Pollack, Freese Decker discuss innovation, care advancements and policy implications impacting the health care field

AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack opened the 2025 AHA Leadership Summit in Nashville, Tenn., commending advancements in patient care experiences and driving innovative care transformation.

"Exchanging ideas is what drives this innovation, and this Summit brings together the best minds in health care, medicine and technology with a shared passion for innovation to advance health care in America," said Pollack.

Pollack also cited the unpredictable challenges the hospital field currently faces, the political environment and policies impacting access to care for millions of Americans. He shared how the AHA continues to work on behalf of the field, including analyzing the provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act; developing resources on eligibility, care delivery transformation and technology advances for operational efficiency; and setting the foundation for future policy adjustments.

"I want to thank so many of you for your efforts to influence legislators and tell your stories about how these cuts will affect the patients and communities you serve. I am proud that we have continued our historic commitment to being a voice for our vulnerable populations and the uninsured. I am proud that our field unified around this important message."

AHA Board Chair Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health, echoed Pollack's gratitude to the field for joining efforts in facing disruptive policy changes, calling for the field to work together in transforming the health care of the future.

"Our teams and our communities need us to lead, now more than ever," said Freese Decker. "Our … job is to actually reform and transform health care for the long term. We need to do the hard work and create a health care model that is sustainable [and] start putting proposals on the table that challenge the status quo yet move us forward."