Hospitals urged to strengthen cybersecurity amid rising Iran-linked threats
March 16 update During the week of March 9, the Michigan-based medical equipment manufacturer Stryker reported being hit by a cyberattack. Per various news reports, the attack was perpetrated by a hacking group linked to Iran. The company says operations ranging from manufacturing to processing and shipping are being impacted, but products in the field…
Medicare claims processing modernization gains urgency at CMS
In 2025, the newly created U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was associated with the large-scale culling of staff and a proposed restructuring at HHS, along with substantial reductions in personnel at many other departments. These days, in addition to releasing a massive file of provider-level Medicaid billing data, DOGE is placing its healthcare focus…
HFMA CEO Jordan, healthcare leaders point to urgency of affordability challenges during ViVE conference
There’s an urgency to address healthcare affordability, panelists at a ViVE conference presentation Tuesday, Feb. 24, agreed — and the need for action is driving bold, collaborative ventures among leaders in healthcare, health tech and private equity. “I think the clock’s really ticking for real now,” said Marcus Whitney, founding partner of Jumpstart Health Investors. “I don’t think anyone cares to protect incumbents anymore, so…
Gen AI is coming for medical bills: 3 ways to prepare
Patients are behind one of the latest applications of AI to the healthcare revenue cycle, and they are using it to review their bills. Stories of consumers using ChatGPT or other generative AI tools to trim thousands from their medical bills by questioning charges are appearing in the news and social media. YahooFinance wrote about…
How to optimize the revenue cycle workforce in 2026
In 2026, revenue cycle performance is inseparable from workforce design. Health systems are navigating sustained margin pressure, rising patient cost responsibility and escalating payer complexity — all while competing for limited domestic talent. Recent Kaufman Hall National Hospital Flash Reports continue to show margin volatility across U.S. hospitals, with labor costs and payer-related delays remaining…
Coding-aware ambient AI gains traction for revenue integrity and compliance
The use of ambient AI offers strong potential for transforming healthcare by automating tasks to reduce documentation time and burnout from time spent on after-hours documentation, according to research by the American Medical Association.[1] A KLAS report indicates that while only a minority of organizations have reached deep adoption (defined as greater than or equal…
Building the right cybersecurity defense takes vigilance and robust governance
In the last two years, more than 800 incidents of unsecured data breaches were reported. Dive into this roundtable as leaders discuss the future of cybersecurity in the healthcare space and how it is evolving.
From back office to balance sheet: Why revenue cycle is becoming strategic AI infrastructure
Healthcare finance leaders are confronting a new reality: Revenue cycle performance now directly influences organizational stability, capital planning and access to care. Rising denial rates, expanding prior authorization requirements and persistent staffing constraints have transformed revenue operations from a transactional function into a strategic enterprise capability. Recent reporting from Kaufman Hall shows denials and revenue…
Why AI is such a promising tool for eliminating a hospital’s revenue leakage
Hospitals today continue to experience revenue leakage, defined as the unintentional loss of income due to inefficiencies, missed billing opportunities and underpayments. Despite their significant investment in electronic health records (EHRs) and billing systems, they continue to lose about 3% to 5% of net revenue annually, amounting to tens of billions of dollars across the…
Operational resilience is the revenue cycle management imperative of the OBBBA era
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) has altered Medicaid eligibility in ways hospitals can no longer treat as a background policy issue. Reverification of Medicaid coverage now happens so frequently that patients lose coverage for administrative reasons that have nothing to do with whether they actually qualify. Much of the industry dialogue has centered…