Nick Hut
About the Author
Nick Hut is a former newspaper reporter with more than a decade of experience at HFMA. His HFMA Daily reporting is considered a top benefit of membership as members have come to rely on Hut’s daily insights on policy, legal and business developments. He has been at the forefront of major industry news, garnering a following from national media. Nick has earned multiple national awards, including two first-place honors in 2024 from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for excellence in analysis and reporting.
Latest Work
Provider conduct could have a big impact on the future of telehealth, experts say
Widespread certification for telehealth could encourage policymakers to retain the waivers that have promoted expanded virtual access, industry experts say.
Research examines whether financial challenges facing hospitals with large Medicare populations lead indirectly to cost shifting
Harvard researchers found evidence to suggest that hospitals with large shares of Medicare patients are at greater risk of being acquired, which can skew the market structure and lead to higher commercial prices.
Evolving approach to federal value-based payment models will emphasize equity, affordability
Leaders with CMS and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation have published a rough blueprint of the future of value-based payment at the federal level.
FTC says reviews of mergers and acquisitions can be initiated even after statutory deadlines
Hospitals and health systems can expect M&A reviews to become more rigorous after a recent White House executive order.
Latest data shows positive financial trends for hospitals, but will the good news be fleeting?
June was a promising month in terms of hospital financial performance, but the delta variant of the coronavirus threatens to reverse many of the gains.
Policies to prepare for a future pandemic should center on interoperability between hospitals and public health systems, expert says
The need for better interoperability between hospitals and public health entities is a crucial lesson of the COVID-19 pandemic, a public health official testified to a Senate committee.
FY22 rule for the Inpatient Prospective Payment System finalizes a payment increase and key policy updates
The base payment increase for hospital inpatient services in FY22 will be 2.5%, according to a final rule issued by CMS.
Congress opts not to use Provider Relief Fund allocations as an infrastructure funding source
Earlier reports indicated that Provider Relief Fund money would be used to help pay for the pending bipartisan infrastructure bill, but the legislative text includes no such language.
Latest hospital readmissions data highlight the challenges posed by septicemia
For all diagnoses across payers, researchers reported a 30-day readmission rate of 14% and an average cost per readmission of $15,200.
Hospital-at-home programs are gaining traction and have well-documented benefits, experts say
A Medicare waiver issued in late 2020 has spurred more health systems to implement home-care programs for acute conditions.