Decline in Hospital-Acquired Conditions Saves Almost $3B
AHRQ reports that hospital-acquired conditions fell by 350,000 between 2014 and 2016. With an adverse drug event costing a hospital anywhere from $1,200 to $9,000 and a catheter-associated urinary tract infection costing between $5,000 and almost $30,000, this reduction is a positive indicator for reducing health costs.
Trends in Building and Fixture Costs, 2007-16
An analysis looked at Medicare cost reports to compared trends in capital costs for buildings and fixtures among different types of acute care hospitals.
Ask the Experts: Presumptive Eligibility
Is a free service provided on the basis of presumptive eligibility allowable for charity on Medicare’s cost report worksheet S-10?
Prospective Health Assessments and Best Practices for Risk and Quality
PHAs provide member insight that helps health plans bolster care management, integrate financial and clinical information, and improve care quality.
A New World Order for Hospital Margins
As expenses grow faster than revenues, hospitals are looking for ways to maintain margins.
What’s Driving Increased Hospital Cost Concerns?
July 13—The case for greater cost control at hospitals received its latest boost from a recent national survey of hospital executives. The growing urgency comes amid shrinking margins and cash flow.
3 Keys to Defending a Healthcare Organization’s Margins
As the healthcare industry transitions from volume-based to value-based payment, healthcare organizations must establish priorities and prepare to assume risk in select areas of focus. To do this, providers must develop an understanding of the precise costs for individual encounters, procedures, and episodes of care, and hone in on specific cost drivers.
June 25-29: Congress to Focus on Healthcare Costs
June 21—A Senate committee next week plans the first in a series of hearings focused on ways to reduce healthcare costs.
Amid Clashes, Senators See Bipartisanship on Transparency
June 20—Members of Congress remain deeply divided over health insurance approaches but see a path to bipartisan agreement on transparency.
Hospital Concerns Push CMS Time Out on Star Ratings
June 15—The stars and the data didn’t align for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which said this week that it was postponing its scheduled July update to the agency’s star ratings for some 4,000 hospitals nationwide.