HFMA launches new Executive Councils for patient access and pharmacy revenue cycle leaders
When you organize a meetup for patient access professionals at HFMA’s annual conference and you find it is standing room only, you know you have discovered a member need. That’s what happened when nearly 30 patient access attendees showed up for an informal meet-up hosted by HFMA’s Executive Councils team. The team then invited those…
South Dakota Chapter hosts blood drive as part of mission goals
The HFMA South Dakota Chapter hosted its first blood drive and helped collect 22 pints of blood, supporting 66 lives, when it partnered with the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations’ (SDAHO) education and networking event along with LifeServe at the Sioux Falls convention center in September. Setting a mission goal into motion The idea…
Kiran Batheja: Our moon-shot opportunity
When President John F. Kennedy made a once-in-a-generation commitment to put an American on the moon, his words were simple and unmistakable. The moon shot, he said, was a challenge that “we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.” America would choose its destiny rather than…
Jill Geisler: What kind of micromanager are you?
Don’t take offense at this column’s headline. Yes, it assumes you are a micromanager. But even though micromanaging has a negative reputation, it isn’t always a sign of poor leadership. Sometimes it’s exactly what you should do. Before we dig into the when, why and how of micromanagement, let me share my description: Micromanagers are supervisors who exercise a high degree of scrutiny…
Networking ‘with a little help from my friends’
On Sunday mornings, I listen to my local rock radio station’s “Breakfast with the Beatles” show (yes, that dates me). Thanks to the internet, my Gen Z daughter — a college student in Boston — can also stream it. Despite our wildly different musical tastes, our shared love of the Beatles is a special way…
Aligning for a Sustainable Healthcare Future
Segments of the U.S. healthcare system often operate at cross purposes, meaning improved alignment will be vital to achieving systemic progress. Fragmentation is apparent not only between payers and providers or clinicians and administrators, but also in the tension between efforts to innovate while keeping care cost-effective, and between formulating policy and putting it into…
People: Mercy CFO Cheryl Matejka retires after more than 35 years in healthcare
Cheryl Matejka, MBA, CFO at St. Louis-based Mercy, is retiring on Dec. 31, 2025, after more than 35 years of providing financial leadership in the healthcare industry. For more than 17 years before joining Mercy, she held various finance roles at St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare, from internal audit to vice president, financial operations and analysis.…
HFMA Empire New York Chapter leverages CRCR crash course to promote pedal tour
When planning its second annual pedal tour, the HFMA Empire New York Chapter also was identifying ways to engage enterprise member Kaleida Health, which joined HFMA in 2024 and brought 233 new members to the Chapter, increasing its membership by more than 20%. To encourage pedal tour attendance and involve its new members, Chapter leaders…
Kiran Batheja: Deliver results. Drive innovation.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon once said, “Whatever you’ve been asked to do, whatever your role is today, do it really well, deliver results, and do it with integrity.” As HFMA members, we know our North Star is delivering results that enable our organizations to serve our patients. Even in the most challenging times, impactful leaders…
Mentorship initiative offers HFMA members career growth opportunities
HFMA kicked off the second six-month-long Emerging Leaders Mentoring Program in September, with nearly 200 HFMA members participating in each cohort after the April-October 2024 pilot program proved successful. “We allow up to 100 pairs for each cohort,” said Brianna Slominski, MBA, HFMA’s manager, volunteer experience. “So it’s important for HFMA members who want to…