Healthcare News of Note: Women without insurance or with public insurance at the time of childbirth are more likely to report mistreatment, says CDC
Over the past few weeks, I have found these industry news stories that should be of interest to healthcare finance professionals. 1. More women without insurance and with public health insurance report mistreatment during maternity care than those with private insurance Maternity care in the United States was put under the microscope in a new…
Patient Rights Advocate continues to misinterpret price transparency data with latest report
Once again, Patient Rights Advocate (PRA) has issued a report that misrepresents compliance with CMS price transparency regulations. (Read my March blog about a previous PRA report here.) PRA’s most recent “Hospital Price Transparency Compliance Report,” published in July, examines websites of 2,000 U.S. hospitals. Its findings were that only 36% of those hospitals fully…
Legislation to enhance healthcare pricing and billing transparency takes a big step forward in the House
A slew of provisions on healthcare transparency took a step closer to becoming federal law as three House committees last week merged separate bills into a single draft. The resulting bill is just about set for consideration by the full House, where bipartisan support for the major provisions was apparent in the committee phase. The…
Healthcare News of Note: Unlocking new revenue streams is the healthcare industry’s top priority, while workforce issues are its top risk
Over the past few weeks, I have found these industry news stories that should be of interest to healthcare finance professionals. 1. Introducing new revenue streams is the top priority for the healthcare sector, and talent acquisition/retention is its top risk, survey says More executives in healthcare (44%) selected “introducing new revenue streams” as their…
Published data quantify how cost increases will continue to affect the healthcare industry next year
The cost to treat patients will accelerate next year, with ramifications across the healthcare industry, according to newly published projections. PwC’s Health Research Institute reported that the cost of providing care will increase by 7% in 2024, up from a 6% increase this year and 5.5% in 2022. A 7% increase would tie 2021 for…
Money received through the Provider Relief Fund could be at risk as audits ramp up
Recipients of Provider Relief Fund (PRF) distributions and COVID-19 Uninsured Program payments should be girding themselves for audits, legal experts say. The programs represent “a two-front audit fight that providers are facing and will face in the coming years,” Brian Lee, partner with Alston & Bird, said during an Aug. 24 webinar hosted by the…
Healthcare News of Note: 54% of patients do not care whether they see a corporate or independent primary care provider, but more prefer independent practices, survey says
Over the past few weeks, I have found these industry news stories that should be of interest to healthcare finance professionals. 1. 38% of survey respondents prefer seeing an independent practice provider while 8% prefer corporate providers Although more than half of patients (54%) “have no preference between an independently owned or a corporate medical…
The evolution of telehealth and the potential for sustainability
The surge in use of telehealth services seen during the pandemic has slowed, but telehealth remains a key modality amid policy changes that will help set the course for the future of virtual care. “There’s no alternative,” said Kyle Zebley, senior vice president for public policy with the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) and executive director…
Summary: 10 vital responses to healthcare disruption
Note: This article is a summary of a report on HFMA’s Spring Thought Leadership Retreat. The full report is available to download. Disruption is reverberating throughout the healthcare industry, and it’s incumbent on legacy organizations to develop strategic responses for the benefit of their consumers, their communities and themselves. With that overarching challenge becoming ever…
News Briefs: Hospitals foresee adverse impacts from the FY24 inpatient payment rule
The FY24 final rule for Medicare inpatient payments didn’t bring hospitals the type of rate update they had sought, and for some organizations, a bigger concern is changes to uncompensated care (UC) payments. The regulations, which take effect Oct. 1, establish a 3.1% increase in operating payment rates, on average, for hospitals that meet quality-reporting…