Paul Keckley: 3 trends to watch for in the 2023 healthcare regulatory agenda
The year 2023 will be a consequential one for healthcare finance professionals. With the near certainty that the COVID-19 public health emergency will come to an official end, three convergent trends will have a heightened impact on the solvency and liquidity of provider organizations. 1. Implementation of federal policies to lower inflation The Federal Reserve’s…
My final holiday message to the HFMA community
Five years ago, in my holiday message to HFMA members, I wrote that during this busy time of year, we should make time for reflection, soul searching and connecting with something that transcends personal concerns, no matter which winter holiday we celebrate or what our faith traditions may be. That’s the core of my holiday…
Gail Wilensky: Cybersecurity in healthcare has emerged as a national priority
The threat of cyberattacks on healthcare facilities has taken on a new immediacy with the increased use of electronic communication during the pandemic. The issue of cybersecurity has rapidly risen to become a predominant concern for healthcare organizations, with profound implications for the nation as a whole.a The issue is particularly concerning where cyberattacks can…
Healing our healthcare system starts with valuing our healthcare heroes
The C-suite leaders of U.S. hospitals and health systems have a critical charge as the stewards of our nation’s healthcare system: Cultivate an environment of well-deserved trust that encompasses patients and caregivers alike. Without such trust, our healthcare system will flounder. Building trust starts with demonstrating integrity in upholding the organization’s mission of delivering high-quality,…
A taxing opportunity for brave nonprofit health systems
Smart nonprofit health systems should pay their local, state and federal taxes as though they were for-profit companies. You did just read that. I contend that it makes business sense for leading nonprofit health systems to pony up and pay taxes. In the long run, health systems that start paying taxes will create a new…
Hospitals enjoy new opportunities for renewable energy projects
A new direct payment option is now available for hospitals and health systems planning renewable energy projects. For hospitals and health systems that are planning a renewable energy project at a new or existing facility, provisions of the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act now allow the federal government to provide a direct payment for qualifying…
Joe Fifer: Adopting a health equity lens
This year, we dedicated HFMA’s annual Thought Leadership Retreat to the topic of health equity. That topic could be viewed as a bit of a departure for HFMA, given that our Association is focused on finance. But I strongly believe, along with the majority of our retreat participants, that healthcare stakeholders must use a health…
David Johnson: Rewiring healthcare’s smartest professionals (Hint: It’s not physicians)
I won’t keep you in suspense. Healthcare’s smartest professionals are the tens of thousands of individuals who populate its revenue cycle operations. Revenue cycle professionals determine how much payers fork out and how much providers receive for healthcare treatments. They constitute the beating heart of the nation’s transactional healthcare system. Their ingenuity knows no bounds.…
Wendy Fielding: Healthcare CFOs can benefit from having a financial analyst’s perspective
Wendy Fielding, MBA, a 30-year member of HFMA, and CFO and system vice president of finance at Dartmouth-Hitchcock in Lebanon, New Hampshire, values the lessons she learned from her early experience as a financial analyst in healthcare. And she applies those lessons learned as she helps her organization today realize its commitment to value-based care and improving access to care for its patients.
Aaron Crane: Poker lessons for healthcare finance
HFMA Chair Aaron Crane believes the game of poker provides valuable lessons for healthcare finance professionals navigating the current industry environment.