Hugh Greene, president and CEO of Baptist Health, recently was installed as chairman of the Florida Hospital Association. The association consists of 205 hospitals and health systems from across the state. Greene is completing his year as chair of the JAX Chamber.
What is your first priority in leading the Florida Hospital Association?
There are really two significant priorities. The first relates to the Medicaid program that ensures access to health care for the poor in our state and serves more than 3 million residents. Last year alone, there were $495 million in cuts to the Medicaid program and more than $966 million since 2005-06. There are three significant issues. First, we are concerned about further reductions in light of the state revenue shortfall as legislators understandably seek to balance the state budget. We are also very concerned about the elimination of certain key Medicaid programs, such as the Medically Needy and Aged/Disabled programs, which remained intact in the last legislative session but are at risk. Finally, we continue to work with those in Tallahassee to ensure an effective and smooth expansion of Medicaid managed care across the state. Secondly, in addition to this advocacy work, Florida hospitals are participating jointly in certain major quality initiatives, such as the Surgical Care Initiative, in concert with the American College of Surgeons, to reduce surgery-related infections, for example. This also is high-priority work to continue to improve quality and patient safety.
What does it mean to Jacksonville for the state group’s leader to be based here?
I am not sure there is any particular significance of the chair being from Jacksonville. My selection reflects my long tenure in the state and longstanding involvement in statewide issues with the association, having served on its executive committee and board for a number of years. It is important to note that Bob Brigham from Mayo and Doug Baer from Brooks are also on the association board.
Will you have more, less or the same amount of travel compared to your chairmanship this year of the JAX Chamber?
The chamber did not entail significant travel. Clearly, the overall time commitment with the chamber far exceeds the actual hours spent in the association role. The chamber chair role necessarily entails a huge time commitment as there are innumerable events and meetings associated with this position. For example, there are only quarterly meetings of the FHA board. In fact, I have historically been involved with most of the FHA activities as a member of the executive committee, although serving as chair will likely incrementally add some time commitment in the form of telephone calls and other activities.
How much time will you spend in Tallahassee to work on legislation?
Due to the outstanding association CEO and staff, I will not spend an inordinate amount of time there. I have always been in Tallahassee 8-10 days a year as part of my association involvement and my serving on the Low Income Pool Council as a governor appointee. I do not envision any real increase in time there.
Do you consider the health care industry as the leading job producer in the state?
While not unaffected, health care industry employment has certainly been less impacted by the economic downturn than many others. In fact, Florida hospitals still overwhelmingly report that they have difficulty filling specific nursing and allied health professional positions within 60 days of posting a vacancy. Therefore, the industry remains a robust contributor to employment in our state.