HFMA’s editorial team earns 25 awards

HFMA’s editorial team has earned 25 honors from two media organizations — the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) and the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) — for work spanning its 2024 healthcare industry coverage, special reports, newsletters, podcasts and design. (See the sidebar “4 HFMA editorial pieces earn Neal Award honor,” below.) When added to the 64 editorial honors earned in the previous three years, the team has garnered 89 accolades over a four-year period.

The latest wins include eight national Azbee Awards of Excellence, conferred by ASBPE during a May 27 online ceremony. Earlier in the year, HFMA earned 13 regional Azbee Awards of Excellence, conferred at an Azbee Award event in Chicago.

“We have a group of journalists who deliver targeted products at a world-class level,” said HFMA director of editorial Brad Dennison. “I’m proud of our team and what these honors represent, and I’m especially proud to work for an organization that empowers us to do our best work.” 

National Azbee Awards of Excellence

The National Azbee honors were bestowed for the following HFMA editorial pieces or categories:

Best Body of Work by a Designer (finalist): Brian Goins, designer on “Bridging the Payer-Provider Divide” special report, December 2024-January 2025 hfm, and “3 bipartisan changes likely in 2025,” cover story, October/November 2024 hfm

Best Body of Work by a Freelancer (winner): Jeni Williams, author on two special reports — “Curing Patient Confusion,” May 24, 2024; and “Bridging the Payer-Provider Divide,” Oct. 24, 2024 — and the following hfm articles:

• “Battle of the bots: As payers use AI to drive denials higher, providers fight back,” April 2024 hfm
• “Incoming HFMA Chair Marc Scher encourages healthcare finance professionals to be more innovative and strategic,” June-July 2024 hfm
• “UChicago Medicine grows into role of AI innovator,” August/September 2024 hfm

Best Special Section (Gold): Jeni Williams, author; Paul Barr, senior editor; and Brian Goins, designer, for HFMA’s “Bridging the Payer-Provider Divide” report, December 2024-January 2025 hfm

One judge commented, “Well done piece on a timely and contentious subject. A range of viewpoints and contributions show the many complexities and challenges surrounding the issue.”

Best Online Industry Coverage (Silver): Nick Hut, senior editor, for online articles, and Rich Daly, senior editor, for online stories in HFMA’s newest newsletter, FastFinance

Nick Hut’s articles are:

•  “Closures of Walmart’s health centers reflect the widespread financial constraints in U.S. healthcare” (May 7, 2024) 

• “Ramifications of a proposed rule to halt credit reporting of medical debt,” (Aug. 1, 2024) 

• “An eventful period for healthcare policy looms as Trump and GOP members of Congress prepare to govern,” (Nov. 15, 2024) 

Rich Daly’s articles are: 

• “4 bipartisan healthcare policy changes are likely in 2025” (Sept. 20, 2024) 

• “Medicare Advantage risk payment soars as hospitals left behind” (Nov. 18, 2024) 

• “Supplemental Medicaid payments drive hospitals to seek out enrollees as patients” (Nov. 5, 2024) 

Overall Excellence – Magazine of the Year (Honorable Mention): April, May, June 2024 issues of hfm

Print – Industry News Coverage (Bronze): Nick Hut, senior editor, for articles including “Reimagining charity care,” May 2024 hfm; “Closures of Walmart’s health centers reflect the widespread financial constraints in U.S. healthcare,” June 2024 hfm; “Ramifications of a proposed rule to halt credit reporting of medical debt,” August-September 2024 hfm; and “An eventful period for healthcare policy looms as Trump and GOP members of congress prepare to govern,” December 2024/January 2025 hfm

Opening Page/Spread – Illustration (Silver): Martin Gee, illustrator, and Linda Chandler, designer, for “Battle of the bots – As payers use AI to drive denials higher, providers fight back,” April 2024 hfm

Podcast (Silver): Erika Grotto, podcast producer and host, and Linda Chandler, sound engineer, for HFMA’s Voices in Healthcare Finance podcast, “What the Change Healthcare cyberattack means for the future of the industry,” March 25, 2024

