TESTIMONY
Mitch Katz, President and CEO, New York City Health And Hospitals on H+H Achievements and Future Goals
0:05:17
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5 min
Dr. Mitch Katz outlines the operational successes and financial stability of New York City Health and Hospitals (NYC H+H), emphasizing the organization's commitment to expanding services despite potential financial challenges.
- Katz highlights major achievements such as connecting 300 patients to permanent housing and opening the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital.
- He praises the expansion of services for survivors of domestic violence and the implementation of a telehealth abortion care system, the first of its kind in a public system nationwide.
- Katz discusses the successful financial performance of NYC H+H, crediting revenue generation from insurance companies for enabling service expansion.
- He emphasizes the organization's role in the city's response to the asylum seeker crisis and outlines plans to maintain and expand health services amidst projected operating losses due to budget cuts.
- Katz also discusses NYC H+H's commitment to high-quality healthcare for all New Yorkers, regardless of their financial status or insurance coverage.
Mitch Katz
0:05:17
And we're we're so honored to be before you.
0:05:19
I think it's so terrific that this committee is headed by a nurse who understands the health of New York City.
0:05:28
Happy to see council member, Showman, who's been a great public health vacuum advocate for health care and queens.
0:05:34
I'm Doctor Mitch Katz.
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I'm a primary care physician, and I'm president and CEO of New York City Health And Hospitals.
0:05:42
I'm joined today by John Ulberg, who I think is one of the smartest CFO as I've ever worked with in healthcare and Doctor.
0:05:51
Patsy Yang, who does a great job running our correctional health services throughout the city.
0:05:58
I'm happy to report on our finances.
0:06:01
As you know, we're the largest system, municipal, in the country.
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Everyday our 40,000 employees live our mission of providing high quality the health care, with compassion, dignity, and respect to all, regardless of income, gender identity, race, sexual preference, or insurance status.
0:06:22
We have, since we've last seen you, had a really terrific year that included connecting 300 patients to permanent housing, converting our medical units, which provided lifesaving treatment during COVID back to psychiatric units, expanded our services for survivors of domestic violence, earn Medicare, shared savings for reducing costs and providing high quality care.
0:06:50
We continue to grow our virtual express care, and I'm very proud that we are the only public system in the entire nation to provide abortion care through our telehealth virtual care system.
0:07:05
We opened the new Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital I remember the chair being there and what a great great day that was celebrating by the statue of her, the first ever reentry service center at Rykers.
0:07:21
We also at Rykers have been able to distribute free smartphones so that we can make sure that people leaving rikers are able to get the care they need We opened ground on 93 Apartments at Woodhall on an old parking lot, a one of my goals when I first came here was to change every parking lot into a supportive housing project for our patients.
0:07:51
Our metro plus health plan grew to 750,000 members, and New York City Care Enrollment reached a 120 5000 members, which I'm particularly proud of, having created healthy San Francisco in San Francisco, in LA Care, in LA.
0:08:11
This is a larger, more comprehensive program than either of those, and I'm very proud of it.
0:08:17
Our hospital on Staten Island, Seaview, was ranked as the number 1 nursing home in all of New York state.
0:08:29
We continued the journey with PlainTree International for patient centered care.
0:08:35
We just tributed a $1,000,000 to 27 behavioral health providers in the way of paying off their student loans and change for them committing to serve our system for 3 years.
0:08:49
This is something that we hope to extend throughout our system.
0:08:53
And as the chair has already made reference to, we have been a critical part of the city's response to the asylum seeker crisis in New York City.
0:09:06
Our financial performance has done very well.
0:09:10
And that's what's enabled us to maintain our services even with the need to purchase paid in the city's pegs and markedly increase salaries to our nurses.
0:09:26
But because we keep generating additional patient care revenue from insurance companies, not from patients.
0:09:35
We're not interested in billing patients.
0:09:36
We're very interested in billing billing insurance companies, and that's what enables us to keep expanding our services.
0:09:47
Our closing cash was 500,000,000 at the end of December, which is 18 days cash on hand.
0:09:56
As we look at our preliminary financial plan, I'm very proud that our our fiscal picture remains stable.
0:10:05
We will continue to work with the city count also with a mayor's office with OMB to handle whatever challenges are out there.
0:10:18
We appreciate that the city has been our advocate in maintaining disproportionate net share funding, which we are very reliant on.
0:10:30
We also continue to work with the state to make sure that They understand our fiscal needs.
0:10:37
As we look into the out years, there are challenges We are projecting operating losses because those dish cuts are in the budget, but we hope that with the support of the city council and the mayor.
0:10:53
We are able to forestall those cuts It's our goal to continue to expand our services not to contract them.
0:11:04
With that matter, chair.
0:11:06
I look forward to your questions and your recommendations for us.
