Healthcare Finance

There’s a lot of bad information out there on nonprofit hospital finances. Part of the problem is run-of-the-mill scapegoating — stakeholders with an agenda using our business complexity to muddy the water. Part of the problem is classic misuse of information — good people with good intentions making the wrong assumptions. And part of the…

Hospital advocacy groups hope the Supreme Court will review a lower-court ruling that has adverse implications for Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments. Six groups on Feb. 2 submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court regarding an appeals court’s 2023 decision backing HHS’s interpretation of the DSH payment formula. The department long has said…

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…

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…

There is a strange and underappreciated truth at the top of the American political system: Our president is remarkably powerless. Except in the realms of foreign policy, executive agency action and judicial branch appointments, the president’s policy agenda is rarely guided by intention. Rather, it is defined by limitation. Savvy presidents learn quickly that their…

HFMA's Rick Gundling and Stephanie Mercado from the National Association for Healthcare Quality discuss how all entities within a healthcare organization can work for better quality.

Evidence amassed from over two years of experience with compliance reinforces why providers need to focus on chargemaster prices and self-pay discount policies — and how they can benefit from analyzing trends in consumers’ price searches.

Amid today’s difficult operating environment, some organizations face the prospect of breaching covenants in their master trust indenture (MTI) or bank loan documents, particularly covenant requirements for debt service coverage or days cash on hand. In the event of a breach, management is typically required to hire an independent consultant to identify areas for financial…

The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) is offering a new international educational opportunity with a one-day healthcare finance event, at the Global Health Exhibition in Riyadh on Oct. 31. Selat, a Riyadh-based revenue cycle management consulting firm and its training arm Nawa, is the exclusive sponsor of the event and will also provide instruction during…

HFMA offers eight certifications for members to validate their expertise and demonstrate their commitment to the profession. The HFMA certifications are as follows: Certified Healthcare Financial Professional (CHFP), Certified Revenue Cycle Representative (CRCR), Certified Revenue Cycle Representative (CRCR) – GCC, Certified Specialist Accounting & Finance (CSAF), Certified Specialist Business Intelligence (CSBI), Certified Specialist Physician Practice…