Patient Financial Communications

Court decision means cost sharing could be reinstated for some preventive healthcare services

Comprehensive coverage of some preventive care services could be jeopardized by a recent court ruling. Since its passage, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) had required health plans to cover the full cost of services that received an “A” or “B” rating from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). A federal judge in Texas ended…

Nick Hut April 2, 2023

New guidance for No Surprises Act arbitration looks like an improvement for providers

Responding to a recent court ruling, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has updated the application of criteria for deciding No Surprises Act (NSA) independent dispute resolution (IDR) cases. Certified IDR entities (i.e., arbitrators) received guidance March 17 instructing them to more directly consider multiple factors when deciding on an out-of-network payment…

Nick Hut March 20, 2023

Here comes the Medicaid unwinding: The healthcare industry braces for coverage disruptions

A potentially tumultuous period for revenue cycle teams in particular and the U.S. healthcare system in general begins April 1, with the phasing out of a three-year run of Medicaid continuous enrollment. The so-called Medicaid “unwinding” originally was connected to end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), which is scheduled for May 11. But…

Nick Hut March 15, 2023

The media blame game regarding patient financial conversations

Brad Dennison, HFMA chief content executive, discusses the March hfm cover story about patient-friendly payment and what some media organizations get wrong.

Erika Grotto March 13, 2023

Monument Health revamps its revenue cycle leadership structure for the benefit of patients and the organization

Looking to break through the cultural silos that can hamper operations at hospitals and health systems, Monument Health has engineered a new brand of clinical-finance collaboration. Headquartered in Rapid City, South Dakota, the community-based health system established a dyad leadership structure in which a clinical leader has joint oversight of the revenue cycle. It’s a…

Nick Hut February 28, 2023

New ways of working spur updated training, automation

Learn how changes implemented during the pandemic are transforming multiple healthcare finance executives' workplaces and driving them to rethink how work gets done.

HFMA February 27, 2023

Hospital price transparency update: Regulatory enforcement soon could become stricter, CMS leaders say

Although nothing is official, CMS leaders indicate enforcement of hospital price transparency regulations is set to become more stringent. For an article published in Health Affairs, the Center for Medicare’s Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD, director, and Douglas Jacobs, MD, chief transformation officer, touted progress that has been made since the rules took effect Jan. 1,…

Nick Hut February 24, 2023

How to meet your patients’ communication preferences and improve your bottom line

In this HFMA executive roundtable, seven health system leaders share their efforts to effectively engage patients and the lessons they have learned along the way.

HFMA January 30, 2023

Professional Credit eases the collections process for both staff and healthcare consumers

Debt collections are often the last communication touch point a patient has, and health systems should ensure their business partner is representing the organization in the best possible manner. See how one company eases the collections process for staff and consumers.

HFMA January 30, 2023

Hospitals have options for effectively managing complicated reimbursements

How can health systems and patients both win when it comes to payment? Read this article to learn how hospitals can maximize collections and get paid for provided services on top of how patients can identify source of payment that is not out of pocket.

HFMA January 26, 2023
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