Aaron Crane: HFMA launches DEI task force
Season’s greetings to everyone! As we prepare to close out 2022 and ring in a new year, I am excited to let you know about the HFMA Board of Directors’ recent decision to launch a task force on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). But first, a bit of background. Earlier this year, Deloitte published an…
Reimbursement changes for 340B drugs reverberate in Medicare’s 2023 outpatient payment final rule
The Medicare payment rate for hospital outpatient services will increase significantly in 2023, but the net gain for the sector will be less than is apparent at first glance. Payment rates for hospital outpatient care and ambulatory surgical centers technically will increase by 3.8% over 2022 for facilities that meet quality-reporting requirements, CMS said in…
3 primary areas of focus for effective financial planning
The year 2022 has been one of the most challenging in recent history for hospital and health system operating performance. The year-to-date median operating margin remained in negative territory at -0.3% as of the end of August, according to Kaufman Hall research. Given the challenges, three key areas of financial planning are critically important in…
Bringing ESG principles to healthcare
Hospitals and health systems that don’t prioritize environmental sustainability arguably fail to do right by their communities, but more and more also may face a problem of greater short-term urgency. Namely, their access to capital could be constrained as the investor community looks to apply ESG principles to assessments of risks and opportunities. “I just…
Hospitals work to make the supply chain green
Even with all the challenges facing hospitals and health systems these days, the push to make operations more environmentally sustainable is becoming viewed less as a differentiator and more as an essential strategy. And for those organizations that have mastered energy conservation methods and made progress in greening their facilities and physical infrastructure, the supply…
How healthcare organizations can defend against financial hazards in 2023
What are the most critical strategies to steer healthcare organizations in the direction of financial stability in the following year and beyond? A couple tips include reducing bad debt and accessing external benchmarks for supply pricing.
Paul Keckley: 3 trends to watch for in the 2023 healthcare regulatory agenda
The year 2023 will be a consequential one for healthcare finance professionals. With the near certainty that the COVID-19 public health emergency will come to an official end, three convergent trends will have a heightened impact on the solvency and liquidity of provider organizations. 1. Implementation of federal policies to lower inflation The Federal Reserve’s…
7 tips for successful M&A integrations
When companies go through mergers and acquisitions (M&A), how do leaders manage integrating teams and culture? Read through some tips from a health care transaction principle who assists health systems across the M&A life cycle.
Healthcare CFOs can benefit from also being strong financial analysts
Starting out in healthcare as a financial analyst is a somewhat unusual place to embark on the career path to becoming CFO of large academic medical center (AMC). But that’s the path that Wendy Fielding, MBA, a 30-year member of HFMA, took on her journey to becoming CFO and system vice president of finance at…
Cloudmed, an R1 company, helps health systems get paid for the care they provide
Using one company’s AI platform, health systems will find uncovered funds that can be used to hire essential practitioners, build new facilities and fund outreach programs.