Laura Ramos Hegwer
About the Author
Laura Ramos Hegwer
Latest Work
Leading Hospitals Turn to Advanced Strategies for Pharmacy Savings
Organizations like Froedtert Health and Intermountain Healthcare are working on both internal and collaborative strategies to reduce pharmacy costs and improve clinical care.
Hospitals, Health Plans Should Treat Information as a Prime Asset
Healthcare leaders should optimize information via a systematic framework of policies and procedures that are continually reinforced and updated so they become part of the culture.
CHRISTUS Health Revamps Denials Management
The health system boosted productivity by 25 percent by focusing staff time on the accounts with the greatest potential return.
Hospital COPD Bundle Curbs Costly Readmissions
University of Cincinnati Medical Center used improvement science to develop and implement a ‘COPD care bundle’ for COPD patients who are often readmitted due to care-delivery failures.
How Cleveland Clinic Saved Millions Through Smarter Energy Use
The Office for a Healthy Environment at Cleveland Clinic has launched several initiatives to manage its heating, ventilation, and air conditioning costs, which can drain the energy budget. For example, using setbacks to lower the thermostat just two degrees saves $600,000 a year.
Appealing Medicare Denials in an Age of Reform
New reforms are giving providers more options for appealing Medicare claims denials, yet early preparation of appeals is essential.
Henry Ford Health System Cuts Food Service Net Cost Per Patient Day
The health system achieved a 1-3 percent cost reduction by moving to self-operated services and streamlining vendors, while adding room service and healthier food options.
UI Health Cuts ED Homeless Patient Costs by 45 Percent
The Illinois public hospital pays $1,000 per patient per month to an outside agency to house 27 homeless patients in furnished, one-bedroom apartments. This investment is significantly less than the nearly $3,000 per patient per day that UI Health and managed care organizations were spending on some chronically homeless patients.
Key CFO Considerations for Implementing Provider-Sponsored Health Plans
CFOs should consider patient volume, potential partners, and costs—which can be $15 million to $25 million to cover startup expenses—when entering into a payer-provider joint venture to build a provider-sponsored health plan.
48 Hours to Find a Healthcare Fix
Mount Sinai hosts an annual healthcare hackathon to facilitate forward-thinking solutions by bringing together clinical science and finance expertise with technology specialists.