A ‘magic equation’ to unlock OR revenue
This whitepaper offers healthcare leaders a roadmap to identify operating room (OR) inefficiencies and address them using a "magic equation" of artificial intelligence, automation and change management.
Susan Dentzer: Why we have reached a tipping point on pharmaceutical spending
Author Malcolm Gladwell famously wrote in a 2000 book about the phenomenon of “tipping points” — those moments when “critical mass, the threshold, [or] the boiling point” is reached and change occurs “not gradually but at one dramatic moment.”a One historical case in point: the collapse of the former Soviet Union, which, though building for years,…
Healthcare in 2024: hfm columnists recount key issues finance leaders should keep on their radar
As 2024 begins to unfold, a key question challenges healthcare finance leaders: What are likely to be the defining issues for healthcare in the coming year? Finance leaders should consider this question to make sure they are attuned to the potential for industry shifts, both positive and negative. And as they contemplate what’s in store…
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…
HFMA strategy session highlights challenges and opportunities for healthcare finance leaders: payer relations, supply costs, AI and more
The legacy healthcare provider’s position in the industry could grow tenuous if leaders don’t respond boldly and strategically to ongoing trends, according to insights recently presented to HFMA leaders. “We’re at a crossroads right now,” Ashraf Shehata, principal and U.S. national sector leader for healthcare and life sciences with KPMG, said in November during a…
As healthcare defragments, payers grow stronger
Two professional memories from the past two decades come to mind as I look to the horizon and try to see where this industry is headed, as all healthcare investors must do. The first memory is of the constant refrain I heard from healthcare executives in Nashville, Tennessee, as I was learning the ropes of…
David Johnson: Right-sizing physician training? The case for surgical mechanics
American healthcare reputedly confronts a monumental physician shortage. A highly publicized 2021 report by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) forecasts that shortage to be as high as 180,000 physicians by 2034.a That’s out of a total population of roughly one million physicians. A breathless commentary on the AAMC report by the American Medical Association…
Is This the Age of the Payvider?
By now, most health systems are familiar with the term payvider, and many are weighing the pros and cons of initiating their own payvider solution. The critical tipping point to act may well be here today, as health systems feel increased pressure to make greater financial and strategic impact for their organizations even as conditions…
Dennis Dahlen: It’s time to stop dragging our feet on generative AI
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is a tool that a recent study found is “nearly as good as recent med school graduates” at making clinical decisions, and it’s having a breakout year across industries, a McKinsey analysis shows.1 Yet few healthcare leaders have a strategy for solutions like ChatGPT — and it’s past time to develop…
The evolution of telehealth and the potential for sustainability
The surge in use of telehealth services seen during the pandemic has slowed, but telehealth remains a key modality amid policy changes that will help set the course for the future of virtual care. “There’s no alternative,” said Kyle Zebley, senior vice president for public policy with the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) and executive director…