People: Atlantic General and BSMH announce CFO transitions
Atlantic General Hospital and Health System in Berlin, Md., has hired James Kanuch, CHFP, MBA, as vice president of finance and CFO. Kanuch, a member of HFMA’s Maryland Chapter, brings 30 years of financial and operational experience to the new role. Most recently, he served as senior vice president of finance at Allegheny Health Network…
HFMA members step into new leadership roles in healthcare finance
Several HFMA members have kicked off 2024 by taking on new healthcare finance leadership roles. Here’s an overview of some of the hirings announced during the first quarter of the year. John Ceelen is the new CFO at Bellin and Gundersen The recently merged Bellin and Gundersen Health System in Green Bay, Wis., has tapped…
Dennis Dahlen: Of Blackcats and the dark web: The value of HFMA in times of crisis
The repercussions from the large-scale cyberattack perpetrated by ALPHV Blackcat on Change Healthcare — a company that touches one out of three patient records — likely will be felt for months, the American Hospital Association (AHA) suggests. That’s why it was so important that HFMA take a lead role in getting answers for members and…
The federal policy response to the Change Healthcare cyberattack
Note: This information is excerpted from HFMA’s running coverage of the cyberattack that disabled operations at Change Healthcare. On March 10, HHS and the Department of Labor sent a letter encouraging commercial payers to do their part to help financially strained providers nearly three weeks after the cyberattack on Change Healthcare. “Larger payers in particular…
Remembering HFMA trailblazer Ronald Kovener
HFMA joins friends and family in remembering Ronald Kovener who died at the age of 92 on July 26, 2023, in Indianapolis. An accountant, he had been a member of HFMA since 1961 and served as National President from 1972 to 1973. Kovener reminisced about his HFMA experience in 2021 when the Association celebrated its…
Dennis Dahlen: It’s time to deepen trust in the patient financial experience
“Healthcare is a journey. It’s not a single episode of care. Especially in cardiology, where the relationships we develop with patients are lifelong, we want to make sure they trust not just their doctor, but the entire organization.” So believes one of the standout speakers from HFMA’s 2024 Revenue Cycle Conference in San Diego: Larami…
Healthcare Finance Trends for 2024
Download this eBook to see details of the 10 financial trends that will shape 2024 for hospitals and health systems across the country.
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…
Dennis Dahlen: New year, not-so-new struggles call for revamped approach
In January, 8,000 investors, innovators and market participants gathered in San Francisco for the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. This gathering has become a required event for healthcare leaders to take stock of the industry. You could feel the pulse of the conference accelerate during key moments, like when comments from an FDA regulator led to…
Downgrades topple upgrades: 5 key takeaways from rating activity in 2023
As expected, 2023 saw a material increase in downgrades over 2022 while the number of upgrades declined from the prior year. Volume showed favorable growth for many hospitals during 2023, although some indicators remained below prepandemic levels. Other hospitals reported a payer mix shift toward more Medicare as the U.S. population continued to age and…