News Briefs: A small increase to hospital outpatient payments could be negated in 2027
Hospital outpatient departments and ambulatory surgical centers would receive a 2.4% base increase to Medicare payments in 2027, according to a CMS proposed rule published July 7. A 3.2% increase to the market basket would be reduced by 0.8% due to the mandatory economywide productivity adjustment. The numbers could change moderately when the final rule…
Nathan Kaufman: A tragedy of epic proportions looms for healthcare
Garrett Hardin popularized the idea of a tragedy of the commons in a 1968 Science essay carrying that title.a It describes a situation in which individuals with unlimited access to a public resource act in their own self-interest and ultimately deplete it. Hardin used grazing on a public pasture to make his point. Imagine a…
David Johnson: How synthetic scaling can help healthcare nonprofits achieve national scale
Two massive segments of the healthcare ecosystem operations — nonprofit health systems and nonprofit health insurance companies — have struggled to achieve operations at the national level. These organizations consistently find it difficult and time-consuming to merge, and as a consequence, neither has achieved national scale. This situation compromises nonprofits’ capacity to generate operating economies and create value for their customers.…
The hospital of the future, with Jeni Williams
Erika Grotto talks with HFMA senior editor Jeni Williams about her new special report, Hospital of the Future. Nick Hut talks with Kathy Stull, HFMA’s senior manager of revenue cycle analytics about prior authorization. More: CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule CMS-0057-F | CMS 2026 CMS Interoperability Standards and Prior Authorization for Drugs Proposed…
James Mathews: U.S. nursing homes face stormy waters amid staffing challenges and an aging population
Readers of a certain age may recall Sebastian Junger’s book A Perfect Storm, which describes the last voyage of the Andrea Gail, a Massachusetts swordfishing boat. In October 1991, the boat encountered a violent storm in the North Atlantic Ocean and was lost with all hands. The storm was borne of three converging meteorological conditions: the remains of Hurricane Grace,…
News Briefs: ACA subsidies in limbo after government funding deal
After Congress ended the longest federal government shutdown on record at 43 days, the future of enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) remained unresolved. The shutdown officially ended Nov. 12, three days after eight members of the Senate Democratic caucus joined Republicans to help pass a continuing resolution that maintains spending through Jan.…
Ken Perez: The tariffs-driven trade war and its implications for healthcare
Given President Donald Trump’s use of tariffs and their significant worldwide economic impact, it’s not surprising that the word tariff has been considered a candidate for Word of the Year.a Whether or not you agree with Trump’s tariff policy, the United States has a powerful ability to impose tariffs, rooted in the immensity of the…
The shutdown continues, plus the latest on 340B
HFMA Senior Editor Nick Hut and HFMA Policy Director Shawn Stack discuss the latest in healthcare finance news.
FastFinance: Good faith estimate rules coming
HFMA’s FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Congress is pressing CMS to release long-delayed rules that would implement requirements that providers create good faith estimates for their patients. Also, this week’s Weird Number: As of July, 96.5% of…
The latest on budget talks, rural healthcare funding and a controversial payment policy
HFMA Senior Editor Nick Hut and HFMA Policy Director Shawn Stack discuss the latest in healthcare finance news. Also in this episode, Brad Dennison, HFMA’s Vice President of Content, talks with Rich Daly about the new Fast Finance podcast.