrough in the health care industry, and open-source concept for health care purchasers.
 
Throughout the day on Thursday, April 28, world-renowned health care industry speakers discussed the importance and future of our country's health care system.

Led by Mr. Dave Chase, f ormer CEO &  Co-Founder of Avado , this year's Conference shared insights into how the health care market is changing and what employers can do to be proactive and adapt accordingly, creating a healthier workplace environment for their employees.

During the conference, Bob Kodzis with Flight of Ideas,  Inc. donated his services to present a graphic representation of each speaker's discussion and themes.
Guest speakers included:

Dave Chase
Former CEO & 
Co-Founder of Avado


Dr. Rushika Fernandopulle 
CEO & Co-Founder of Iora Health 

Ann Mond Johnson
CEO of Zest Health


Tim Thomas
Crystal Clear Rx

David Newman, Ph.D.
Health Care Cost Institute


Adam Russo
CEO & Co-Founder of The Phia Group 

Stan Schwartz, MD
WellOK Business Coalition






Thanks to our sponsors: 











SAVE THE DATE: 
2017 FLHCC 24th Annual National Conference at 
Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando
Thursday, April 13, 2017


Earlier this month, The Leapfrog Group and Castlight Health released their 2015 Maternity Care  study results analyzing Cesarean Sections,  Early Elective Deliveries, Episiotomies and High-Risk Births at hospitals nationwide. 
This report shares an in-depth look at one of the leading causes of maternity-related hospitalization. According to the report, as analyzed by Castlight Health, while there have been important quality improvements on episiotomies and early elective delivery rates by hospitals, many hospitals are still not meeting national performance targets for quality metrics.
Within the study, there are 12 Florida hospitals that have been recognized as "fully meeting standard" in maternity care. The report examines the percentage of first-time mothers giving birth to a single baby (i.e., no twins or other multiples) at term (at least 37 weeks gestation), in the head-down position. The following is a list of the Florida hospitals that "fully meet standard" in C-section rates:
  • Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart Health System, Panama City 
  • Hospital Heartland Medical Center, Sebring 
  • Florida Hospital North Pinellas, Tarpon Springs
  • Good Samaritan Medical Center, West Palm Beach
  • Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center, Panama City
  • Halifax Health Medical Center, Daytona Beach
  • Holmes Regional Medical Center, Melbourne
  • Indian River Medical Center, Vero Beach
  • Lakeland Regional Medical Center, Lakeland
  • Sacred Heart Hospital On The Emerald Coast, Miramar Beach
  • St. Vincent's Medical Center Southside, Jacksonville
  • West Florida Hospital, Pensacola 
As we know, decreasing the number of C-sections reduces potential for serious risk to the patient of incurring infections, blood clots and chronic pelvic pain. Longer recoveries and difficulty with future pregnancies can also result from unnecessary C-sections being performed. Babies born through C-section also have more potential for breathing difficulties and an increased risk of developing chronic childhood diseases like asthma and diabetes.

If you would like to see how the hospitals in your area ranked, click here. 

(NOTE: While the state of residence may determine the care that a patient receives, patients can ensure they receive the best available care by using the data recorded per hospital.) 

The Florida Health Care Coalition's Executive Board Members invest their time and talent to ensure the organization remains a strong and principal voice in health care management for Florida employers.  This month, we'd like to highlight our newly installed board chair, Patrick Peters. Patrick has been affiliated with FLHCC for more than 20 years.
Patrick serves as the benefits and wellness administrator for Orange County Government. He joined the County in late 2010 to help guide the organization through its transition from the PPO and Point-of-Service health plan designs to a single Consumer Directed Health Plan with a Health Savings Account (HSA) and, subsequently, a Low Deductible Health Plan. Patrick leads the County's benefits  and wellness initiatives to improve the health of its employees and family members through prevention. In this position, Patrick has also initiated the Diabetes Prevention Program, in partnership with the YMCA, health summits and health fairs for the County and a Diabetes Academy with partner Novo Nordisk.
Question: What do you see in terms of upcoming trends for employer health care purchasing and management?

Patrick: There is a gr eat need for transparency in the delivery of health care services, particularly at the hospitals. Employers are the largest purchasers of health insurance in the country but many, if not most, are in the dark with respect to quantitative and qualitative metrics on medical and prescription drug purchases. We as employers must be more informed and focused on a set of specific metrics to improve health and health care. There is also a great need to for legislative reform with the cost and price structure of prescription drugs.
 
Question: What makes FLHCC an organization to which all large-employer health care purchasers in Florida should belong? 

Patrick: FLHCC is on a journey to improve the quality of health care for the community. To quote Carolyn Clancy, MD, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Director, "Simply put, health care quality is getting the right care to the right patient at the right time - every time."

The quality of health care impacts everyone in the community. It is important to be inclusive of the health care providers (hospital systems, ancillary providers, physician groups), insurance companies, non-profit and for-profit organizations, governmental entities including cities, counties, school districts, state, etc. Where there are opportunities for improvement in the delivery model, the impact is experienced by all employers - large or small. As large employers, we possess great power to effect change, but it is untapped primarily because we act alone. We must join forces - united under a common banner to collaboratively work with the hospital providers and insurance companies to improve health care and the health of our community.

For more information about all FLHCC events and to learn more about our organization, mission, the work we do to improve health care and membership opportunities, visit www.flhcc.org