Hiialeah CEO Ralph Aleman, Physicians Discuss Health Care Reform
DORAL, FL - The Doral Business Council, in partnership with Hialeah Hospital, hosted a forum on managing healthcare costs for business and improving health for employees.
South Florida business owners who attended the panel discussion, moderated by Hialeah Hospital CEO Ralph Aleman, heard from experts including Alejandro Badia, M.D., F.A.C.S, Hand and Upper Extremity Surgeon, Founder of the Badia Hand and Shoulder Center, and affiliated with the Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Institute at Hialeah Hospital; Doug Bartel, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Director of Business Development for an eight-county region from Key West to the Treasure Coast; Nestor De La Cruz-Munoz, M.D., F.A.C.S., General & Bariatric Surgeon, Director of Bariatric Surgery at Hialeah Hospital; and Romualdo J. Segurola Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S., Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Triple-boarded in General Surgery, Critical Care Certification by the American Board of Surgery, and the Medical Director of The Heart Institute at Palmetto General Hospital.
"Healthcare coverage is one of the biggest expenses a business owner can incur, and with costs rising yearly, it is important for business owners to know how to be proactive in saving money and also how to keep employees healthy," said Pete De La Torre, Executive Director of the Doral Business Council. "This is why we partnered with Hialeah Hospital to have qualified expert physicians speak with local business owners and ensure that they are as best informed as possible."
The topics discussed at the forum ranged from the leading causes of the upward spiral of American healthcare costs to the importance of health education and prevention in regard to employee healthcare costs and benefits.
Dr. Badia explained that the U.S. "has gotten to this point because medicine has become too much of a business," and discussed the barriers physicians face in making treatment decisions and being able to treat the patient. Dr. De La Cruz-Munoz explained that
obesity is a major healthcare cost factor and that obese patients’ pharmaceutical costs are 77% higher than those incurred by people of normal weight.
Dr. Sugurola discussed the need for better prevention and education, explaining that "this is something that we are not currently practicing enough of in this country." Bartel of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida agreed, stating that "consumers do more research when looking for a new washer or dryer than they do when it comes to their healthcare."
To close the panel forum, Aleman explained that the hospital business is not high profit – that the average margin for a nonprofit hospital is 2 percent. He also explained that in terms of healthcare reform, the hospital industry has planned to cover millions in costs.
ABOUT HIALEAH HOSPITAL
Hialeah Hospital, part of Tenet’s Florida region, is a 378-bed acute care hospital located at 651 East 25th Street in Hialeah. The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of central to north Miami-Dade County since 1951. Hialeah Hospital offers a broad range of health care services, including 24-hour emergency care, cardiology, neurosurgery, obstetrics, a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, laboratory, a surgical weight loss program that has been designated a Center of Excellence by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, a sleep disorders program, and a complement of imaging services. Hialeah Hospital has earned a five-star rating and is ranked among the top five percent of hospitals in the nation for maternity care by HealthGrades, a health care quality ratings company. Hialeah Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.