Cover Story
4 Tactics of Effective Strategic Technology Planning for the Digital Future
With the going transformation of the nation’s healthcare system, digital technology will play an increasing role in how health care is managed and delivered, making it critical for healthcare organizations to have a clear strategy for acquiring and implementing it.
By Todd Fitz and Munzoor Shaikh
Web Exclusives
Improving Your Odds for Successful M&A
Although access to technology provides a strong draw in merger and acquisition activity, concerns remain regarding culture fit and high valuation multiples. As always, let the buyer beware.
By Brad Haller and Will Hinde
Reconciling Charges and Pricing Through Charge Description Master Redesign
Providers should restructure pricing schedules to bring charges into better alignment with the actual cost of services, developing a long-term pricing model that is attractive to both patients and employers.
By Leonard Brauner and Scott Glasrud
Financing Facility Upgrades Through Real Estate Monetization
By reallocating investment dollars from real estate to facility development and upgrades, health providers can build value while also reducing financial and administrative burdens.
By Thomas Biga
Features
Building a Magnet Physician Enterprise: A Critical Health System Priority in the Value Market
Having a magnet physician enterprise that promotes physician satisfaction and engagement is a critical success factor for health systems under value-focused healthcare models.
By Robert A. Dickinson, MBA, David Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Alan London, MD
Acquiring Physician Practices: Key Strategic Considerations for a Successful Transaction
Health systems seeking to acquire physician practices should first develop a thoughtful physician acquisition strategy that considers factors such as whether the focus will be on primary care physicians or specialists and the extent to which the strategy is offensive or defensive.
By Kyle Tormoehlen, ASA, and Dina Unrath, CPA, CVA, SPHR
HFMA 2017-18 Annual Report
Click here to download the full report
Focus Area
Cost and Quality
Selecting the Right Costing Model
By using cost data at appropriate levels of accuracy and detail to support decision making, hospital finance leaders can minimize the risk of incorrect decisions caused by insufficiently precise data.
By Paul Selivanoff, CPA
Columns
From the Chair
Successful Healthcare Financial Management Requires Imagination and a Solid Plan
Although many healthcare finance leaders may feel that strategic planning is second nature to them, they can benefit from routinely revisiting the process to learn from the experiences of others and to ensure that are taking all the steps that are necessary for success.
By Kevin Brennan, FHFMA, CPA
Eye on Washington
The 2019 ACA Enrollment Period Begins
Rising premiums and reduced choice among insurance options are two challenges facing health insurance purchasers under the Affordable Care Act in 2019; nonetheless, public support for the act continues to be strong enough to block efforts to repeal the act.
By Gail R. Wilensky, PhD
Business Intelligence
Value-Focused Healthcare Strategy Must Be Multifaceted
Moving to a value-based payment model involves change and requires a strategy focused on both managing costs and enabling growth of the enterprise.
By Theresa Hush
Healthcare Innovation
Why Your Access Strategy Demands Pricing Transparency
Consumers have come to expect price transparency in health care, which has greatly increased the strategic and operational importance of providers’ charge master descriptions and other pricing frameworks.
By Nicholas Malenka, MHA
From the President
A Short Guide to Avoiding Unwelcome Surprises
Surprise medical bills are a top concern of American consumers today. HFMA President and CEO Joe Fifer introduces a guide to help consumers avoid these unexpected out-of-network bills.
By Joseph J. Fifer, FHFMA, CPA
Supplements
HFMA Research Report
Improving Patient Financial Engagement
A research highlight that delves into key takeaways from a June 2018 HFMA member survey about patient payment perspectives and strategies.
Sponsored by Parallon
Advertising
Business Profile
VitalWare: Creating a Transparency Strategy: Meeting the Mandate to Post Standard Hospital Pricing
A senior leader of VitalWare talks about the need to create a comprehensive pricing strategy for consumers and how to get started.
HFMA Trendsetter
Transitional Cardiac Care: Preventing Readmissions with a Personal Touch
An in-depth look at how one organization is preventing chronic care readmissions through in-home monitoring, patient education, and counseling.
