News Briefs: ACA subsidies in limbo after government funding deal
After Congress ended the longest federal government shutdown on record at 43 days, the future of enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) remained unresolved. The shutdown officially ended Nov. 12, three days after eight members of the Senate Democratic caucus joined Republicans to help pass a continuing resolution that maintains spending through Jan.…
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…
Zeev Neuwirth: How to unravel our nation’s wicked healthcare problem
Our nation’s healthcare system is grossly underserving the American public and is on an unsustainable course. Over the past two decades, the healthcare system’s value proposition has continued to decline around critical metrics such as access to care, affordability, chronic disease burden and healthy lifespan. While these facts are well known, what is less well…
The Vitalic Health movement: HFMA initiative pursues affordability, financial sustainability in U.S. healthcare
Growing up in rural Iowa, miles away from a paved road, instilled in C. Ann Jordan a deep appreciation of the struggles rural communities face around healthcare access, delivery and affordability. The farming community of Boone, Iowa — Jordan’s hometown — features a 25-bed critical access hospital. The hospital offers a range of services that…
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…
Kiran Batheja: Deliver results. Drive innovation.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon once said, “Whatever you’ve been asked to do, whatever your role is today, do it really well, deliver results, and do it with integrity.” As HFMA members, we know our North Star is delivering results that enable our organizations to serve our patients. Even in the most challenging times, impactful 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…
Survey of revenue cycle executives points to the need to move from reactive to proactive clinical documentation
Review this report to learn how to swap out the processes and technologies that don’t support an effective, sustainable approach to clinical documentation. Revenue cycle teams will get key takeaways to rethink documentation as a proactive strategy rather than a back-end fix.