In comments, for-profit hospital leaders don’t dwell on ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ impact
Leaders of for-profit hospital chains ranged from noncommittal to confident in recent remarks about impending rollbacks to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Hospitals have several years to prepare for some of the changes, and the interval also leaves time to modify policies in the newly passed budget reconciliation bill, health system leaders said…
Perils and promise of Medicare Advantage highlighted at congressional hearing
Testimony during a congressional hearing this week highlighted the strain hospitals are experiencing from the administrative roadblocks posed by Medicare Advantage (MA). For all the potential seen in the program to improve health and care delivery, MA is not working the way it should, several industry experts acknowledged during the July 22 joint hearing of…
Part A hospital spending is helping to accelerate Medicare insolvency, trustees say
The costs of hospital inpatient care are a key driver in forecasts that the Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund will run out of money within eight years. As described in the latest annual report of the Medicare trustees, the projection of a 2033 insolvency date represents a three-year acceleration from last year’s estimate. Changes…
Why pending healthcare policies look so daunting for hospitals
For both revenue and costs, ongoing policy developments pose a risk of aggravating trends that already are constraining hospital budgets. The budget reconciliation bill in Congress and the imposition of extensive tariffs would add to ongoing pressures on hospital finances. Bad debt levels are rising among not-for-profit hospitals, as are supply costs, and those issues…
The financial cost of hospital and community violence
A new study assesses the financial impact of violence in hospitals and their communities, finding that the issue amounts to a multibillion-dollar problem annually. Estimated costs total $18.27 billion per year, according to a report published June 2 by the American Hospital Association (AHA). The largest share of that total, $13.1 billion, is the amount…
Working to steady the ship: 4 takeaways from the Not-for-Profit Healthcare Investor Conference
As described at a recent conference, hospitals and health systems are retaining a sense of optimism while navigating some of the biggest challenges the industry has seen. Pressures on both revenue and expenses require leaders to try innovative solutions while also continuing to master the nuts and bolts of hospital operations, C-suite executives said May…
The Healthcare CFO of the Future: Turning risk into opportunity
The role of the healthcare CFO is evolving — and so are the skills needed for success. Here, CFOs and industry experts explore the new competencies CFOs must possess and how leaders in this space are preparing for the future.
With finances more stable, healthcare CFOs eye growth opportunities
Even with lingering financial constraints, healthcare CFOs see room for initiatives that will help their organizations enhance revenue and perhaps even profitability. “We’re finally in that post-pandemic phase in the sense that organizations are starting to see margins stabilize,” said Alina Henderson, vice president for healthcare solutions with Strata Decision Technology. In Strata’s survey (registration…
Hospital financial metrics suggest need for added Medicare payment, MedPAC says
Hospital metrics suggest FY26 Medicare payment should increase by more than what’s provided in the statutory formula, according to a formal recommendation by the Medicare Payment and Advisory Commission (MedPAC). Beneficiary access to care appeared to be strong in 2023, the latest year for which data was available, but quality indicators were mixed, according to…
Where value-based payment is headed during the second Trump administration
Like much of federal healthcare policy in the next few years, the push to improve value-based payment and accountable care figures to be influenced by two distinctive aspects of the Trump administration: MAHA and DOGE. MAHA is Make America Healthy Again, the movement championed by new HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., while DOGE is…