Hospitals are facing a long slog to return to pre-pandemic normalcy, panelists say
The logjam of patients who cannot be seen expeditiously at hospitals is becoming an entrenched problem with no imminent solutions, a CMS leader said this week. “The data tells us healthcare services, particularly for the Medicare population, have not come back to pre-pandemic levels,” said Jonathan Blum, principal deputy administrator and COO with CMS. “We’re…
State of Medicare: Some good news on program solvency still leaves questions and challenges
Medicare should remain solvent a little bit longer than previously anticipated, while a policy debate is ramping up over how to make the program sustainable for the long term. The 2023 annual report of the Medicare Boards of Trustees projects that the Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund, which subsidizes Part A services, essentially will be…
Healthcare 2030: Leveraging good leadership to work toward financial sustainability
HFMA Senior Editor Paul Barr discusses Volume 2 of the Healthcare 2030 series. Katie Sklarsky from Chartis talks about financial sustainability, and Danielle Solomon from FORVIS talks about the importance of good leadership in times of change.
Financial and operational pressures continue for hospitals amid some positive signs
New financial data for the hospital industry illustrate continuing challenges even as some trends improve. Fitch Ratings released an analysis in early March that offers scant reason for optimism. Titled “Early NFP Hospital Medians Show Expected Deterioration; Will Worsen,” it draws on data from hospitals with earlier 2022 financial year-ends. Those numbers show “materially weaker…
Various data highlight the ongoing labor challenges facing hospitals and other healthcare providers
The healthcare labor picture may be stabilizing in some respects, but hospitals and other providers continue to feel the squeeze. The industry added 58,200 jobs in January, including 10,900 at hospitals and health systems, according to preliminary seasonally adjusted data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That jump follows an average monthly increase of…
Clinical audits and denials impact 3% or more of NPR being held in reserve
This pulse survey shows how healthcare organizations are currently tracking health system’s audits and denials from government and commercial payers.
Clinical Audits and Denials Research Report
HFMA, with sponsorship by MRO, surveyed 317 healthcare revenue cycle, finance and accounting executives to understand how organizations are handling claim audits, risk exposure, claim tracking, and reserves.
Healthcare organizations need a better way to measure ROI of health equity investments
Healthcare organizations’ investments in health equity can deliver a meaningful ROI, but identifying the financial benefits of such investments requires an expanded framework for analysis beyond criteria used in a standard ROI analysis.
How healthcare organizations can take the lead in the nation’s quest to improve health equity
Improving health equity in the United States is a challenge that is beyond the ability of the healthcare to meet on its own. But many of the ways our healthcare system currently operates exacerbate health inequity — and that is a problem we can cure.
Physicians and finance: Managing the differences is critical to building clinical value
To work together effectively, finance and clinical leaders must not only understand but also value and acknowledge the benefits to be gained from their different perspectives on what constitutes success.