Steven Berger: Reflections on ‘Voice of Experience’ words of wisdom, year 1
In this first anniversary of the “Voice of Experience” column, it is an appropriate time to revisit the suggestions and insights shared by the eight hospital/health systems healthcare executives who have been long-standing members of HFMA and were featured in hfm magazine. Significantly, among the five guiding principles each leader shared, three stand out, having…
David Johnson: The orthopod’s dilemma — Caught between the PE rock and the venture capital hard place
The OrthoForum is the premier convening and advocacy organization for large, independent orthopedic physician groups. In March 2022, I gave a keynote address at The OrthoForum’s Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. Attending the conference at the posh Grande Lakes Ritz-Carlton gave me a front-row seat to the economic forces reshaping orthopedic care delivery in the…
Jill Geisler: Leaders need to master the art of strategic interruption
We know that clear, effective communication is an essential leadership skill. Your messages convey a vision for the team. They describe what success looks like. They rally the troops. They also can make or break someone’s day. That’s why it’s important to be thoughtful about your approach to communication ― like knowing when and how…
Susan Dentzer: Perspectives differ on Medicare’s 2 houses
Drive through rural New England and you’ll see them: “connected farms,” cobbling together houses, sheds, barns and outbuildings in disjointed structures. Often centuries old, they are at once unlovely, yet exude charm. To me, they’re a perfect metaphor for the jumble of Medicare. How else does one describe a program that baffles new enrollees as…
UASI names Nancy Koors as CEO
Nancy Koors, MBA, MS, recently became CEO of UASI. The company, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, provides revenue cycle management solutions including coding, clinical documentation integrity and healthcare information management, and consulting services. Koors is an experienced C-suite executive who has held leadership positions at startups and mid-market organizations in various industries. She joined UASI in…
Nebraska Chapter celebrates a legacy of leadership
HFMA members often refer to fellow members as family. The term captures the close bond that forms out of shared interests and experiences. Actual family and HFMA family were recently one and the same, however, when Virgil Guthrie, a former Nebraska Chapter president, watched his grandson Kyle Teel, FHFMA, CPA, assume the same office he…
Gail Wilensky: No Surprises Act — where things stand after 16 months
Few areas of concern within our nation’s healthcare system have caused patients, their families and caregivers more consternation than surprise medical bills. Most of the new protections under the 2020 No Surprises Act became effective on Jan. 1, 2022. Last August, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Treasury released a statement providing…
Aaron Crane: It’s time to Ignite the Spark for meaningful price transparency
“U.S. healthcare gets a C- for price transparency” could easily be the next headline the industry sees. After all, just 70% of hospitals are in compliance with both aspects of the federal price transparency rule, a Health Affairs study found, even though the rule took effect two years ago. But dig deeper than this study…
Improving performance across the real estate portfolio
As health systems continue to face intense operational and financial pressures, performance improvement initiatives must reach all aspects of the organization. Often overlooked in performance improvement efforts is the real estate portfolio, both owned and leased. Management may perceive real estate as a relatively static resource and may not even realize the full extent of…
Laurie Beyer: Routine rounding helps yield financial improvements
If you want to reach Laurie R. Beyer, MBA, CPA, executive vice president and CFO at GBMC HealthCare in Maryland, avoid any time between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Tuesday through Friday. No matter what time of year it is, she will be unavailable to take your call during those times because she will be…