Nick Hut

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Nick Hut

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10 Vital Responses to Healthcare Disruption

Disruption is reverberating throughout the healthcare industry, and it’s incumbent on legacy organizations to develop strategic responses for the benefit of their consumers, their communities and themselves. With that overarching challenge becoming ever more pressing, HFMA’s 2023 Spring Thought Leadership Retreat brought together leaders from across the industry May 4-5 in Atlanta to consider approaches…

Nick Hut July 11, 2023

Billions of dollars in lump-sum payments are coming to hospitals as a remedy for 340B-related underpayments

Hospitals that participate in the 340B Drug Pricing Program stand to receive $9 billion in aggregate lump-sum payments as compensation for underpayments from Medicare during a nearly five-year period. In a proposed rule issued July 7, CMS described how it would provide remedies following a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that the U.S. Department of Health…

Nick Hut July 10, 2023

Annual Conference: Houston Methodist uses AI in virtual models for critical care, patient observation and more

Artificial intelligence (AI) is driving innovation in clinical operations at the Houston Methodist hospital system, as explained during a presentation this week at HFMA’s Annual Conference. Among other virtual-care programs developed by the organization’s innovation center, Houston Methodist has incorporated a virtual ICU and virtual observation in the inpatient setting. Both programs use AI to…

Nick Hut June 30, 2023

Annual Conference: How Mayo Clinic establishes the mindset and processes that foster innovation

Hospitals and health systems must adapt their practices using an innovator’s mindset to keep up with the change sweeping the industry, according to a presentation this week at HFMA’s Annual Conference. “Innovation, at this point in our industry’s landscape, is pretty critical,” said Praveen Mekala, enterprise division chair with Mayo Clinic, referring to the problems…

Nick Hut June 29, 2023

Annual Conference: For hospitals, effective chargemaster management can bolster revenue capture

Amid the changes and challenges buffeting the hospital and health system sector, chargemaster management remains a key step in protecting revenue, according to a presentation this week at HFMA’s Annual Conference. At University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH), a recent chargemaster initiative began with a thorough review, said Holly Cruz, senior financial analyst with University…

Nick Hut June 28, 2023

Annual Conference: Healthcare entrepreneur Alex Oshmyansky describes his efforts to disrupt drug pricing

Arguably no segment of the healthcare industry is more susceptible to disruption than the market for prescription drugs, as Alex Oshmyansky, MD, PhD, made clear Wednesday morning during the closing session of HFMA’s Annual Conference. Oshmyansky spoke about his personal efforts to disrupt the pharmaceutical market in his role as co-founder and CEO of Mark…

Nick Hut June 28, 2023

Annual Conference: HFMA Chair Dennis Dahlen issues a call to action for healthcare finance professionals

The concept of punctuated equilibrium refers to systems that experience isolated episodes of dramatic evolution intermixed with long periods of stasis or something close to it. Dennis Dahlen, who on Tuesday morning was installed as HFMA’s National Chair for FY23-24, thinks the hypothesis applies to healthcare. Speaking to Annual Conference attendees, Dahlen, the CFO of…

Nick Hut June 27, 2023

Annual Conference: Joe Fifer says goodbye

In the 11 years that Joseph J. Fifer led HFMA, he successfully guided the Association through some difficult events. The COVID-19 pandemic, the social unrest related to racial issues and enduring political divisiveness were among the challenges experienced by HFMA under his watch. But Fifer never gave up on promoting the benefits of personal connections…

Nick Hut June 26, 2023

Annual Conference: Body-language expert Scott Rouse explains how to read others and make a good impression

People who know how to read body language can gain a significant advantage in their interpersonal relations, an expert said during Monday’s keynote session at HFMA’s Annual Conference. Scott Rouse, a behavior analyst and body-language expert who works with law-enforcement agencies and major corporations, said awareness of body language is key to quickly establishing connections…

Nick Hut June 26, 2023

Annual Conference: Health system CFO panel reflects on the importance of embracing change

The healthcare industry is enduring tough times, but finance leaders are equipped to guide their organizations through choppy waters, CFOs said Sunday as part of a panel discussion. Speaking onstage during the opening session of HFMA’s Annual Conference in Nashville, five health system CFOs described how they’ve responded during a tumultuous period that began more…

Nick Hut June 25, 2023