January 2018

Hospitals and health systems plan a range of care delivery innovations in 2018 to help them reach more of the quality improvement goals of various payment models.

The healthcare industry’s transition to value-based payment will likely continue, driven by physician interest in advanced alternative payment models.

Organizations writing off more and more patient debt may want to explore new avenues for collaboration.

Healthcare organizations implementing changes, whether driven by outside or inside influences, must consider how such change will impact employees and organizational culture.

Rapid technological advancements have savvy health plans and provider organizations considering how to succeed in a value-based system.

Hospitals and health systems are challenged to respond strategically to disruptive new competitors and technologies that are entering their markets and threaten to dramatically transform the industry.

A hospital catering to a largely underserved population is working to keep itself financially viable by working up a long-range strategic plan.

With growing numbers of self-pay patients face difficulties in meeting their payment obligations, healthcare providers can assist them by providing responsive payment support, including offers of tailored payment plans 

Healthcare finance leaders should think deeply about what they can do to meaningfully contribute to advancing meaningful improvements, including transformed leadership structures, within the nation’s healthcare system.

HFMA President and CEO Joe Fifer discusses recent healthcare industry merger news in the context of consumerism and collaboration imperatives.

The nation’s hospitals face a potential threat of being excluded from the healthcare delivery system based on recent merger and acquisition activity in the industry.

Although electronic health record system conversions are complex, mapping a timeline for optimization can help health systems meet their short- and long-term goals for the new system. 

Republican efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act have been temporarily put on hold while the party focuses on tax reform.

Healthcare providers can expect an impact in 2018 from changes made by the Trump administration in 2017 that could lead to a decline in the number of Americans with health insurance and an increase in health plans with fewer benefits.

A study ranked worksheets providers use in filing Medicare cost reports by the frequency with which they needed to be updated, highlighting some areas requiring special attention from individuals charged with completing the cost reports.

By partnering with all stakeholders, exploring and advancing new technologies, and fostering collaboration, Change Healthcare helps providers and payers navigate the transforming healthcare marketplace—aiming to enable a new paradigm in which health care is more efficient, effective, and patient-centric.