The Healthcare Financial Management Association's premier educational and networking event, the Annual National Institute (ANI): The Healthcare Finance Conference, kicks off June 23-26 in Las Vegas, where healthcare financial professionals will gather at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

Conference planners for this year's ANI mapped out topics and speakers several months ago, looking ahead to what might be hot topics when the conference doors open.

Commonwealth Fund researchers have created a plan that would insure 44 million of the estimated 48 million uninsured Americans in 2008 and save approximately $1.6 trillion over the next 10 years.

WHEN IS too much too much, or too little too little when it comes to government interference? That's a question on everyone's mind with the election and Republican vs. Democrat solutions for the economy, the war in Iraq and other issues. But this past month, in particular, it seemed to be a theme in Washington surrounding healthcare.

A study of the prevalence of conditions in the U.S. employer-insured population provides a glimpse of the capabilities of large-scale analysis of claims databases with de-identified records of millions of individuals.

Despite growing concern from the durable medical equipment industry and Congress, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has taken the next step in its plan to implement a bidding process to provide medical equipment and supplies.

Provider organizations peppered a House committee with concerns about the Recovery Audit Contractor program during a meeting in May. Witnesses provided their views on the program at a hearing before the subcommittee on regulations, health care and trade of the House Small Business Committee.

Healthcare Finance News posts original news stories on its Website daily. Here are recent top stories as selected by by our editors.

A medical banking organization is leading efforts to standardize the use of denial codes by health plans.

On Tuesday, June 24, HFMA's ANI conference will host keynote speaker Steve Case, the former AOL kingpin who is now chairman and chief operating officer of Revolution Health Group, deemed the second largest health property on the Internet as of December 2007.

Medical malpractice suits and wrong-site surgeries could be avoided with the use of better informed consent and general consent forms. But many hospitals and physician offices still use paper to obtain patient permission for surgeries.

Editorial by Editor Fred Bazzoli

Commentary by James G. Mhyre, MD FACS

Commentary by William M. Courson, president of the Lancaster Pollard Investment Advisory Group

The credit crunch appears to be affecting hospitals' ability to raise capital and finance capital expenditures, especially for big-ticket items. A research report issued in April by Wachovia Capital Markets said hospitals are having problems in raising financing that will cause delays with some capital purchases.

The American Medical Association is countering efforts calling for the increased regulation of specialty hospitals owned by physicians.

The visa shortage for foreign healthcare workers may be nearing an end, according to HCCA International, a Tennessee-based healthcare recruiting company.

CMS proposes rule for inpatient rehab payment; 6 independent MD hospitals join virtual ICU collaborative; Deal will keep Blue Island hospital's doors open

A holistic approach to consolidating patient access and accounting systems among its five hospitals has paid big dividends for Kaleida Health.

Various physician organizations told a House panel last week that they anticipate a significant number of their memberships dropping from Medicare participation should the 10.6 percent cut go into effect July 1, as slated.

A COMMITTEE of the American Medical Association has sent a proposal for payment rates to implement a medical home demonstration project to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has turned its attention to changing the Medicare hospice wage index.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last month announced payment rates for the nation's facilities that treat Medicare beneficaries for extended periods of time.

The American Health Care Association is calling possible Medicaid cuts "unwise and unwarranted" and says they could have "an economic impact of up to $4.2 billion and threaten jobs."

Physicians challenge Sierra Health acquisition; CMS plans to expand PQRI program for 2008; GAO says feds fall short in monitoring nursing homes; Cleveland Clinic offers full tuition scholarships

Institute 2008, the annual June conference of America's Health Insurance Plans, will highlight best practices and applications, putting health plans in the role of agents of change, said AHIP President and CEO Karen Ignagni.

California Senate Bill 1522, which would set up insurance market standards, passed the Senate Appropriations Committee and, as of press time, is headed to the Senate for a vote.

Aetna is the first U.S. health plan to establish a policy of requiring all of its vendors to provide employees with health insurance by 2011.

Consumers and insurance brokers are finding that the Internet is the medium of choice for gathering information on the complex individual health plan market. This is an important trend for payers and employers to keep in mind, experts say, as forces push more and more Americans into individual plans.

GAO: HSAs popular among those with high incomes; Wal-Mart launches phase 3 of $4 prescription program; NCPDP offering new data on nation's pharmacies; Anthem adds transparency tool for Maine members

The land of Russell Crowe, Crowded House and kiwis is trying to attract Americans and Canadians seeking less expensive medical care.

Three Florida not-for-profit hospitals are reportedly saving more than $1 million by using Concerro's automated nurse staffing solution to fill open shifts.

Helping providers maneuver their way through the intricacies of healthcare payments has always been one of the goals of RelayHealth. Now the McKesson subsidiary, which offers a portfolio of financial clearance and settlement services for hospitals, health systems and physician practices, is looking to complete the loop with consumers.

With the corporate wellness industry expected to reach $1.6 billion by 2010 and $5.8 billion by 2015, a number of healthcare companies are offering programs designed to help the nation's employees stay healthy.

GetWellNetwork, daisy team up to reward nurses; Chesapeake solutions unveils T-Recs Enterprise; Connextions adds functions to 2 products; NCR, Sage Software announce partnership

OneOncology, Inc. has announced that it has secured more than $2 billion in annual drug purchasing commitments from oncology practcies.

Product Spotlight: Supply Chain Management

Management Beat: Payer-Provider Contracts

According to a report by the Grubb & Ellis Company, a real estate services and investment firm, the increasing demand for medical services by aging baby boomers will fuel demand for healthcare properties during the next decade.