Steven Berger, FHFMA
About the Author
Steven Berger, FHFMA
Latest Work
Lisa Montman: Lessons on a journey to leadership in the nonprofit world
Having a diverse background in finance, with time spent working outside of healthcare, can give a healthcare CFO a unique perspective that is uncommon for the position. Such experience describes the journey of Lisa Montman, CPA, senior vice president and CFO at HonorHealth, a six-hospital, 1,372-bed, not-for-profit health system headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz. Montman’s career…
Brenda Chilman: A positive patient experience starts with the revenue cycle
Bookended by her first job at the CPA firm Arthur Andersen and her current job, 30+ years later, just down the road at SSM Health, Brenda Chilman has had a strong and far-flung career in healthcare finance. Her journey — which has taken her from St. Louis to Denver to Baltimore and, full circle, back…
Alan Lovelace: Healthcare CFOs require stamina to respond to post-COVID pressure
What can modern hospital or health system CFOs do to keep their organizations on a stable financial footing in the financially fraught post-COVID-19 era? In answering this question, most CFOs will begin by telling horror stories and tales of woe involving revenue squeezes and expense proliferations. Pressures come from everywhere, including: It’s tough being a…
Theresa Mouton: CFOs need to be able to lead through chaos
As a 34-year healthcare finance veteran, Theresa Mouton, MBA, has seen her share of changes within the industry. Currently the Western Region CFO for Steward Health Care, Mouton oversees 17 hospitals across five states. In a career that has taken her from investor-owned health systems to not-for-profit hospitals and back again to the investor-owned side,…
HCA CFO, William Rutherford, says healthcare finance leaders should have a patient focus
To be able to consistently perform at the highest levels, health system CFOs must have a strong commitment to clear and specific guiding principles. So says William Rutherford, CPA, CFO and executive vice president of Nashville, Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare, the largest healthcare system (by gross and net revenues) in the United States. And for Rutherford,…
Voice of Experience: Richard Silveria says healthcare finance is rife with opportunities
What conclusion might a finance leader reach after four decades of experience in healthcare financial management? For Richard Silveria, CFO of Cape Cod Healthcare in Hyannis, Massachusetts, his 40 years of such experience have only strengthened his belief that opportunities to improve final outcomes are always at hand for hospitals and health systems. That belief…
Steven Berger: Reflections on ‘Voice of Experience’ words of wisdom, year 1
In this first anniversary of the “Voice of Experience” column, it is an appropriate time to revisit the suggestions and insights shared by the eight hospital/health systems healthcare executives who have been long-standing members of HFMA and were featured in hfm magazine. Significantly, among the five guiding principles each leader shared, three stand out, having…
Laurie Beyer: Routine rounding helps yield financial improvements
If you want to reach Laurie R. Beyer, MBA, CPA, executive vice president and CFO at GBMC HealthCare in Maryland, avoid any time between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Tuesday through Friday. No matter what time of year it is, she will be unavailable to take your call during those times because she will be…
Dan Heckathorne: Healthcare CFOs need a guiding philosophy and a mantra
What are the qualities that make a successful healthcare CFO? Is it leadership skills? Financial acumen? General management skills? Teaching and/or mentoring skills? A commitment to continued learning to maintain or acquire new skills? Answers vary. But for Dan Heckathorne, CFO of San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital (SGMH) in Banning, California, success in the CFO role…
A clinical background can give a hospital CFO greater financial acumen
Stephen “Jan” Grigsby, FHFMA, MHA, vice president and CFO at Springhill Medical Center (SMC) in Mobile Alabama, is one of those rare senior finance executives who came to his position from a clinical background. And as his experience shows, such finance leaders are likely to have valuable lessons and perspectives to share with their peers…