News

Inside HFMA: 100,000th member reflects on value of HFMA enterprise membership

For LaTasha Bowen, membership in HFMA is synonymous with opportunity — but it’s an opportunity she might not have received without the Association’s enterprise membership program. Bowen is revenue cycle manager for Hughston Clinic, a Columbus, Georgia, medical group specializing in musculoskeletal disorders. While the clinic had been part of HFMA’s MAP Keys program for…

Jeni Williams May 30, 2023

Ann Jordan named HFMA’s new president and CEO 

Ann Jordan, JD, begins her tenure as HFMA’s new president and CEO on June 6, becoming the first female executive at the Association’s helm during its 77-year history. “This is an incredibly dynamic time for healthcare finance professionals,” said Jordan in an April 5 news release. “I am honored for the opportunity to join HFMA…

HFMA staff May 30, 2023

The state of Medicare Advantage: As the program grows, healthcare stakeholders express concerns

As seen during a recent virtual conference, the accelerating expansion of Medicare Advantage (MA) has been accompanied by tension over growing pains such as regulatory issues. “I think MA was set up really well, but like anything else there’s sort of a moment where you have to look at the program and say: How do…

Nick Hut May 30, 2023

CMS issues RFI to gather best practices for identifying and supporting safety net hospitals

As part of the FY24 proposed rule for hospital inpatient payments, CMS is seeking healthcare stakeholder input on how to best support safety net hospitals in the Medicare program. The agency is considering ways to reimburse safety net hospitals via supplemental payments that may be better targeted than disproportionate share hospital (DSH) and uncompensated care…

Nick Hut May 22, 2023

Hospital price transparency updates include stricter enforcement, new fines and pending legislation

(Note: The last section of this article was updated May 24 where noted to reflect developments in Congress.) Enforcement of hospital price transparency regulations is becoming stricter, with CMS implementing new policies and recently fining two hospitals. Changes were anticipated after CMS leaders authored an article in February that reported 70% compliance in 2022, the…

Nick Hut May 17, 2023

Congress seems inclined to expand site-neutral payment policies in Medicare (updated)

Momentum is building in Congress toward expanding site-neutral payment in Medicare, a move that could reduce payments to hospitals by billions of dollars per year. A recent hearing, which lasted 5 ½ hours, focused on various ideas for promoting transparency and competition in healthcare. The hearing included references to 17 bills or discussion drafts, several…

Nick Hut May 12, 2023

The COVID-19 public health emergency is over: Here’s what healthcare providers should know

An era ends for the U.S. healthcare industry with the termination of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) at the close of the day on Thursday, May 11. The termination means providers are losing many of the federal waivers and flexibilities that have been in place for all or most of the PHE, which took…

Nick Hut May 10, 2023

New data on No Surprises Act arbitration cases show providers are faring well amid systemic challenges

Providers are having success at challenging out-of-network payment amounts under the No Surprises Act, at least when they can get their cases through the arbitration system. CMS published an update showing that between April 15, 2022, when the independent dispute resolution (IDR) portal opened, and March 31, arbitrators issued payment determinations in 42,158 disputes. Initiating…

Nick Hut May 2, 2023

Kaiser Permanente is set to acquire Geisinger in a deal with major industry ramifications

In a move with implications for healthcare business models, Kaiser Permanente has announced plans to acquire Geisinger and form a new nonprofit organization. Upon acquisition Geisinger will join Risant Health, an organization that is being launched by Kaiser Permanente’s hospital arm. Geisinger and future acquisitions will operate as distinct entities and retain their current branding…

Nick Hut April 27, 2023

Final rule for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans could expand contracting opportunities for certain types of providers in 2024

Final 2024 regulations for health plans participating in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance marketplaces are designed to improve equitable access to behavioral healthcare, potentially meaning a wider array of providers will have a chance to be included in networks. As of 2023, a participating plan must have at least 35% of available essential community…

Nick Hut April 26, 2023
googletag.cmd.push( function () { googletag.display( 'hfma-gpt-leaderboard' ); } );