The hospital of the future, with Jeni Williams
Erika Grotto talks with HFMA senior editor Jeni Williams about her new special report, Hospital of the Future. Nick Hut talks with Kathy Stull, HFMA’s senior manager of revenue cycle analytics about prior authorization. More: CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule CMS-0057-F | CMS 2026 CMS Interoperability Standards and Prior Authorization for Drugs Proposed…
Focus on patient care and access transcends hospital-centric model
Healthcare is shifting from a hospital-centric model to a more distributed, digital and patient-focused system, requiring revenue cycle management to evolve into a strategic enterprise capability. By leveraging AI, automation and revenue cycle data, health systems can reduce barriers to care, improve patient outcomes and strengthen financial resilience amid growing operational and reimbursement pressures.
The accuracy imperative and the hospital of the future
The hospital of the future will rely not just on advanced technologies like AI and robotics, but on accurate, complete healthcare data that supports better clinical, financial and operational decisions. Large language models are transforming healthcare finance by helping teams identify documentation gaps, improve reimbursement accuracy, reduce waste and create a more reliable picture of patient care.
You can’t build the hospital of the future on a billing model designed for the past
As AI increasingly becomes part of how patients navigate medical bills, health systems must redesign financial workflows with the same personalization and precision shaping modern care delivery, or risk widening both revenue and patient engagement challenges.
How to protect revenue in a digital-first ecosystem
As hospitals become more digitally connected and AI-enabled, revenue cycle operations must shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive prevention by embedding data integrity, automation and revenue protection directly into care workflows.
Intelligent, trustworthy operating model key to the hospital of the future
AI and automation are becoming foundational to healthcare operations, with leaders focused on building proactive, data-driven systems that improve revenue cycle performance, reduce friction and support better decision making.
Flagged hospitals say they are not financially endangered
Some of the hospitals listed as at risk of closing due to coming federal Medicaid cuts reject that assessment. The left-leaning advocacy group, Public Citizen, wrote in a March 31 report that 446 hospitals “are at heightened risk of closing or reducing services due to Medicaid cuts.” The widely covered report was based on its…
FastFinance: Hospital building surge; AI-coding study pushback
HFMA’s FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Health systems will spend a record amount this year building new hospitals, with hospital and clinic construction budgets far outpacing outpatient facilities, like ASCs. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 39%. That’s…
Big financial impacts from off-campus HOPD rule change
Many hospitals and health systems are facing costly work in preparation for 2028 documentation requirements to avoid off-campus HOPD revenue losses. And some could see a big financial hit, even if they successfully meet those requirements. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, enacted Feb. 3, created new documentation requirements for off-campus hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs).…
Nathan Kaufman: Hospital-based anesthesia and radiology operate in a broken financial model
The good ol’ days of hospital-based physicians providing services at no cost in exchange for exclusivity are over, creating significant disruptions. Health systems are facing a growing shortage of anesthesiologists and radiologists, a shortfall that is driven by a broken business model for those types of services. Underpayment for anesthesia and radiology care by Medicare and Medicaid combined with a lack of experience in related revenue cycle management and high…