Norton Healthcare commits time, money to improving health equity
In June 2020, Norton Healthcare, the largest health system in Louisville, announced five imperatives to address health inequities, four of them being: Start a health equity institute Improve diversity in its leadership ranks Educate its staff to advocate for health policy issues Invest more money to address health needs in underserved areas The remaining item…
How healthcare providers can break down barriers to effective data governance
Promoting improved data governance in the hospital and health system sector has become a just cause of sorts for Randy Albert, who serves as vice president of finance – operations and analytics at Maine-based Northern Light Health and is a member of HFMA’s Northern New England Chapter. “This is a topic that I’m incredibly passionate…
News Briefs: 2023 brings a steep fee hike for No Surprises Act arbitration cases
The No Surprises Act’s independent dispute resolution (IDR) process has become more expensive for healthcare stakeholders. For the new year, the nonrefundable administrative fee due from each party involved in any payment dispute that goes to arbitration increased from $50 to $350, according to a Dec. 23 memo from CMS’s Center for Consumer Information and…
Joe Fifer: Why finance leaders require the courage to lead
Books, movies and even campaign themes — often, they don’t age well. Apart from those with classic themes, they can quickly come to seem irrelevant in our fast-paced environment. So much has changed since I took office as HFMA chair 17 years ago. but I believe that my chair theme, “courage in leadership,” has the…
Hospitals have options for effectively managing complicated reimbursements
How can health systems and patients both win when it comes to payment? Read this article to learn how hospitals can maximize collections and get paid for provided services on top of how patients can identify source of payment that is not out of pocket.
A clinical background can give a hospital CFO greater financial acumen
Stephen “Jan” Grigsby, FHFMA, MHA, vice president and CFO at Springhill Medical Center (SMC) in Mobile Alabama, is one of those rare senior finance executives who came to his position from a clinical background. And as his experience shows, such finance leaders are likely to have valuable lessons and perspectives to share with their peers…
Aaron Crane: Collaboration and problem-solving ignite cost-effective health
Happy New Year! Reflecting on my “Ignite the Spark” theme, I’d like to offer more guidance for those inspired to take action in 2023. My message focuses on three key areas that inhibit cost-effective health in this country ― waste in our healthcare delivery system, health inequity and an American lifestyle contributing to significant chronic…
Joseph J. Fifer receives HFMA UK’s highest honor
HFMA President and CEO Joseph J. Fifer received an honorary fellowship from HFMA UK. David Hughes and Steve Oglesby retire, while Kim Shrewsbury, Andy Zukowski and Rick Carrico have new CFO jobs.
How community partnerships can play a central role in reducing cost of care and improving health outcomes
As average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Chicago soared to nearly $2,000 a month, Illinois-based Cook County Health saw another unfortunate upward trend in housing insecurity and homelessness. That’s when the health system decided to partner with a city housing agency. The goal? To reduce healthcare costs and improve individual healthcare outcomes by connecting…
Andrew Donahue: Why the nation could see major healthcare reform legislation soon
Don’t expect much healthcare reform from the 118th Congress. That’s what many pundits said after the mid-term elections, based on two common assumptions. 1 The administration had its shot. During the first two years of President Joe Biden’s first term, when Democrats controlled the White House, the Senate and the House, healthcare reform was mostly…