Robert C. Garrett

All eyes are on Washington as legislators debate the fate of the Affordable Care Act. There is heightened anxiety over the future of health care in this country and the impact of the political debate on the wellbeing of millions of Americans. Will we see a wholesale repeal of Obamacare? Will parts of the plan ultimately survive? That remains to be seen. Meanwhile, millions of Americans are forced to wait while this policy debate plays out and their health care hangs in the balance.

Here at home, the health-care industry doesn’t have the luxury of hitting pause while policymakers in Washington debate how to fix health care. Our hospitals must continue to provide top-quality care because our patients don’t stop needing care every time the political winds blow. Ultimately, whatever form this health-care legislation takes, we must take responsibility for our industry and put in the hard work necessary to provide patients the high-quality, affordable care they deserve.

Regardless of the outcome of the policy debate, there are five major challenges we must address to improve overall patient care: increased transparency on prices and services; enhanced consumer experience; improved operational efficiency in an effort to provide more affordable care; better alignment between hospitals, physicians and insurers; and more charity care if fewer Americans are insured.

First and foremost, the health-care industry needs to increase transparency on the prices and services we provide patients.

As health-care costs continue to soar, patients are demanding more transparency (and rightfully so) from health-care providers. There should be no confusion from patients about what they are paying for the services they receive at any given hospital.

What's more, patients need to understand the quality of care being provided at any given hospital from the outset. This is an area that has been woefully neglected for years, creating unnecessary anxiety for patients when faced with the possibility of being admitted into a hospital. Although the sheer work involved in capturing the data to achieve total transparency is daunting, it's clear that increased transparency has only helped us improve our efficacy. Transparency encourages us to improve our weaknesses and work harder to improve our scores.

Second, we must be more consumer focused.

Health-care professionals are in the service industry and must constantly strive to do a better job serving our “customers.” Today’s patients are taking a more active role in their care, desire more on-demand care and have a vested financial interest in understanding their options and costs. Continued investment in more touch points for our patients – be it telehealth accessibility, expansion of urgent-care centers, or some as-yet-to-be-determined alternative – is imperative. The more access to quality care our patients have, the better we will be able to serve them.

Third, in an effort to provide more affordable care, there must be more operational efficiency across our hospitals.

Health care is in a state of flux, and it’s critical that we have effective mechanisms in place to handle any new challenges and expectations in order to control costs for our patients. By providing enhanced quality and coordinated care to our patients, we will increase efficiency and lower their out-of-pocket costs.

Patients should receive seamless and affordable care throughout their experience, whether at hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation centers, wellness centers, home or in a physician’s office. Partnering with physicians and insurers will allow us to enhance communication across our organizations, ensuring our patients’ needs are being met.

Fourth, we must continue pursuing better alignment among hospitals, physicians and insurers.

The days of working against each other are behind us. Learning from each other, and sharing resources, is critical to our success. Embracing online medical record systems, such as Epic, allows physicians, hospitals and insurers to collaborate more effectively. The same goes for creating innovative partnerships between health systems and insurers. These alliances are the future of health care, and we must continue to work together to develop partnerships and affiliations with payers and innovative providers.

Finally, the health-care industry must be prepared to provide more charity care if fewer Americans are insured.

Across our industry, there is a deep desire to see everyone who has gained access to health-care coverage keep that coverage, but we understand that reality is not fixed, and we must ready ourselves for the alternative.

In New Jersey alone, nearly 800,000 residents have gained access to health-care coverage through Medicaid expansion and the marketplace. If that coverage is threatened or goes away, we will probably see a dramatic increase in charity care services that will put a significant strain on hospitals, which are required by state law to care for all patients, regardless of their financial situation.

Furthermore, charity care funding has been significantly reduced over the past years several years. Uninsured patients are more likely to delay seeking care at a doctor's office or an urgent-care clinic, and ultimately end up seeking care at the emergency room, which is extremely costly and inefficient.

If coverage is dramatically reduced, it is vital for the health-care industry and government officials to step up and restore charity care cuts to create a safety net for the poor and vulnerable in the new health-care landscape. We must continue to uphold our tradition of compassion by protecting the most vulnerable citizens and ensuring they have access to essential health care services.

While Washington continues to debate the future of the Affordable Care Act, we can’t sit on the sidelines. The onus is on the health-care industry to step up and confront these tough challenges on behalf of the patients and communities we serve.

Our patients can’t wait for Washington, and neither should we.

Robert C. Garrett is the co-chief executive officer of the Hackensack Meridian Health Network.