Hospitalists are more likely than other physicians to choose high-intensity codes for inpatient care, study finds
The billing and coding practices of hospitalists may contribute to the rising cost of hospital care in the U.S., according to conclusions of a new study.
Come for the free haircut, stay for the behavioral health education: How the latest healthcare disruptors are meeting patients where they are
HFMA Policy Director Shawn Stack and HFMA Senior Editor Nick Hut follow up their March webinar on healthcare disruption with an episode-length Beyond the News segment about the latest innovative ventures.
CMS Principal Deputy Administrator Jonathan Blum discusses price transparency, surprise billing and the future of value-based payment
HFMA President and CEO Joe Fifer interviews Jonathan Blum, principal deputy administrator and COO at CMS. In this interview, Blum discusses how CMS plans to phase out the public health emergency, how price transparency and surprise billing legislation are being received by provider organizations, and the effect the pandemic will have on CMS's value-based care strategy.
A bolder, brighter, better healthcare finance industry is within reach
Outgoing HFMA National Chair Tammie Jackson urges healthcare finance professionals to continue making bold moves toward a brighter, better healthcare industry.
Steve LeFar talks about the implications of care deferrals due to COVID-19
The economic and social impacts from deferred healthcare due to COVID-19 were already a major concern in the pandemic’s first year, portending severe declines in health status for Americans who stopped seeking care for fear of exposure to the coronavirus. In this Q&A, Strata Decision Technology’s Steve Lefar shares insights based on extensive data that tell the story of deferred care across the nation, and the likelihood that providers will see a rising tide of severely ill patients.
Cost Effectiveness of Health Report, April 2022
The April 2022 edition of HFMA’s Cost Effectiveness of Health Report includes a preview the May issue of hfm, which focuses on telehealth, a key tool for promoting value-based care CEoH. Another article explores ways to promote health equity in revenue cycle processes, and a case study describes how one health system embarked on an initiative to achieve greater diversity among its revenue cycle staff.
Why ensuring the appropriate assignment of observation status patients is so important
Managing observation status requires a focused and consistent effort. Inappropriate assignment of observation status is expensive for patients and hospitals alike and can impede the goal of providing patients with the right care at the right time in the right setting.
David Johnson: Cracks in the foundation (Part 4): Overcoming a brittle business model
U.S. health systems’ rely on centralized, high-cost platforms (e.g., hospitals) to deliver routine care in an approach focused on optimizing revenues under fee-for-service payment. Yet this approach is inefficient and asset-heavy. To build less brittle, more consumer-centric delivery platforms, health systems must decant procedures to more convenient, lower-cost locations as they pursue full-risk contracting.
3 ways the patient financial experience can improve health equity
COVID-19 shined a bright light on disparities in access to care and health outcomes that existed in the U.S. healthcare system long before the pandemic, but far from improving the situation, it has exacerbated those disparities. Now, health system revenue cycle departments have an opportunity to be part of the solution.
David Johnson: Cracks in the Foundation (Part 3): Overcoming healthcare’s services-need mismatch
Clinical care only accounts for 20% of health outcomes, yet this area is where America disproportionately invests its healthcare resources. To overcome U.S. healthcare’s services-need mismatch, there should be a greater investment in healthy multipliers that help to address the social and economic factors, health behaviors and the physical environment that drive the remaining 80% of health outcomes.