Erika Grotto
About the Author
Erika Grotto is a podcaster with a passion for finding the human stories behind the numbers. A former newspaper reporter, Erika has worked at HFMA since 2015, leading podcasting efforts since 2018. HFMA’s podcast “Voices in Healthcare Finance” has won numerous awards under her direction, including a best-in-show in the AM&P Network's EXCEL Awards in 2023 and numerous national awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors.
Latest Work
Medicaid revenue cutbacks, plus the healthcare fraud landscape
Nick Hut is joined by HFMA Policy Director Katie Gilfillan to discuss fraud, waste and abuse as well as state-directed Medicaid payments. Further reading: CMS Medicaid state-directed payment rule | HFMA
The hospital of the future, with Jeni Williams
Erika Grotto talks with HFMA senior editor Jeni Williams about her new special report, Hospital of the Future. Nick Hut talks with Kathy Stull, HFMA’s senior manager of revenue cycle analytics about prior authorization. More: CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule CMS-0057-F | CMS 2026 CMS Interoperability Standards and Prior Authorization for Drugs Proposed…
The challenges of independent rural healthcare practices
Katie Gilfillan and Nick Hut discuss the latest on the value-based payment model landscape. Erika Grotto talks with Ziad Khoury, MD and Jason McKitrick about the challenges and opportunities in rural health. Further reading: Site-neutral payment debate in hospital policy | HFMA ACCESS (Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions) Model | CMS Accountable Health…
The IPPS FY 27 proposed rule, and how the industry can better care for women
Nick Hut and Kathy Stull discuss the latest in healthcare finance news, and Erika Grotto talks with Monica Christmas, MD, about how the healthcare industry can better care for women in perimenopause. Further reading: Inpatient Prospective Payment System FY27 proposed rule CJR-X Model
A key antitrust case against providers, plus the marriage of patient experience and AI
Nick Hut and Shawn Stack discuss the latest in healthcare finance news. Erika Grotto talks with Jonathan Wiik of FinThrive about how a great patient experience and AI can go together. Also in this episode, a fond farewell to Shawn as he departs the podcast and HFMA.
Landmark price transparency legislation in the works
Nick Hut and Shawn Stack discuss notable regulatory developments and pending legislation in price transparency.
The future of accountable care
Nick Hut and Katie Gilfillan discuss a new accountable care organization model on deck for 2027.
Consequences of new MA and ACA Marketplace regulations
Nick and Shawn discuss regulatory changes coming from CMS for the 2027 regulatory season.
Diving into the FY26 appropriations bill and CMS’s new ACCESS Model
Katie Gilfillan discusses a noteworthy new payment model from CMS, and Nick and Shawn review of key healthcare aspects of the FY26 budget bill.
How a looming federal mandate will affect hospitals
Nick and Shawn discuss appropriations efforts and how various provisions will affect hospitals, specifically in outpatient department claims. Note: After the recording of this episode, the parties hit a roadblock on the bill that was the main topic of discussion. Check out our news coverage for the latest.