Deborah Filipek

About the Author

Deborah Filipek

Latest Work

Honor Roll: HFMA certifications were awarded to 1,833 members in Q3

HFMA offers eight certifications for members to validate their expertise and demonstrate their commitment to the profession. The HFMA certifications are as follows: Certified Healthcare Financial Professional (CHFP), Certified Revenue Cycle Representative (CRCR), Certified Revenue Cycle Representative (CRCR) – GCC, Certified Specialist Accounting and Finance (CSAF), Certified Specialist Business Intelligence (CSBI), Certified Specialist Physician Practice…

Deborah Filipek October 20, 2023

Healthcare News of Note: Physician burnout patterns are a potential threat to patient safety, study says

Over the past few weeks, I have found these industry news stories that should be of interest to healthcare finance professionals. 1. Physician burnout rate is increasing and needs ‘immediate solutions,’ says new study Authors of two published studies reviewing clinician burnout found increased burnout affecting clinician mental and physical health and posing concerns for…

Deborah Filipek October 20, 2023

Healthcare News of Note: Telehealth visits are more often coded with a lower billing code than in-office visits

Over the past few weeks, I have found these industry news stories that should be of interest to healthcare finance professionals. 1. Telehealth visits are more often coded with a lower billing code than in-office visits “For both primary and specialty care, telehealth visits are more frequently coded with a lower level-of-service billing code than…

Deborah Filipek October 13, 2023

Healthcare News of Note: Providers in these 10 states may struggle the most to collect claims from payers 

Over the past few weeks, I have found these industry news stories that should be of interest to healthcare finance professionals. 1. The top and bottom states for paying provider claims are detailed in new report “A connection exists between where a provider operates and how fast and accurately claims are paid,” according to a…

Deborah Filipek September 22, 2023

Healthcare News of Note: Women without insurance or with public insurance at the time of childbirth are more likely to report mistreatment, says CDC  

Over the past few weeks, I have found these industry news stories that should be of interest to healthcare finance professionals. 1. More women without insurance and with public health insurance report mistreatment during maternity care than those with private insurance Maternity care in the United States was put under the microscope in a new…

Deborah Filipek September 15, 2023

Healthcare News of Note: Unlocking new revenue streams is the healthcare industry’s top priority, while workforce issues are its top risk

Over the past few weeks, I have found these industry news stories that should be of interest to healthcare finance professionals. 1. Introducing new revenue streams is the top priority for the healthcare sector, and talent acquisition/retention is its top risk, survey says More executives in healthcare (44%) selected “introducing new revenue streams” as their…

Deborah Filipek September 8, 2023

Healthcare News of Note: 54% of patients do not care whether they see a corporate or independent primary care provider, but more prefer independent practices, survey says

Over the past few weeks, I have found these industry news stories that should be of interest to healthcare finance professionals. 1. 38% of survey respondents prefer seeing an independent practice provider while 8% prefer corporate providers Although more than half of patients (54%) “have no preference between an independently owned or a corporate medical…

Deborah Filipek September 1, 2023

Healthcare News of Note: Latino, Black and Asian people ‘significantly more likely’ to enroll in Medicare Advantage

Among beneficiaries of color, Medicare Advantage enrollees are demographically and geographically different from those in fee-for-service Medicare. Turnover among hospital CEOs has trended downward since hitting 20% in 2013. Eleven of the 100 U.S. hospitals to earn NRC Health’s Consumer Loyalty Award were also honored with the organization’s Consumer Loyalty “Best in Class” Award for…

Deborah Filipek August 28, 2023

Healthcare News of Note: DOL sues UnitedHealth Group subsidiary for claim denials

The U.S. Department of Labor recently sued UMR Inc., the nation’s largest third-party healthcare claims administrator, for denials involving emergency department services and urinary drug screening. Twenty-two of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals also made the publication’s honor roll, which recognizes hospitals for demonstrating exceptional breadth of excellence across clinical specialties. Substantial resources…

Deborah Filipek August 18, 2023

Healthcare News of Note: 10 drugs account for a large share of Medicare Part D spending

In total, Part D gross spending rose from $166 billion in 2018 to $216 billion in 2021.  In 2023, customer personal identifiable information costs organizations $183 per record and employee PII costs $181 per record.  Average length across all clinical notes increased 8.1%, from 4,628 characters in May 2020 to 5,002 characters in April 2023. …

Deborah Filipek August 11, 2023