February 2020

Cover Story
The healthcare value imperative: All eyes on North Carolina’s move to value-based payment
Hospitals and health systems nationwide can benefit from the insights of North Carolina health system executive whose organizations are leading the way in the state’s transition to value-based payment.
Features
HFMA CEO Joe Fifer’s call to action: It’s time for consumerism in healthcare
The healthcare finance veteran says "everyone has contributed to the current state of affairs and everyone has a role in improving it."
Artificial intelligence: 5 realities for financial leaders
The first step in a healthcare organization’s artificial intelligence strategy should be education.
The role of intelligent automation in reducing waste and improving efficiency in the revenue cycle
A portion of the wasteful spending in healthcare can be curbed by automating repetitive tasks.
How using artificial intelligence enabled Flagler Hospital to reduce clinical variation
Flagler Hospital used an artificial intelligence application to support physician-led efforts to develop and adopt care pathways aimed at improving care quality and outcomes while reducing cost.
"Medicare for All" isn’t equitable for all hospitals
A payment model in which 100% of payments are based on Medicare rates should take into account the inherent disadvantages of such an approach for the large hospitals, including academic medical centers, that provide most Medicare outlier cases.
How to successfully manage multiple generations in the workplace
With four generations working side by side, leaders at all levels of a healthcare organization should be aware of ways to promote cohesiveness and effective collaboration.
HFMA conference in New Orleans focuses on achieving a consumer-centric revenue cycle
HFMA conference in New Orleans focuses on achieving a consumer-focused revenue cycle.
Columns
When movement isn’t movement: A wake-up call for healthcare finance professionals
The results of healthcare finance executives' efforts to drive change will be of little value if they don't also help improve quality, patient experience or cost of care.
Elizabeth Warren’s Medicare-for-All plan: The devil in the details
Any objective analysis of Elizabeth Warren’s proposal for Medicare for All should consider its enormous societal and federal costs, and its likely impacts on the health insurance industry and hospitals.
How to mesh employee personality types to foster a successful workplace
Leaders should be aware of different personality types and best practices for managing each.
Departments
Region 9 Annual Conference highlights customer experience
Region 9 Annual Conference attendees took away key messages on transparency, never giving up and customer experience within the healthcare finance space.
Spectrum Health uses certification competition to foster engagement with HFMA
Spectrum Health sponsored a competition among its revenue cycle leaders, with the goal of encouraging their staff members to become HFMA Enterprise members and obtain HFMA certifications.
Find the latest numbers shaping healthcare finance
Learn the key numbers that shaped healthcare finance policy and practice in recent weeks.
Former North Dakota Chapter leader Engeseth joins HFMA Chapters team
HFMA hired Brianna Engeseth as its new Chapter relations programs administrator. Plus, other members announce new healthcare finance roles.
Supplements
Analytics help create an integrated health system
For health systems that have gone through a period of growth, strong strategic financial planning, enhanced service line analytics, appropriate benchmarking, standardized costing practices, and rolling forecasting can help realize the efficiencies of scale that growth provides.
Transforming healthcare through better resource management
A transformative software company discusses how its enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution helps healthcare organizations become more agile, sustainable and consumer-oriented by integrating and strengthening financial, human resource and supply chain functions.