People: Mercy CFO Cheryl Matejka retires after more than 35 years in healthcare
Cheryl Matejka, MBA, CFO at St. Louis-based Mercy, is retiring on Dec. 31, 2025, after more than 35 years of providing financial leadership in the healthcare industry. For more than 17 years before joining Mercy, she held various finance roles at St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare, from internal audit to vice president, financial operations and analysis.…
Ken Perez: The tariffs-driven trade war and its implications for healthcare
Given President Donald Trump’s use of tariffs and their significant worldwide economic impact, it’s not surprising that the word tariff has been considered a candidate for Word of the Year.a Whether or not you agree with Trump’s tariff policy, the United States has a powerful ability to impose tariffs, rooted in the immensity of the…
David Johnson: Why interoperability is causing Epic to confront a profound identity crisis
Epic currently is the nation’s dominant supplier of electronic health records (EHRs) — the data backbone upon which the U.S. healthcare system operates. The company’s market position has long appeared unassailable. Upon closer inspection, however, Epic’s business model contains the seeds of its own diminution. The company aspires to be a system of record for…
HFMA Empire New York Chapter leverages CRCR crash course to promote pedal tour
When planning its second annual pedal tour, the HFMA Empire New York Chapter also was identifying ways to engage enterprise member Kaleida Health, which joined HFMA in 2024 and brought 233 new members to the Chapter, increasing its membership by more than 20%. To encourage pedal tour attendance and involve its new members, Chapter leaders…
Mentorship initiative offers HFMA members career growth opportunities
HFMA kicked off the second six-month-long Emerging Leaders Mentoring Program in September, with nearly 200 HFMA members participating in each cohort after the April-October 2024 pilot program proved successful. “We allow up to 100 pairs for each cohort,” said Brianna Slominski, MBA, HFMA’s manager, volunteer experience. “So it’s important for HFMA members who want to…
Jill Geisler: How leaders can help their staffs navigate ambiguity
Managing change has long been a common topic for me in my teaching sessions. After all, change is a constant. But recently, I’ve been asked to help leaders with something related but different: ambiguity. More than ever, it seems, leaders are managing in a climate of unknowns, with uncertainties lying around the corner. Factors driving…
Kiran Batheja: Aspire to great leadership
“It is the responsibility of every human being to aspire to do something worthwhile, to make the world a better place than the one we found.” — Albert Einstein True servant leadership isn’t about titles, control or attention. It lies in inspiring others to embrace a purpose beyond themselves by uniting a team in pursuit…
People: Alyson Belz recognized as a member of 40 Under 40 Class of 2025
Selected from hundreds of fellow nominees, Alyson Belz, FHFMA, MBA, has been named to Crain’s New York Business 40 under 40, which highlights dynamic young professionals across industries who demonstrate meaningful leadership in their communities. The honor caps Belz’s more than a decade of leadership experience focused on improving outcomes and reducing inefficiencies. She currently…
Jill Geisler: 10 questions that can help you lead people who are smarter than you
Wise leaders know that they may be smart about many things, but they don’t have to be the smartest person in every room. They lead with confidence and humility and aren’t intimidated by colleagues whose expertise surpasses their own. That’s not always easy. Managers often tell me they worry about building credibility with subject matter…
Susan Dentzer: Why more prior authorization in traditional Medicare is a no-brainer
The word accountable in accountable care organization (ACO) means being vigilant in monitoring healthcare’s costs and quality. And lately, many ACOs participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) have been vigilant in spades. First, some ACOs tipped CMS off about a $2 billion urinary catheter fraud when that spending hit their bottom lines in…