From left , front row : Mary Mayhew , president and CEO of Florida Hospital Association ; Heather Flynn , Ph . D ., chair of the College of Medicine ’ s Department of Behavioral Science and Social Medicine ; Stacey Patterson , Ph . D ., FSU vice president for research ; and Alma Littles , M . D ., College of Medicine dean . Back row , Richard Galbraith , M . D ., Ph . D ., then interim associate dean for research and graduate programs . Understanding the art , science and business of health care
By Audrey Post , FSU College of Medicine
To be a good physician , one must master both the science and the art of practicing medicine . Medical and PA students hear this repeatedly , from orientation through graduation and beyond .
On Sept . 23 , students learned that understanding the business of practicing medicine is just as important .
Mary C . Mayhew , president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association , delivered a comprehensive overview of the state ’ s health care system . Presented by FSU Health and the Florida State University College of Medicine , the data-packed , hourlong lunchtime lecture talked about some of the most pressing challenges facing health care providers today , and the opportunities that exist to change the way the system operates .
Professor Heather Flynn , Ph . D ., chair of the Department of Behavioral Science and Social Medicine , explained the scope of the situation as she introduced Mayhew , who before taking the helm at FHA in 2020 was secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration .
Providers in Florida “ see 11 million patients a year . They create 300,000 jobs . And they pump $ 177 billion into
22 FSUMED the state ’ s economy each year ,” Flynn said .
Mayhew made the case that in health care , as in any other business , providers who can ’ t make money can ’ t stay in business . And there are plenty of threats to making money and plenty of reasons why it ’ s harder now than ever , including artificially low reimbursement rates from the federal government for Medicaid and Medicare that haven ’ t kept up with the cost to provide that care . Crime is another factor .
“ Health care is the No . 1 target of cyberattacks ,” Mayhew said . She cited an attack on United Health Care , the largest health insurance company in the country whose claims clearinghouse was hacked . The company made it sound like it just involved “ the back office ,” she said , but it was devastating for small to medium providers .
“ If you can ’ t submit claims for the care you provided , it affects your ability to make payroll .”
She also talked about the July hacking of One Blood , which supplies 80 % of the blood needed by Florida ’ s hospitals .
“ We have a lot of vulnerability in this country ’ s blood supply ,” she said , noting that hackers had zeroed in on a “ single point of failure .” Response to the hack wasn ’ t handled well , she said , which made things worse . It happened on a Sunday night . On Monday , there were no blood deliveries . Surgeries had to be canceled .
“ They didn ’ t disclose it to the public until Wednesday ,” Mayhew said .
There are positive changes happening , she said , “ but it takes time to prime the pump .”
The event was a hybrid of in-person and distance-learning models that although geared toward students was also open to College of Medicine alumni . The event was co-sponsored by the following student organizations : Business & Medicine and Family Medicine , Internal Medicine , Obstetrics & Gynecology , Orthopedics and Surgery Student Interest Groups .
To hear more about the state of the business of health care in Florida , watch the entire presentation on the College of Medicine ’ s YouTube channel at https :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = LScVQjll _ oQ .