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
Hospital groups raise red flags about spending offsets in bipartisan infrastructure bill
The bill would be paid for in part by extending the duration of the 2% reduction in Medicare payments and by tapping into the Provider Relief Fund.
Medicare should update its policies for separately payable drugs in the Outpatient Prospective Payment System, MedPAC says
Worthwhile changes include requiring drugs to be proven clinically superior before granting them pass-through payment status, according to a new report.
The state of the 340B program: What the Supreme Court’s Affordable Care Act ruling meant, and which issues still loom
An under-the-radar aspect of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act involved hospital eligibility for the 340B program, an industry expert says.
In response to requests, HHS offers accommodations on deadlines for Provider Relief Fund spending and reporting (updated)
The new deadlines apply to allocations received after June 30, 2020. Reporting on use of funds is required only for designated time periods during which a provider’s payment exceeded $10,000.
HFMA survey of healthcare finance professionals highlights continuing pandemic-related challenges and some reasons for optimism
Results of HFMA's Outlook Survey show that the healthcare industry is still coping with the challenges of COVID-19 but has started to adapt to a post-pandemic future.
Medicare indirect medical education payments to teaching hospitals should be overhauled, MedPAC says
Although the proposals represent a significant change, most hospitals wouldn’t be projected to experience a large impact on their payments.
Supreme Court leaves Affordable Care Act intact, but stakeholders say healthcare reform still has a ways to go
Hospital advocates applauded a Supreme Court ruling June 17 that left the Affordable Care Act in place.
PwC report anticipates a 6.5% increase in healthcare costs in 2022, roughly in line with recent years
As the healthcare industry emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, annual costs are expected to increase by slightly more than they did in recent pre-pandemic years.
MedPAC report: Cost-based reimbursement isn’t an ideal way to sustain rural hospitals
An extensive healthcare policy report by the Medicare Payment and Advisory Commission includes a discussion about the drawbacks of cost-based Medicare reimbursement for rural hospitals.
HHS sends letter to providers, insurers reinforcing requirements for COVID-19 vaccination and testing to be free for all recipients
Xavier Becerra, secretary of HHS, issued a letter emphasizing that out-of-pocket fees for COVID-19-related services are prohibited.