Hospitals reached steadier ground financially as they moved into 2024
Hospitals came into 2024 with some financial momentum, even as expenses continued to rise and pivotal decisions loomed. The year-to-date median hospital operating margin reached 2.3% in December, the high mark for 2023 and the 10th consecutive month in which margins were positive, according to monthly data from Syntellis Performance Solutions, part of Strata Decision…
Cost Effectiveness of Health Report, January 2024
This issue of HFMA’s Cost Effectiveness of Health Report, sponsored by Kaufman, Hall & Associates, LLC, offers perspectives on developments in personalized medicine for patients and insights into how healthcare providers can help to maintain Medicaid coverage in their communities. Healthcare 2030 Let’s get personal: Tailoring care to the patient’s needs presents an opportunity for…
Asking the right questions to help patients age in place
Dan Weinrieb of Jukebox Health discusses why providers should be paying attention to fall risk in patients' homes.
Employer-sponsored healthcare coverage would benefit from better access to data, Congress is told
Employers can stimulate efforts to improve the value of healthcare, but they need help in the form of better access to claims data and prices, according to testimony at a recent congressional hearing. With those tools in hand, employers can more easily forge provider partnerships that lower costs and raise healthcare quality, health benefit administrators…
Cost Effectiveness of Health Report, December 2023
This issue of HFMA’s Cost Effectiveness of Health Report, sponsored by Kaufman Hall, & Associates, LLC, provides insights from industry thought leaders on how hospitals and health systems can build trust among the people they serve. Other articles explore the benefits of improving interoperability and care coordination. Patient experience 10 Keys to restoring trust in healthcare By Nick Hut Key…
How a payer-provider collaboration around quality reporting can reduce costs and improve outcomes
Too often today, relations between provider and payer organizations can become contentious around issues related to payment and quality of care. Yet such conflict does not serve patients well, because it deflects these organizations’ attention from their underlying shared purpose: To work together to deliver well-coordinated, cost-effective healthcare to patients. With this purpose in mind,…
The state of U.S. primary care: How new ways of thinking can spur meaningful improvement
As healthcare stakeholders consider ways to fortify the nation’s primary care system, industry leaders recommend emphasizing several strategies and components — and not waiting to act. “We’re close to midnight in many respects in thinking about how to urgently preserve and expand primary care in America,” Susan Dentzer, president and CEO of America’s Physician Groups…
2024 outlook: Hospitals can expect a steadier year financially, but key questions loom
Although the past year brought more stability for the not-for-profit hospital sector, analysts foresee 2024 as a pivotal period in determining the viability of individual organizations. Fitch Ratings continues to describe the sector’s outlook as “Deteriorating.” In a year-end report, the credit-rating agency said downgrades of hospitals and health systems in 2023 had outpaced upgrades…
Cost Effectiveness of Health Report, November 2023
The issue of HFMA’s Cost Effectiveness of Health Report, sponsored by Kaufman, Hall & Associates, LLC, leads off with the latest entry in HFMA’s Healthcare 2030 series, which focuses on the challenge associated with addressing social determinants of health. Other articles explore the benefits of payer scorecards and the need to prepare for new regulations aimed…
Cost Effectiveness of Health Report, October 2023
This issue of HFMA’s Cost Effectiveness of Health Report, sponsored by Kaufman, Hall & Associates, LLC, previews the November 2023 hfm cover story, which highlights recent data-driven approaches aimed at reducing the adverse impact of social determinants of health. Other features include the latest entry in HFMA’s Healthcare 2030 series and an expert-reviewed case study of a…