Joseph J. Fifer, FHFMA, CPA
About the Author
Joseph J. Fifer, FHFMA, CPA
Latest Work
Joe Fifer: A key takeaway from my long career
My last column. I have rewritten it dozens of times in my head. I couldn’t settle on a thought or a theme that seemed appropriate. Then I remembered the HFMA board dinner with Sue Petru, a past National Board member. The occasion was our winter board retreat in Tampa this year. It’s our custom to invite…
Joe Fifer: The courage to embrace change
During one of my first meetings with HFMA staff in 2012, I advised the assembled staffers that if they thought they’d be sitting next to the same people and doing the same things in a year’s time, they were probably mistaken. When I noticed people squirming in their seats, I hastened to add that I…
Joe Fifer: The courage to reframe healthcare to encompass ‘health’
Whether you’ve worked in this field for a day or a decade, when someone asks you what business you’re in, the answer is easy: Healthcare. And your meaning is clear. Imagine if you had answered, “health,” instead. Suddenly, that word raises more questions than it answers. Does the health business refer to fitness or nutrition,…
Joe Fifer: Healthcare leaders require the courage to put consumers first
It takes courage to be among the first healthcare organizations to do something totally new. I had that in mind when I chose “courage in leadership” as my theme for my 2006-07 term as HFMA’s board chair. The need for courage is perhaps most readily apparent on the clinical side of healthcare because human lives…
Joe Fifer: Why finance leaders require the courage to lead
Books, movies and even campaign themes — often, they don’t age well. Apart from those with classic themes, they can quickly come to seem irrelevant in our fast-paced environment. So much has changed since I took office as HFMA chair 17 years ago. but I believe that my chair theme, “courage in leadership,” has the…
My final holiday message to the HFMA community
Five years ago, in my holiday message to HFMA members, I wrote that during this busy time of year, we should make time for reflection, soul searching and connecting with something that transcends personal concerns, no matter which winter holiday we celebrate or what our faith traditions may be. That’s the core of my holiday…
Joe Fifer: Adopting a health equity lens
This year, we dedicated HFMA’s annual Thought Leadership Retreat to the topic of health equity. That topic could be viewed as a bit of a departure for HFMA, given that our Association is focused on finance. But I strongly believe, along with the majority of our retreat participants, that healthcare stakeholders must use a health…
Joe Fifer: Why finance leaders should be consumer-obsessed
HFMA President and CEO Joe Fifer offers perspectives on how the changing healthcare marketplace impacts legacy healthcare stakeholders.
Joe Fifer: Cost effectiveness of health: Why now?
Joe Fifer says it’s time for healthcare leaders to make a choice about their role in addressing social determinants of health and outlines three options for doing so.
Joe Fifer: Solving the nurse staffing crisis — We’re all in this together
HFMA President and CEO Joe Fifer offers perspectives on solving the nurse staffing crisis.