The new Total Cost of Care Model presents ambitious targets for hospitals and health systems. And as you well know, the hospital field cannot meet them alone.​ That is why leaders in Annapolis and elsewhere must become fully informed about the model – its aims and the challenges our hospitals face – and how they can support your efforts. ​

Gov. Larry Hogan’s proposed fiscal year 2020 budget, released Friday, includes investments that support your mission of care, the health of all Marylanders, and the goals of the new Total Cost of Care Model.​

No matter your political leanings, it is obvious that Washington, D.C., is plagued by dysfunction and gridlock. The ongoing partial government shutdown, which began in December, is the third to have occurred in 2018 and, as of Saturday, is the longest in our nation’s history.​

When the General Assembly reconvenes in Annapolis Wednesday for the start of the 2019 legislative session, their docket will include many topics that affect your health systems, your patients, and your communities.

As we come to the close of 2018 and take a moment to reflect on the past year, Maryland’s hospitals and health systems are gearing up for the next phase in your efforts to transform health care. Beginning January 1, Maryland’s hospitals will operate under a new contract with the federal government, the Total Cost of Care Model.

By now you know that a federal district court judge in Texas ruled Friday that the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) was rendered unconstitutional when Congress eliminated the individual mandate penalty in last year’s tax act.