Regional Azbee Awards of Excellence

HFMA’s editorial team earned Regional Azbee Awards in the following categories:

Regular Column (Gold): David Johnson, author, for “GoFundMe helps some pay for healthcare, but it’s an awful solution,” April 2024 hfm; and “Walmart Health’s demise is emblematic of the nation’s primary care conundrum,” August-September 2024 hfm

Special Section (Gold): Jeni Williams, author, and Paul Barr, senior editor, for “Bridging the Payer-Provider Divide” report, Oct. 24, 2024

Podcast (Gold): Erika Grotto, podcast producer and host, and Linda Chandler, sound engineer, for HFMA’s Voices in Healthcare Finance podcast, “What the Change Healthcare cyberattack means for the future of the industry,” March 25, 2024

Regular Column (Silver): Jill Geisler, author, for “8 proactive ways to keep your top performers engaged,” February 2024 hfm; and “How to give feedback to your boss,” June 2024 hfm

Design – Opening Page Spread – Illustration (Silver): Martin Gee, illustrator, and Linda Chandler, designer, for “Battle of the bots – As payers use AI to drive denials higher, providers fight back,” April 2024 hfm

Opening Page/Spread – Photo (Silver): Marshall Clarke, photographer, “Always moving forward – Navigating tough terrain,” June-July 2024 hfm

Print – Industry News Coverage (Silver): Nick Hut, senior editor, hfm (See national award above for details.)

Online Single Topic (Silver): Nick Hut, senior editor, for “Cyberattack on Change Healthcare brings turmoil to healthcare operations nationwide,” Feb. 25, 2024
to July 29, 2024

Online Industry News Coverage (Silver): Nick Hut, senior editor, for online articles, and Rich Daly, senior editor, for stories in HFMA’s newest online newsletter, FastFinance

Print – Feature Article (Bronze): Jeni Williams, author, Martin Gee, illustrator, and Linda Chandler, designer, for “Battle of the bots – As payers use AI to drive denials
higher, providers fight back,” April 2024 hfm

Thought Leadership (Bronze): Susan Dentzer, MS, author, for “It is time to move past denying the perfect storm facing U.S. healthcare,” October-November 2024 hfm

Publication Design (Bronze): Brian Goins and Linda Chandler, designers, for October/November 2024 hfm and December 2024-January 2025 hfm

Online Web Feature Series – Special Report (Bronze): “Curing Patient Confusion,” May 24, 2024, and “Bridging the Payer-Provider Divide,” Oct. 24, 2024

4 HFMA editorial pieces earn Neal Award honors

Four of the HFMA editorial team’s entries enjoyed the distinction of being named finalists in the SIIA’s 2025 Jesse H. Neal Awards, which recognize excellence in business-to-business (B2B) journalism. The finalists are as follows.

Best Single Article: Jeni Williams, author, and Linda Chandler, designer, for “Battle of the bots — As payers use AI to drive denials higher, providers fight back,” April 2024 hfm

Best Podcast: Erika Grotto, podcast producer and host, and Linda Chandler, sound engineer, for three episodes of Voices in Healthcare Finance:

• “Saying goodbye to the BMI,” June 17, 2024
• “What does the Change Healthcare cyberattack mean for the future of the industry,” April 1, 2024
• “Improving diversity in clinical trials,” Sept. 10, 2024

Best Podcast: Erika Grotto and Brad Dennison, cohosts, for two episodes of Healthcare Blame Game:

• “Patient Rights Advocate’s distortion of price transparency regulations and data, and the ad campaign that’s catching attention,” Feb. 5, 2024
• “The crumbling wall between journalism & advocacy, and what media and lawmakers don’t understand about hospital finances,” Aug. 19, 2024

Regular Commentary: Susan Dentzer, MS, author, for three commentaries:

• “Why we have reached a tipping point on pharmaceutical spending,” February 2024 hfm
• “Why the Medicare physician fee schedule is sheer madness,” May 2024 hfm
• “It is time to move past denying the perfect storm facing U.S. healthcare,” October/November 2024 hfm