Bold Conversations for a Healthier System
With support from: Dear Colleagues, It is an unmistakable reality that the U.S. healthcare system is becoming less affordable and more financially unsustainable — and all without improvements in health outcomes to show for it. Now is the time for healthcare leadership to change the conversation and pursue real solutions. That’s why I want to…
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…
Financial sustainability is biggest pain point for healthcare leaders
If Claire Agnew could help healthcare boards understand one thing about healthcare finance, it’s the complexity finance leaders face in ensuring hospitals and health systems have the resources they need to deliver great care. “It’s brutal and much like dancing backward in high heels,” said Agnew, MBA, CPA, executive vice president and CFO for Valleywise…
Hospitals will get only a small bump in Medicare inpatient payments for FY25
Hospital representatives were less than excited about the rate update in Medicare’s FY25 final rule for inpatient care and long-term care hospitals. Published Aug. 1, the rule includes a 2.9% rate increase for acute care hospitals in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The increase is derived from a 3.4% hike in the market…
As providers seek resolution of continuing Change Healthcare issues, UnitedHealth Group reports strong financials
The aftermath of the Change Healthcare cyberattack affected the second-quarter financials of parent company UnitedHealth Group (UHG), but not to the point of hindering the company’s continued “diversified and durable growth,” CEO Andrew Witty said during a recent investor call. Q2 revenues increased by 6% year-over-year, while profits dropped by 5.5% amid costs stemming from…
Medicare’s proposed outpatient payment update for 2025 doesn’t keep pace with hospital costs, advocates say
Note: Additional coverage of the proposed rule can be found here. Hospital advocates expressed dissatisfaction with the payment update in Medicare’s 2025 proposed rule for hospital outpatient care and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs). CMS proposes to increase the Medicare rate for outpatient services and ASCs by 2.6%, resulting from a 3% jump in the market…
Hospitals can bring their case on disproportionate share hospital payments to the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court granted hospitals’ request that it hear their appeal about the formula for determining Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments, landing the case on the docket for the 2024-25 term. More than 200 hospitals are plaintiffs in the case. A federal district court ruled for HHS and against the hospitals in 2022, and…
Hospital payments have been substantially affected by the Change Healthcare cyberattack, report finds
Newly published data reflect the extent of the payment loss experienced by hospitals and health systems during the first month or so after the Change Healthcare cyberattack. A report (registration required) published in mid-May by Strata finds that gaps in expected revenue ranged from 16.5% to 17.9% per hospital for Q1. The insights were culled…
Andrew Donahue: An open letter to Congress on nonprofit hospital finances
There’s a lot of bad information out there on nonprofit hospital finances. Part of the problem is run-of-the-mill scapegoating — stakeholders with an agenda using our business complexity to muddy the water. Part of the problem is classic misuse of information — good people with good intentions making the wrong assumptions. And part of the…