Quality Improvement

Research seeks to pinpoint health system characteristics associated with the tendency to ‘overuse’ healthcare

Higher bed counts, fewer primary care physicians and investor ownership are among the characteristics of health systems that tend to overuse healthcare, according to a new study.

Nick Hut January 20, 2022

Medicaid expansion doesn’t appear to bolster finances or operations at critical access hospitals, study finds

Changes in operating margin, staffing ratios and quality metrics didn’t hinge on whether a critical access hospital was in a state that had expanded Medicaid.

Nick Hut December 9, 2021

Payment approaches to addressing health equity are seen in a new Medicare rule for kidney care

Updates to a Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation care model for end-stage renal disease include an equity-related bonus payment and associated changes to benchmarking.

Nick Hut October 31, 2021

The impact of COVID-19 further shows the need to modify federal pay-for-performance models, hospital advocate says

Quality measures derived during the COVID-19 pandemic are not an accurate gauge of hospital performance in federal programs such as Value-Based Purchasing.

Nick Hut October 29, 2021

Addressing U.S. healthcare system challenges requires a focus on improving health, not just care

If we are to effectively address the huge cost challenges facing the U.S. health system, we must begin to better address the cost effectiveness of health, says Todd Nelson, HFMA’s director of professional practice and partner relationships. And it has to be through a collaborative process involving all stakeholders, he says, including not just hospitals and health systems, physicians and health plans but also patients and their communities, as well as society overall.

Eric C. Reese, PhD October 22, 2021

Study shows reduction in hospital readmissions, costs for medically complex patients seen in an outpatient critical care transition clinic

In a recent study, a large group of patients with medically complex chronic conditions were referred to and seen at an Indianapolis-based outpatient critical care transition clinic saw fewer posthospital inpatient admissions and realized decreased costs of care when compared with those who were referred but did not attend the clinic. HFMA’s Shawn Stack provided insight into the importance of the study.

Deborah Filipek October 22, 2021

Healthcare News of Note: Many new cancers in the U.S. may be going undiagnosed, a study by Quest Diagnostics shows

Healthcare News of Note for healthcare finance professionals is a roundup of recent news articles: Many new cancers may be going undiagnosed, research and media exposure leads to a reduction in hospitals suing patients for unpaid medical bills, and positive interactions with leadership boost healthcare worker well-being.

Deborah Filipek September 10, 2021

Report by Medicare trustees describes a daunting payment picture for healthcare providers

The Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is on course to run out of money by 2026, and that assessment wasn’t the only concerning part for hospitals in a new government report.

Nick Hut September 8, 2021

Single-use endoscopes offer a safe way for healthcare providers to catch up on backlog of nonemergent care procedures

One company focuses on growing endoscopy departments of healthcare organizations with single-use devices. Learn about the benefits of single-use endoscopes and how to take advantage of these products.

HFMA August 26, 2021

News of Note: U.S. healthcare ranks last in comparison with 10 other high-income countries in a report by The Commonwealth Fund

Healthcare News of Note for healthcare finance professionals is a roundup of recent news articles: Study says U.S. healthcare ranks last, LGBT+ community faces disparities, and 18 groups demand better healthcare.

Deborah Filipek August 13, 2021
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