April 2009

This Month's Features

  • April 30, 2009 | COMMENTS ()

    Value of hospital care varies widely

    The value of care offered to hospital patients can vary by as much as 40 percent across the United States, according to a recent study examining quality, affordability, efficiency and patient satisfaction at more than 3,000 hospitals.

  • April 30, 2009 | COMMENTS ()

    RAC program causing concern

    Hospital administrators are expressing frustration with Medicare’s Recovery Audit Contractor program, and many may not be prepared for the upcoming audits.

Industry News

  • Obama's budget aims to fix physician payments

    Diana Manos

    President Barack Obama’s $3.5 trillion fiscal year 2010 budget holds promise for physicians seeking a fix to what they consider a flawed Medicare payment system.

  • Study: Variations hinder Medicare reform

    Richard Pizzi

    Huge inefficiencies in the U.S. healthcare system are harming the nation's ability to expand access to care, according to a new analysis of Medicare spending by researchers at the Dartmouth Atlas Project.

  • Next up: Healthcare reform- but what kind?

    Diana Manos

    Congress is brewing up some recipes for healthcare reform, and quite a few cooks are expected to crowd into a very hot kitchen. Congressional leaders have called for a final bill by this summer. The unanswered questions likely to draw the most heat are: how to pay for the reform and how far will the plan lean toward universal mandated care?

  • Maine refines its PCMH pilot

    Chelsey Ledue

    Most patient-centered medical home pilots have focused on primary care, but in Maine the proposed approach would integrate behavioral health services, in a bid to make physician practices more efficient and attentive to their patients.

  • Industry News Briefs - April 2009

    Healthcare Finance News Staff

    Hospitals embracing Lean and Six Sigma strategies;Congress mulls ending condition exclusions;Americans skipping needed care, say system is failing;SCHIP not a good model for universal reforms