Dennis E. Dahlen, FHFMA, MBA, CPA
About the Author
Dennis E. Dahlen, FHFMA, MBA, CPA
Latest Work
Dennis Dahlen: It’s time to reflect
From Nashville to Arizona, Pennsylvania to Puerto Rico, the past year gave me a unique opportunity to see HFMA in action at the chapter level and to partner with HFMA’s National team to position the Association for even greater things ahead. I’ve been blessed to share my year as National Chair with HFMA President and…
Dennis Dahlen: Of Blackcats and the dark web: The value of HFMA in times of crisis
The repercussions from the large-scale cyberattack perpetrated by ALPHV Blackcat on Change Healthcare — a company that touches one out of three patient records — likely will be felt for months, the American Hospital Association (AHA) suggests. That’s why it was so important that HFMA take a lead role in getting answers for members and…
Dennis Dahlen: It’s time to deepen trust in the patient financial experience
“Healthcare is a journey. It’s not a single episode of care. Especially in cardiology, where the relationships we develop with patients are lifelong, we want to make sure they trust not just their doctor, but the entire organization.” So believes one of the standout speakers from HFMA’s 2024 Revenue Cycle Conference in San Diego: Larami…
Dennis Dahlen: New year, not-so-new struggles call for revamped approach
In January, 8,000 investors, innovators and market participants gathered in San Francisco for the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. This gathering has become a required event for healthcare leaders to take stock of the industry. You could feel the pulse of the conference accelerate during key moments, like when comments from an FDA regulator led to…
Dennis Dahlen: It’s time to look at what’s working — and what isn’t — in reducing care costs
There’s a surprising phenomenon taking place in Medicare spending — and it points to the need to look deeper when it comes to healthcare cost containment. For years, Medicare was viewed as the nation’s “budget buster,” with spending spiraling so quickly that some budget experts predicted no amount of tax money could sustain it. And…
Dennis Dahlen: Are states losing patience with the pace of healthcare value transformation?
The pace of state-based regulation and oversight of healthcare providers is accelerating — and it could be an indication that patience is growing thin with federal, payer and provider efforts to improve healthcare value. Across the nation, we’re seeing a growing number of states adopt healthcare affordability boards. It’s a trend that started to pick…
Dennis Dahlen: It’s time to stop dragging our feet on generative AI
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is a tool that a recent study found is “nearly as good as recent med school graduates” at making clinical decisions, and it’s having a breakout year across industries, a McKinsey analysis shows.1 Yet few healthcare leaders have a strategy for solutions like ChatGPT — and it’s past time to develop…
Dennis Dahlen: It’s time to be biased toward action
We’re in an extraordinary period of discovery and innovation in healthcare, from a breakthrough treatment that delays the onset of Type 1 diabetes to the potential to use advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to help patients manage their health. But embracing the promise of innovation within our organizations depends on our ability to lead teams to…
HFMA, it’s time for action!
We’ve all been in situations where the time was right, where conditions were optimal or good enough to suggest the best opportunity for action. Growing up on a dairy farm, I learned early that nature exerted a stronger hand on our schedules and work than anything humans could muster. Weather was, of course, a constant…