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.
June 18-22: Congress to Review 340B Oversight
June 14—Members of a congressional panel will dive into ways to change the regulatory oversight of a major discount drug program, including steps that could have big hospital impacts.
Total Joint Replacement Costs Decline
Value-based models such as bundled payment and accountable care organizations have bolstered reductions in total joint replacement costs.
Cost Accounting Evolves as Provider Needs Change
Organizations can use their current data to understand what it truly costs to deliver healthcare services. Using existing data and automating the pull of that data also allows for less human intervention to maintain cost accounting models.
Healthcare Transformational Landscape: Impact on Accounting From EHR Platforms and Other
The cost of implementing a new electronic health record system can be expensed or capitalized over the life of the implementation project.
May 28-June 1: Senate to Focus on Opioid Impacts in Medicare, Medicaid
May 24—The primary Senate committee overseeing Medicare and Medicaid will begin its look at the opioid crisis next week amid a quickly advancing body of bills targeting the issue.