Special Report
Patient collections: 7 Fierce strategies for getting paid
To thrive in a still-challenging financial environment, practices must be more aggressive about collecting patient deductibles, coinsurance payments and outstanding balances. FiercePracticeManagement interviewed several revenue cycle experts and practice managers who shared their top advice for collecting money while maintaining positive relations with patients. Surprisingly, many of their strategies are simple (and effective!). Click here to see their tips
HOT TOPICS >> ARRA | Recovery Audit Contractors | Women in Health IT | Collections | Bond Ratings | Charity Care
Commentary
Clinical issues will be top CFO concern under health reform
The dictionary defines a Renaissance man (or, of course, woman) as "a person who has wide interests and is expert in several areas." While no one is suggesting that hospital CFOs start memorizing encyclopedias, they would be wise to make a push to break out of their financial silo, advises Ken Perez, senior vice president of marketing for Emeryville, Calif.-based healthcare performance management solutions provider MedeAnalytics.
Historically many CFOs have paid little attention to clinical issues, but two forces--the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and health reform--are driving what the MedeAnalytics team calls a "clinical/financial convergence," says Perez. Read more...
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Press Releases
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Announces It Will Resume Offering Child Only Coverage
- Lean Transformations Require CEO Transformations
- CA Wireless Introduces New Cell Phone Repeater Solution for Hospitals
- Samsung and TeleHealth Services Partner to Introduce LCD TVs Designed Exclusively for Hospitals
- Last Things First: Fixing the “Last Mile” of Clinical Communications to Jump-start EMR Initiatives
- Mayo Clinic President and CEO Emeritus to Join EGHC Board
Latest News
Massachusetts hospitals cut costs, but community hospitals still struggle
Health Management Associates continues Florida buying spree
Community Health Systems' billing under fire as it battles unions in two states
Massachusetts Blues' alternative quality contracts signal hospitals' risk-based future
Hospitals cut costs with on-site staff wellness programs
Healthcare IT News
- HHS seeks feedback on planned comparative-effectiveness database
- HHS approves Florida Medicaid waiver to mine claims in search of fraud
- Criticisms of final 'meaningful use' rule start to emerge
- Privacy, security 'tiger team' split on when patients must consent for HIE
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Also Noted
> Capturing and reusing blood patients lose during emergency internal surgery can reduce overall blood transfusion costs by 62.5 percent per patient, according to a new study in the Archives of Surgery, reports the New York Times. Article
> Want to add a cardiac catheterization lab? A new study in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes shows that it might not be cost-effective, especially if you are building a part-time percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) lab, reports MedPage Today. Article
> Multistate inpatient rehabilitation hospital operator HealthSouth Corp., based in Birmingham, Ala., plans to purchase 50-bed Sugar Land Rehabilitation Hospital in Houston. The deal is expected to close in third-quarter 2010. Press release
> Winston Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health Systems has signed a two-year contract to continue serving health plan members for Aetna. Terms were not disclosed, but Novant will drop a lawsuit it had filed in June accusing Aetna of misrepresenting confidential financial data during negotiations, reports the Charlotte Business Journal. Article
> LifePoint Hospitals is finally on the verge of closing its acquisition of Gallatin, Tenn.-based not-for-profit Sumner Regional Health Systems. The deal had been in limbo after Sumner County decided to seek a piece of the pie. LifePoint will pay the county $15 million upfront in the revised agreement, reports the Tennessean. Article
And Finally ... Could global warming mean the end of super-sized fries? Article
