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…
Soaring charity care grabs hospital leaders’ attention
Across the country, hospitals are reexamining their approach to uncompensated care, with first movers in this space increasing the availability of financial assistance and working harder to reduce the chances that an account will be sent to collections. And now, new data paints a picture of the collective impact of these efforts and other trends…
People: HFMA members step into new CFO roles
Jessica Graham is serving as CFO of Banner – University Medical Center Tucson Banner – University Medical Center Tucson appointed Jessica Graham, MBA, as CFO in May. Graham’s previous appointments include more than six years with Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System and a 10-month stint as interim vice president and chief business officer with University…
Taking a pulse on healthcare capital investment: 3 insights
Dive into this roundtable to discover the trends shaping market activity and how to accelerate healthcare investments — including support from private equity and venture capital partners.
Jill Geisler: Success without hubris — Why the best leaders are confident, not arrogant
Picture this: You’re in a high-stakes situation with lots of tension. It could be in an emergency department, a board room or a boiler room. People must make quick, important decisions. Then one person walks in, and everyone’s anxiety seems to diminish. It’s the leader you respect. All eyes turn to that person, who calmly…
4 areas where a CFO-CIO partnership is a strategic imperative in healthcare
Hospitals and health systems face mounting challenges today in managing IT cost and strategy. While responsibility for guiding their organizations through these challenges invariably falls to the CIO, finance leaders also have a critical role to play in this effort as partners with IT leaders — and often from a position of providing oversight of…
New data points to financial upsides in rethinking patient payment plans
According to a recent survey conducted with more than 200 healthcare finance professionals, providers struggle to obtain out-of-pocket costs from patients. Now, providers collect just 24% of patient billings, or the amount owed after insurance covered its portion.
HFMA’s editorial team earns 25 awards
HFMA’s editorial team has earned 25 honors from two media organizations — the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) and the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) — for work spanning its 2024 healthcare industry coverage, special reports, newsletters, podcasts and design. (See the sidebar “4 HFMA editorial pieces earn Neal Award honor,” below.)…