HFMA senior writer/editor
About the Author
HFMA senior writer/editor
Latest Work
‘Service Rationalization’ the Most Stubborn Cost Challenge: Hospital Survey
Oct. 15—The area where hospitals struggle most to find savings is in efforts to reduce or eliminate services.
Challenges and Opportunities Seen in Social Determinants
Oct. 10—Providers and insurers are seeing a range of obstacles and new opportunities in efforts to better address the most powerful factors affecting patient health.
More than 1,500 Provider Organizations Join New Bundle
Oct. 9—The latest Medicare bundled payment model gained 50 percent more provider organizations than its predecessor.
Employer Plan Deductibles Increase by 11 Percent: Survey
Oct. 8—In 2018, the share of workers enrolled in high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) resumed increasing, and deductibles among all workers increased by an average of 11 percent from the year before, according to a national survey.
Medicare Quality Pay Leads Practice Regulatory Burden
Oct. 2—Although insurance prior authorization and electronic health record (EHR) interoperability have garnered extensive attention as challenges for medical practices, a new survey fingers Medicare quality payment programs as the biggest hindrance.
MA Plan Options Surge as Premiums Fall
Oct. 1—The number of available Medicare Advantage (MA) plans will increase by 19 percent in 2019, while average premiums will decline by 6 percent, according to new federal data.
More Audits, Work Requirements Coming to Medicaid
Sept. 28—Coming Medicaid activity will include more audits of Medicaid health plans and more requirements that enrollees get jobs or engage in other activities, according to the program’s federal leader.
Rural Hospitals Push Congress to Address Key Financial Issue
Sept. 26—Amid rising concern in Congress over rural hospital failures, some stakeholders are renewing their push for a long-sought Medicare payment change that was described during a recent hearing as “one of the single most important” financial fixes for those organizations.
Site-Neutral Payment Reduction Leads Hospital OPPS Concerns
Sept. 25—Among reactions to a range of thorny policy proposals, hospital advocates are urging Medicare to withdraw a $760 million payment cut for outpatient services.
Fitch Maintains Negative Outlook for NFP Hospitals
Sept. 24—Not-for-profit hospitals’ operating profitability appears to have peaked two years ago, a rating agency concluded, as it maintained a negative outlook for the sector.