Nick Hut
About the Author
Nick Hut is a former newspaper reporter with more than a decade of experience at HFMA. His HFMA Daily reporting is considered a top benefit of membership as members have come to rely on Hut’s daily insights on policy, legal and business developments. He has been at the forefront of major industry news, garnering a following from national media. Nick has earned multiple national awards, including two first-place honors in 2024 from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for excellence in analysis and reporting.
Latest Work
CMS finalizes enhanced hospital price transparency requirements for 2024
Hospital price transparency mandates are set to become more stringent in the coming year as CMS seeks to strengthen regulations that have been on the books since 2021. Medicare’s 2024 final rule for hospital outpatient payments includes updates to the price transparency rules. Hospitals will need to post charge information using a more precise template,…
Medicare’s hospital outpatient payment rate for 2024 improves marginally from the proposed rule
The final rule setting Medicare’s 2024 payment rates and policies for hospital outpatient services and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) contained no major surprises and little to make hospitals optimistic about the government portion of their payer mix. Here are five of the most important payment and coverage takeaways from the rule, which totals 1,672 pages…
Medicare’s final $9 billion remedy plan for 340B providers doesn’t address hospitals’ key concerns
Hospitals received final details on a $9 billion remedy payment plan for participants in the 340B Drug Pricing Program, with advocates expressing disappointment that corresponding reductions to other payments will go through as previously proposed. CMS issued a Nov. 2 final rule describing the terms of the remedy payment, which was necessitated after the Supreme…
With No Surprises Act independent dispute resolution changes pending, provider reps voice systemic concerns
The No Surprises Act’s arbitration process continues to be hampered by parties that don’t always follow the regulations, stakeholders expressed to CMS on Thursday. The agency hosted a forum to describe changes being made to the arbitration process, also known as independent dispute resolution (IDR). A proposed rule issued Oct. 27 introduces various technical changes…
News Briefs: Medicaid DSH payment cut barely averted in September, still possible in November
Hospitals received a last-day reprieve from substantial cuts to Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments, with House leaders reversing course Sept. 30 and ushering through a six-week government funding package. Language in the bill ensured the start of a four-year Medicaid DSH cut amounting to $32 billion was pushed back from Oct. 1 to Nov.…
HRSA curtails pandemic-era 340B flexibilities for hospitals’ off-campus outpatient facilities
In an expected move that stands to affect the savings reaped by health systems from the 340B Drug Pricing Program, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is tightening participation requirements for off-campus outpatient facilities. In a published alert, HRSA announced plans to end pandemic-related flexibilities that have made it easier for off-campus outpatient facilities…
Hospital, physician advocates disagree over the role of physician-owned hospitals as policymakers ramp up focus
Hospital advocacy groups hope to stanch momentum that’s building in policy circles to increase the number of physician-owned hospitals. The American Hospital Association (AHA) and Federation of American Hospitals (FAH) issued a joint statement Oct. 18, saying permitting greater numbers of physician-owned hospitals (POHs) would have adverse effects on healthcare costs, access and quality. The…
In response to a congressional RFI, provider advocates give input on ways to bolster rural healthcare
Hospital and physician groups were among the respondents to a request by a key congressional committee for information on improving rural healthcare. In an RFI issued in September, the House Ways and Means Committee sought policy solutions for augmenting access to — and the quality of — healthcare in relatively remote areas. “The committee will…
Amid positive signs financially, hospitals continue to grapple with high costs in labor and other areas
The latest financial metrics for the hospital sector reflect a period of increasing stability but also sustained challenges. August financial data from more than 1,300 hospitals, as reported by Syntellis Performance Solutions, showed improvements in key metrics. The month-over-month increase in median operating margin was 3.5 percentage points, helping the year-to-date margin rise to 1.4%…
Hospitals push back on Senate report that calls out lack of spending on charity care
Not-for-profit (NFP) hospitals continue to be the subject of congressional scrutiny, with the chair of a key Senate committee issuing a report that questions whether they provide levels of charity care that are commensurate with their tax exemption. The report was released Oct. 10 by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chair of the Senate Health, Education,…