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…
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…
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…
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.
Tailored solutions enhance healthcare operations and patient satisfaction
When leveraging advanced technologies, healthcare organizations can address their most pressing challenges, such as revenue cycle inefficiencies, workforce shortages and regulatory complexities. Read more about tailored solutions that handle the complexities of financial and operational processes.
Providers should evaluate vendors on alignment with mission and long-term goals
Review how one company's Complete Business Office (CBO) services optimize the revenue cycle from end–to-end to relieve health systems' pressure of fewer resources, staffing shortages, rising costs, payer complexity and regulatory demands.
Jeff Goldsmith: A healthcare system (and society) out of balance and how to fix the problem
After nearly 15 years of cost stability, where U.S. health spending remained at or near 17.5% of GDP, the COVID-19 pandemic profoundly disrupted our healthcare system and our politics and gave rise to a sharp and ongoing increase in health spending. The prospect of fresh increases in their health benefit costs has frightened employers. Some…
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…