Topics

Reimbursement

Readmissions may be reduced through effective skilled nursing facility-to-home transition strategies

Reducing readmissions via SNF transitions

Revenue Cycle Management

Blockchain prototype aims to speed revenue cycle transactions

Blockchain prototype could speed revenue cycle transactions

Strategic Planning

Sutter Health | Aetna adds Stanford Health Care to network

Sutter Health | Aetna adds Stanford Health Care

Capital Finance

Hospitals improve financial performance, but volumes are slipping

Report: Hospital volumes are slipping

Supply Chain

Nearly all hospital leaders say supply chain optimization improves margins, survey shows

98% say supply chain optimization boosts margins

Accounting & Financial Management

Community Health Systems sees major drop in net losses over 2017, reporting $328 million for Q4 2018

CHS reports major drop in net losses for Q4 2018

Budgeting

High healthcare use linked with lower prices, according to Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

High healthcare use linked with lower prices

Quality and Safety

When doctors address bad reviews, patient satisfaction can double

Addressing bad reviews can boost patient satisfaction

Billing and Collections

AMA, UnitedHealthcare team up on billing codes that address social determinants of health

AMA, UnitedHealth team on SDoH ICD-10 codes

Claims Processing

BCBS Institute and Solera partner, pay SDoH organizations through outcomes-based medical claims

BCBS Institute, Solera, to pay organizations through outcomes-based claims

Workforce

For busy medical students, two-hour meditation study may be as beneficial as a longer course

Meditation may help reduce medical student burnout

Operations

Eliminating routine but low-value preoperative tests for cataract surgery patients associated with cost savings

Cost savings through eliminating low-value cataract tests

Medical Devices

Apple is developing custom health information tracking chips

Apple is developing custom health chips

Hospital/physician relations

Wording in medical student evaluations differ by gender and minority status, revealing potential bias

Gender, minority bias revealed in med student evals

Construction & Facilities Management

Northwell Health, NYC Health + Hospitals open new $47.7 million joint lab to help hospitals focus on emergency testing, cut costs

Northwell Health, NYC Health + Hospitals open new $47.7M joint lab

Compliance & Legal

Sutter Health pays $30 million to settle alleged overpayment of Medicare Advantage funds

Sutter Health pays $30M to settle MA overpayment

Policy and Legislation

GOP-led 'repeal and replace' ACA debate already impacting women's health, study finds

ACA repeal debate impacting women's health

Community Benefit

Kaiser Permanente commits $1.65 million to California wildfire relief efforts

Kaiser Permanente commits $1.65 million to California wildfire relief efforts

Accountable Care

Cerner and naviHealth launch EHR-agnostic tool to support BPCI Advanced participants

Cerner, naviHealth, launch BPCI Advanced solution

Acute Care

University of Chicago Medicine study shows need to enhance patient rest, evaluate overnight interruptions for better patient experience

University of Chicago Medicine study shows how to help patients rest for improved experience

Ambulatory Care

Medical schools, teaching hospitals account for 3% of US GDP, report shows

Med schools, teaching hospitals are 3% of GDP

Analytics

EmblemHealth works with physician group to deploy HealthReveal clinical AI tool within Epic EHR

EmblemHealth works with physician group to deploy HealthReveal clinical AI tool within Epic EHR

Business Intelligence

While the price of healthcare is growing, utilization is dropping and price variations persist, report says

HCCI: Price of healthcare is growing, utilization is dropping, price variations persist

ICD-10 & Coding

Physician practices examine risk adjustment coding in wake of federal lawsuits

Practices keeping close watch on risk adjustment coding

Meaningful Use

CMS overhauls meaningful use EHR program, renames it 'Promoting Interoperability'

CMS overhauls meaningful use as 'Promoting Interoperability'

Medicare & Medicaid

CMS reduces exchange user fees, changes drug coupon policy in final rule

Patient Engagement

How the 'A' in 'AI' can stand for 'Assistive,' and what that means for providers and patients

Should 'AI' stand for 'Assistive Technology?'

