From left: Jackson Kelly attorney Rob Arif leads Thursday’s panel discussion, speaking with Steve Sefchik, senior vice president of Highmark West Virginia. Melanie Dempsey, Vice President of Financial Policy, West Virginia Hospital Association; Sherry Ferrell, President and CEO, West Virginia Primary Care Association Jim Nemitz, Dean, West Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine; (Photo courtesy of Stephen Allen Adams)
Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a seven-part column series on leadership in West Virginia.
as well as the successes and challenges of West Virginia and different regions of the state.
White Sulfur Springs — Although the historic Greenbrier Resort has become more associated with its owners these days, this luxury hotel location has been known for its therapeutic sulfur waters for more than 200 years.
At the time, it was fitting that Mr. Greenbrier would moderate the 7th West Virginia Leadership Session on Thursday and Friday, which focused on the state’s most pressing health care issues.
“Healthcare is very unique because it touches everything.” said Rob Arif, Jackson Kelly attorney and member of the West Virginia Leadership Class of 2006. “None of us can live without dealing with the health care system at some point or having someone in our family deal with it daily, weekly, monthly. And we need to know a little bit more about what that looks like in West Virginia.”
The grounds of the historic Greenbrier Resort were once a spa where people could soak in sulfur waters. Today, it is one of the country’s leading resorts. (Photo courtesy of Stephen Allen Adams)
“As leadership in West Virginia, and as we all have an interest in growing our state economically and keeping our people here, it is also important to be mindful of the economic impact health care has on our state. is.” said Melanie Dempsey, vice president of financial policy for the West Virginia Hospital Association and a member of this year’s class.
West Virginia ranks 48th out of 50 states for health outcomes, according to the 2022 America Health Rankings Report published by the United Health Foundation. Ranked 49th for frequent psychological distress. 49th place for premature deaths (based on years lost to age 75 per 100,000 people). 49th due to frequent physical pain. Obesity ranks 49th. 49th place is multiple chronic diseases.
The state ranks 50th in drug deaths per 100,000 people and 50th in non-medical drug users, according to the report. The rate of drug deaths increased by 54% in one year, from 50.4 per 100,000 people in 2019 to 77.4 per 100,000 in 2020.
Residents also perform poorly on health behavior statistics. The state ranks 45th in physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and physical inactivity, while it ranks 50th in smoking. Related to these statistics, West Virginia ranks 50th in her number of preventable hospitalizations based on hospital discharges per 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries. However, the state ranks ninth in dedicated health care providers.
In discussions with medical experts, the panelists all emphasized the need for transportation to and from doctor’s appointments, access to grocery stores, and affordable health care services before putting a dent in the state’s poor health statistics. They agreed that other issues surrounding healthcare need to be addressed, such as: Broadband expansion for access to health goods and telehealth options.
“You can’t address someone’s health without addressing everything surrounding their health.” said Steve Sefchik, senior vice president of Highmark West Virginia. “To truly address health disparities, we need to address the underlying social determinants of our population’s health needs. It’s a hard and complex job…it takes all of us a village to tackle these things. You will need it.”
“When do you go to the hospital? When do you go to the clinic? When you’re sick.” Dempsey said. “We are not thought of as social care providers. We are thought of as people who provide care for the sick. Once you get sick, it’s too late to respond reactively, at least from a hospital perspective. There is a movement to change the perception of health care services, rather than simply using them.Healthcare providers should offer programs to share health care services.A proactive approach That way your ranking won’t be that low.”
According to the 2022 County Health Rankings and Roadmap, a project of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 14 southern West Virginia counties include Roane, Clay, Webster, Fayette, Cabell, Lincoln, Boone, Raleigh, Wayne, and Mingo. , Logan, Wyoming), McDowell and Mercer) rank at the bottom of the health outcomes rankings among all 55 counties.
Counties in the state’s Eastern Panhandle (Berkeley, Jefferson) and Northern Panhandle (Brook, Ohio) counties have some of the best health outcome rankings. Other top counties include Monongalia, Mineral, Tucker, Upshur, Doddridge, Gilmer, Pleasants, Jackson, Putnam, and Monroe.
“Before we can maintain the health of our communities, we must address poverty in our communities.” said Sherry Ferrell, president and CEO of the West Virginia Primary Care Association. “Your postcode determines your health more than anything else right now.”
Ferrell said the ability to track data across multiple spectrums is helping health care providers drill down and identify specific needs in their communities and target resources toward those specific needs. .
“Using data to direct more resources to where they are needed is critical.” Ferrell said. “For us to collect it and start working on it is the next step for us to take.”
The state’s hospitals generate $12.5 billion in economic impact, employ more than 49,000 people, and provide $177 million in free care, according to a community benefit report released earlier this year by the West Virginia Hospital Association. The company has contributed more than $1 billion to local communities.
But an aging population, high poverty rates and poor health conditions, along with a growing shortage of doctors, nurses, and even emergency medical services, are creating a perfect storm for West Virginia. . The state’s hospitals are spending $97 million due to a shortage of certified nurses, certified practical nurses, nursing assistants and nursing technicians. There are 6,441 licensed beds in state hospitals, but only 4,800 can be staffed.
Jim Nemitz, dean of the West Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, said one of his focuses is developing new health care providers to meet the growing demand. But he said it’s not just about producing new doctors, it’s about how to train new doctors to pay more attention to patients’ lifestyles and behaviors.
“We really need to focus on wellness care.” Nemitis said. “We’re starting to see a shift in medical schools to pay more attention to that, because we know that a large portion of the chronic diseases that people have are actually lifestyle and behavior related. We are very good at training health workers to deal with all kinds of illnesses, but we tend to lack attention to the basics of keeping people healthy. .”
Another challenge for state hospitals and health care providers is around reimbursement. Only about a quarter of patients have private health insurance, with the remainder covered by Medicaid, Medicare, or the Public Employees Insurance Agency.
All of these programs have different reimbursement rates, but all compensate providers below the actual cost of services, placing a financial burden on rural health care providers and hospitals. It also makes it harder for these hospitals to compete with hospitals and health care providers in neighboring states who can offer higher salaries and larger sign-on bonuses.
“These nurses and people in other fields can move through the market very easily and take advantage of financial incentives.” Dempsey said. “It’s difficult. There are many factors involved.”
West Virginia’s health care issues remain complex and difficult, but the health care industry itself, higher education, and government are focused on the issue.
