M&A update: A quiet quarter for hospital deal-making reflects the ongoing consequences of the pandemic
Merger-and-acquisition activity among hospitals and health systems remained well under pre-pandemic levels in Q1 2022.
Steve LeFar talks about the implications of care deferrals due to COVID-19
The economic and social impacts from deferred healthcare due to COVID-19 were already a major concern in the pandemic’s first year, portending severe declines in health status for Americans who stopped seeking care for fear of exposure to the coronavirus. In this Q&A, Strata Decision Technology’s Steve Lefar shares insights based on extensive data that tell the story of deferred care across the nation, and the likelihood that providers will see a rising tide of severely ill patients.
IPPS FY23 proposed rule: Medicare proposes changes to methodology for determining graduate medical education payments to teaching hospitals
The biggest change is an effort to comply with a court ruling on weighted FTE slots, while another change affects sharable slots for certain rural hospitals.
Gail Wilensky: Labor issues dominate hospitals’ concerns
The first quarter of 2022 saw a confluence of trends emerging from the pandemic, some good and some bad for hospitals, making it important for hospitals to take time now to review where they are and what actions they should take to address these trends.
How an internal travel pool for nurses is helping one health system address the staffing challenges that will linger after the pandemic
Novant Health has been ahead of the curve as health systems set up internal travel pools in the hope of attaining a greater level of nurse staffing certainty.
Cost Effectiveness of Health Report, March 2022
The March 2022 edition of HFMA’s Cost Effectiveness of Health Report addresses a key prerequisite to achieving cost-effectiveness: engaged caregivers. A preview of the April 2022 hfm cover story details how one health system has responded to its nurses’ need for increased scheduling flexibility, and a commentary explores steps for enabling physicians to play a leadership role in promoting CEoH. Also included is a Q&A exploring activities on the world stage aimed at achieving the United Nation’s sustainable development goals for healthcare and health equity – and how U.S. organizations can play a role.
Healthcare News of Note: Staffing shortages in hospitals and healthcare settings are ‘actively jeopardizing’ patient safety, says ECRI
Healthcare News of Note for healthcare finance professionals is a roundup of recent news articles: Staffing shortages top the list of patient safety concerns, nearly a third of surveyed nurses said they may leave their direct patient care jobs, and MA plans collected $12 billion more in 2020 than traditional Medicare.
How to future-proof your travel nurse and clinician staffing
Nursing and clinician staff have long faced pressures, exacerbated by the pandemic, that have caused many of them to experience burnout and some to leave the profession. Recognizing such concerns among its staff, including a desire for greater flexibility in scheduling and types of assignments, Trinity Health in Livonia, Michigan, developed an innovative in-house travel staffing approach that would address the concerns and promote increased nursing staff engagement with its health system, without which it could not deliver the highest possible quality of care.
MedPAC says 2023 hospital payments shouldn’t increase in response to COVID-19
CMS shouldn’t increase Medicare payments to hospitals for the upcoming year beyond the annual update that is based on current law, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.
Latest hospital financial and jobs data reflect an environment that remains challenging
January financial data for hospitals show the continuing toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, while February labor numbers suggest an operational recovery that could further increase expenses.