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
News briefs: In a win for hospitals, CMS removes a rate-reporting requirement from the Medicare FY22 IPPS
Recent healthcare finance and policy news included the release of the proposed rule for the FY22 Inpatient Prospective Payment System.
New CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure gets ready to tackle surprise billing, rural healthcare and much more
During her Senate confirmation hearing, Brooks-LaSure said strengthening Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to bolster quality and access while lowering costs will be paramount.
Democratic congressional leaders ramp up efforts to craft a health insurance public option, generating hospital pushback
Leading Democrats in the House and Senate sent out a request for information to healthcare stakeholders, seeking input as they look to establish a public option for health insurance.
Hospital margins continued to improve in April, but volumes and revenues fell slightly
A monthly report on hospital finances showed that margins improved from March to April even though the COVID-19 pandemic remained a factor.
Experts raise concerns about hospital merger-and-acquisition activity but differ on how Congress should respond
During a recent Senate hearing, a hospital advocate responded to criticism of consolidation stemming from mergers among hospitals and hospital acquisitions of physician practices.
FBI issues alert about ransomware threat affecting healthcare organizations
The Conti ransomware attacks have disrupted healthcare networks in the U.S. and abroad, according to an alert.
As the Senate Finance Committee considers telehealth expansion, payment approaches are a key talking point
A congressional hearing featured testimony about why fee-for-service is not a viable way to fund a Medicare telehealth expansion.
Medicaid and CHIP data show a marked decrease in behavioral healthcare utilization amid the COVID-19 pandemic
Utilization for many services plummeted during a large part of 2020, and the biggest impact was seen in services for mental health and substance-use disorders.
Looming changes to quality reporting in the Medicare Shared Savings Program draw strong pushback from healthcare providers
Healthcare provider organizations are petitioning the Biden administration to slow recently finalized quality-related changes to the Medicare Shared Savings Program.
CMS increases the payment rate for administering authorized monoclonal antibody treatments to patients with COVID-19
CMS has provided a nearly 50% boost in payment to providers that administer monoclonal antibodies to beneficiaries with COVID-19.