David Johnson: Why healthcare’s cupboard is bare — its funding gravy train has run out of steam
Gravy train is a railroad term that originated in the early 1900s. It described a well-paid train run that didn’t require much effort. In modern parlance, speakers use it to describe easy-to-do tasks and cushy situations. The problem with gravy trains is that riding them too long engenders lazy, sloppy and wasteful behaviors. New York…
Jill Geisler: 4 ways to give positive feedback with impact
May I give you a pleasant assignment? Think about a high performer on your team. Next, write a few bullet points about what that person does to earn your high regard. Finally, take 90 seconds and format it as a message to that person. This is a class exercise I use when teaching managers about…
Hospitals face increased need amid pandemic to improve patient throughput
An acute care hospital cannot begin to be able to deliver cost-effective care if it lacks a fully coordinated approach for moving patients from admission to discharge. Lower admissions. Higher patient days. Longer-than-average length of stay (LOS) in acute care. These are among the significant challenges U.S. acute care hospitals face as a result of…
Point-of-service collection goes better if the right strategies and tactics are employed
Improving point-of-service (POS) collection has long been a topic of discussions across healthcare organizations struggling to meet collection goals. But the global pandemic and its aftermath have intensified the need for more effective strategies to meet this challenge while keeping a patient-centered focus. Health systems need to adopt new strategies that will support a positive…
Collecting with compassion: Patient financial care grows in importance
Health system leaders increasingly believe more communication is better when it comes to telling patients what they owe. When the pandemic began, Henry County Health Center’s revenue cycle department took a gamble to relieve the financial stress of care for patients. Executives for the 25-bed, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, critical access hospital, which serves a large…
Dan Heckathorne: Healthcare CFOs need a guiding philosophy and a mantra
What are the qualities that make a successful healthcare CFO? Is it leadership skills? Financial acumen? General management skills? Teaching and/or mentoring skills? A commitment to continued learning to maintain or acquire new skills? Answers vary. But for Dan Heckathorne, CFO of San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital (SGMH) in Banning, California, success in the CFO role…
2022 midterms aftermath: Gridlock or bipartisanship?
Studies conducted over the past several years have found the polarization is increasing in American society.a And not surprisingly, the 2022 midterm elections reflected the deep divisions. Two fiercely contested Senate seats in this past election are emblematic. Democrat John Fetterman won Pennsylvania’s hotly contested Senate race over Republican Mehmet Oz, MD, taking over the seat…
Hospitals require an integrated team approach to ensuring revenue integrity
Healthcare organizations cannot expect to achieve financial sustainability without having a deliberate focus on ensuring revenue integrity. Only with such a focus can they deliver programs and services that are essential for coordinating internal efforts to maintain operational efficiency, compliance and optimal payment. For this reason, few finance or revenue cycle leaders would discount its…
Monument Health revamps its revenue cycle leadership structure for the benefit of patients and the organization
Looking to break through the cultural silos that can hamper operations at hospitals and health systems, Monument Health has engineered a new brand of clinical-finance collaboration. Headquartered in Rapid City, South Dakota, the community-based health system established a dyad leadership structure in which a clinical leader has joint oversight of the revenue cycle. It’s a…
Creating a sustainable healthcare workforce demands innovative solutions
Five healthcare leaders share insight on how their forward-thinking healthcare organizations approach staffing challenges facing the industry.