Q & A
Ian Morrison: CFOs Are Crucial to Hospitals' Survival
Hospital financial executives will be even more important in the next decade than they have been in the last, says Ian Morrison, author, consultant, and futurist
Ian Morrison
Cover Feature
Cost Reduction: Identifying the Opportunites
A detailed charge code analysis can be a powerful tool for identifying specific areas for cost reduction, which can lead to large and sustainable improvements.
William O. Cleverley, James O. Cleverley
Features
The Fixed-Cost Dilemma: What Counts When Counting Cost Reduction Efforts?
Due to high fixed costs, hospitals can capture few variable costs using incremental cost reduction strategies. Instead, they should consider reducing capacity and optimizing use of remaining capacity.
Stephen S. Rauh, Eric Wadsworth, William B. Weeks
The People Structure of Quality Improvement
Team structure is in many ways critical to the success of a healthcare organization's quality improvement efforts, as this case study of one health system's approach shows.
John Byrnes, Joe Fifer
Innovative Approaches to Cost Containment
Three hospitals share their unique—and effective—approaches to cost containment, including how to achieve reductions in labor costs, supply costs, and orientation costs.
Jeni Williams
Talent Management in a Time of Cost Management
Leadership skills can help hospitals survive—and thrive—in a difficult economy.
Garrett Ogden
How Do Your Case Managers Rate on Financial Performance?
There are eight questions a hospital should ask when analyzing the financial performance of its case management department.
Patricia Hines, Michael Randall
Physicians at the CFO's Door: What's Your Ressponse to Requests for New Technology
A materials use evaluation committee can assist a CFO in keeping informed of issues and controversies surrounding technologies requested by physicians, and in deciding whether to approve the requests.
Girard F. Senn
Web Extra: View an example of a scorecard designed for the use by CEOs,CFOs,chief medical officers and other executive and surgical leaders of a healthcare organization.
Building a World-Class A/P Function: How UPMC Went Paperless
After automating its accounts payable and making process improvements, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center now receives all invoices electronically.
Michael DeLuca, Corey Smth
Focus Areas
REVENUE CYCLE
Does Your Organization Have a Central Processing Office?
A central processing office improves revenue cycle performance of hospital-owned physician practices by giving accountability for results, at each step, to the person with best access to patients.
Brian K. Morton, Marc D. Halley
MEDICARE/MEDICAID
Preparing for a RAC Audit: Yale-New Haven Hospital
To prepare for a RAC audit, Yale-New Haven Hospital has developed a RAC readiness team and implemented a software solution with tools to manage cases.
Kathleen Tynan McKiernan
Web Preview: Coming in the April issue of hfm
A Form 990 Schedule H Conundrum: How Much of Your Bad Debt Can be Charity
Columns
From the Chair