Georgia HFMA Student Leadership council chair shares her HFMA journey
When it comes to HFMA membership, the opportunities for networking and earning certifications appeal to both those new to the field of healthcare finance and seasoned professionals. One of the former, Sharea M. Finn, CRCR, shared with hfm details about her journey as a student member. Finn is the chair of the Georgia Student Corner |…
Arizona and Iowa Chapters partner to help HFMA members achieve certifications
The Arizona and Iowa Chapters held their second joint virtual HFMA certification bootcamp in July, where an estimated 373 participants signed up to prepare for the Certified Healthcare Finance Professional (CHFP) exam. “Virtual events allow us to reach a wider audience, making participation more accessible across all chapters and regions,” said Nicole Helfrich, the former…
David Johnson: Dueling visions for healthcare’s AI-powered future
As giants in the world of technology, Epic’s Judy Faulkner and Alphabet’s Ruth Porat are among America’s most prominent business leaders. In keynote addresses delivered three days apart in August, they offered sharply differing perspectives on AI’s emergent capabilities — and starkly different ideas regarding its application to healthcare. For me, the differences call to…
Nathan Kaufman: How silos undermine U.S. healthcare
Healthcare systems are plagued by fragmented silos that result in suboptimal outcomes and increased costs, but by assigning a directly responsible individual and using real-time dashboards, health systems can optimize overall performance and improve quality of care.
Only in America could arguments for cutting healthcare access be so artful
The phrase “only in America” usually refers to the upside of national exceptionalism, but in the context of healthcare, the meaning is often negative. That’s the case with current efforts to cut Medicaid — now the nation’s largest healthcare program in terms of enrollment — to pay for large tax cuts that will primarily benefit…
Kiran Batheja: Embrace change with confidence
“Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.” — Dalai Lama To get ahead of change, we must embrace it. This principle is central to my HFMA Chair’s theme, “Lead Now,” and was echoed throughout HFMA’s Annual Conference. The rapid pace of technological advancement is transforming every aspect of healthcare operations…
HFMA chapters and regions lauded at 2025 Success Awards celebration
Open to all members this year, HFMA’s 2025 Leadership Summit gathered over 650 participants, including chapter and regional volunteers and others in Nashville, Tenn., May 4-6. Attendees participated in content tracks from effective communication skills to strategies for building innovative and high-performing teams. They also celebrated the 2025 Success Award recipients. General session speakers included…
A farewell, with reflections on a 50-year career in healthcare finance
This month marks the 50th anniversary of my start in the healthcare industry. In August 1975, I began a job with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Greater New York (now known as Empire Healthcare Services) as a Medicare cost report auditor, a position that impacted the final Medicare reimbursements for every hospital across the…
David Johnson: Lessons in solving the nation’s current revenue cycle dilemma
In April 1999, “The Modern Library” published its list of the top one hundred nonfiction books of the 20th century. Number one was “The Education of Henry Adams,” an intellectual autobiography written in 1905 by the great grandson and grandson of John Adams and John Quincy Adams, respectively, the second and sixth presidents of the…
Ken Perez: The NIH research grant cuts — their magnitude, impact and the road ahead
Moves by the Trump administration to reduce HHS’s discretionary budget by 26.2% could have unintended adverse consequences. They not only could undermine the nation’s standing in the field of medical research, but also could derail progress in human health advances, promising medical findings and public health preparedness. Cuts to discretionary spending by the National Institutes…