Annual Conference Day 1: HFMA’s Ann Jordan announces new tool to quantify the performance of the healthcare industry
HFMA is formally taking the lead in providing the healthcare industry with true measurements of the system’s capacity to meet present and future demand, President and CEO Ann Jordan announced Sunday. While kicking off HFMA’s 2025 Annual Conference in Denver, Jordan described the launch of the U.S. Healthcare Vitals Tracker, which “creates a common starting…
ECMO Reexamined: Cost, Outcomes & the Path to Sustainable Critical Care
This whitepaper summarizes the financial benefits of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) and the patient care it provides, with tips for getting started with an ECMO program, optimizing reimbursements, and partnering with an experienced ECMO provider.
How one health system trimmed clinical spending waste by improving decision support
An effective clinical decision support (CDS) system is paramount in initiatives to curb wasteful spending in clinical settings, says Arun Mathews, MD, regional chief medical officer with MultiCare, a 13-hospital system based in Tacoma, Wash. CDS technology incorporated in MultiCare’s electronic health record has helped save $179.14 per accepted recommendation regarding lab and medication orders,…
GLP-1 drugs present an uncertain opportunity for healthcare and the nation
The wave of weight-loss drugs being prescribed to patients across the country may be behind a new era in obesity treatment. The drugs not only could be an appropriate treatment for millions of Americans but also could disrupt the industry’s existing bariatric surgery efforts and have other far-reaching consequences. The soaring demand for GLP-1 drugs,…
As RFK Jr. prepares to take on HHS, where is he likely to have the greatest impact?
The Senate will vote this week on whether Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will be confirmed as secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Nick Hut discusses what he plans to do in the role and where he’s likely to have the greatest influence on the industry.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. articulates his views on chronic disease, vaccines, Medicaid
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will seek to chart a new course for U.S. healthcare if he becomes HHS secretary, he explained during a Jan. 29 confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. “President Trump has asked me to end the chronic disease epidemic and make America healthy again because I’m in a unique position to…
David Johnson: Consumerism introduces itself to U.S. healthcare
Unlike other consumer people-oriented businesses, healthcare essentially operates independently of its end-users (also called patients, consumers and/or customers). Individuals engage providers to diagnose and treat their ailments, while third parties largely pay for any services rendered. This convoluted relationship among providers, patients and payers creates two fundamental anomalies within healthcare business models that distort the…
The pace of hospital rating downgrades slowed in 2024: Five key takeaways
When combining the rating actions of the three rating agencies (Fitch Ratings, Moody’s Ratings and S&P Global Ratings), the number of downgrades (95) declined in 2024 while the number of upgrades (37) increased, compared with 116 and 33, respectively, in 2023. Rating agency downgrades versus upgrades, 2024 Many of the downgrades reflected ongoing expense pressure…
Medicare Part D drug price negotiations are set to include GLP-1s, but questions abound
GLP-1 medications made the second round of drugs that are subject to price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), according to a CMS announcement during the final days of the Biden administration. However, the future of Medicare’s price negotiation authority is uncertain following the transition of power in Washington, D.C. Congressional Republicans have criticized…
Real-world solutions in primary care
Zeev Neuwirth, MD discusses the challenges in primary care and potential strategies to address them.