HCMR interview: Dennis R. Barry

In an interview, Dennis R. Barry, president of Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital (Greensboro, North Carolina), discussed his medical background, his decision to enter health administration, and future challenges for hospitals and their executives. Barry believes the most obvious challenges are environmental issues, which he enumerates as health policies, reimbursement practices by the government, access to care, and affordability. He stressed the need to find better ways to manage the use of resources in providing care to Medicare patients. Barry would like to see a reformed health care system that includes: 1. universal access to basic services for all Americans, 2. components that are more user-friendly for the patient, such as simplified paperwork, and 3. more attention to maintaining and promoting health rather than emphasizing illness.