President's Message

Stan Berry, Chief Executive Officer of North Hawaii Community Hospital, and the Association's Alternate Delegate to the American Hospital Association (AHA) Regional Policy Board (RPB) 9, and I attended the spring meeting of the AHA RPB 9. One of the most important issues we discussed was trying to understand the challenges for consumers who are trying to access hospital price information and then provide guidance to the AHA as it develops its views on federal policy for making price information more transparent.

As every AHA member knows, the pressure is building for much greater transparency in the health care environment. The Institute of Medicine in its 2001 Crossing the Quality Chasm report called for a health care system that should "make information available to patients and their families that allows them to make informed decisions when selecting a health plan, hospital, or clinical practice, or choosing among alternative treatments."

The American Hospital Association supports making hospital price information available to the public. In Hospital Billing and Collection Practices: Statement of Principles and Guidelines by the Board of Trustees of the American Hospital Association, AHA said, "hospitals should make available for review by the public specific information in a meaningful format about what they charge for services."

Congratulations to Gary Kajiwara, President and CEO of Kuakini Medical Center, who was installed as the new American College of Health Care Executives (ACHE) Regent for Hawaii-Pacific at the recently held Congress on Healthcare Leadership in Chicago. Also during a Convocation Ceremony conducted during the same Congress, Captain Charles O. Barker, MC, USN, FACHE and the Commander of the Naval Health Clinic at Pearl Harbor, became a Fellow in the College. During the same ceremonies, Cathy Meyer-Uyehara, CHE, Administrator of Hale Makua-Wailuku, and Captains Michael S. Nagra, MS, CHE, and Aristotle A. Vaseliades, MS, CHE, Administrative Residents at Tripler Army Medical Center, all became Diplomates in the College. Congratulations to each of them for their professional achievements!

During April of each year we set aside a very special month during which we honor and thank the thousands of volunteers who make our hospitals, long term care facilities, and home care and hospice agencies function so smoothly. On behalf of all our patients, residents and staff, I thank all of our many volunteers throughout Hawaii for their dedicated work and loyalty. They all truly represent the spirit of Aloha!

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