Pharmacy

PBM execs say competition, biosimilars are solutions to lowering drug prices

PBMs say competition, more biosimilars are needed to lower drug prices

Population Health

Mandatory sugar labels could generate healthcare savings, improve health in a cost-effective way

Study: Sugar labels could save billions

Risk Management

Hospital employees are clicking on phishing emails, and that's a problem, JAMA study shows

JAMA: Hospital employees are clicking on phishing emails

Telehealth

Blue Cross NC $750,000 grant funds expansion of school-based telehealth

Blue Cross NC funds school-based telehealth

Mergers & Acquisitions

Hospital merger and acquisition volume in the first quarter was the lowest in nearly a decade

M&A volume in Q1 lowest in nearly 10 years

Top Stories

Getting paid for remote and virtual care services: CPT codes to know and understand

Getting paid for virtual care services: Codes to know

Three largest insurers dominate market share in at least 37 states, GAO report says

Three largest insurers dominate market, GAO says

How Medicare Advantage steers the Silver Tsunami into coordinated, value-based care

Medicare Advantage steers Silver Tsunami into value-based care

Jan 28

Why hospital CEOs must prioritize healthcare IT adoption

HIMSS TV

Huimin Xia, CEO of the Stage 7 EMRAM validated Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, explains how IT is a basic driving force for hospital development, and why CEOs need to make it a priority.

News

Healthcare mergers and acquisitions in 2016: Running list

Healthcare mergers and acquisitions in 2016: Running list While 2015 was a record-breaking year in healthcare mergers and acquisitions, 2016 saw more change as organizations across the industry adjust and adapt to the evolving financial landscape.

Once-failing hospitals say accountability, transparency key to surviving fallout from failing patient safety grades

Once-failing hospitals say accountability, transparency key to surviving fallout from failing patient safety grades When Leapfrog released their Spring 2016 patient safety grades recently, 15 hospitals got slapped with a very public 'F' grade casting a spotlight on them that no institution wants. ...

Analyze this: Health systems, health plans get to the core of big data

Analyze this: Health systems, health plans get to the core of big data Pamela Peele knows that people who subscribe to cooking magazines have a much higher risk of going to the emergency room. But how she knows that is a whole other story.

Whitepapers

Clinical Quality Measures 101

Clinical Quality Measures 101 Although quality-reporting programs such as meaningful use provide incentives to help providers implement and use electronic health records (EHRs) to collect and report on clinical data, practices often need help deciding what data to collect, which measures to report ...

Credible, Defensible Estimates

Credible, Defensible Estimates In healthcare, every interaction with the patient matters. Especially in today’s environment of continuous improvement, efforts have been concentrated on coordination among providers, the patient care experience and quality outcomes – all laudable goals.

Gaining Actionable Insight into Financial Systems and Areas Impacting the Revenue Cycle

Gaining Actionable Insight into Financial Systems and Areas Impacting the Revenue Cycle Hospital systems across the country are looking to streamline their billing and collection processes to become more efficient and better compete in their markets. The challenge many face is how to turn the data ...

Featured Resources

Care Collaboration Success for Improved Outcomes The nature of our healthcare ecosystem has been one of siloed care. Rarely do payers, providers and local resources come together with the patient's well-being prioritized as a unifying mission. Read how these organizations are getting it right.

Debunk the Myth: Outsourcing Doesn't Mean Losing Control With shifts in payer mixes and reimbursement structure, the margin of reimbursement has been shrinking steadily over the last five years. How do revenue cycle leaders navigate payment reform while maintaining stable business office operations?

Beyond Dollars and Cents: A Closer Look At Value Beyond the expected improvement in specific metrics, many organizations that outsource RCM with a trusted and certified partner are seeing several ancillary benefits of such agreements.

MostPopular

Getting paid for virtual care services: Codes to know

List: 769 hospitals fined for medical errors, infections

CMS rule gives Medicare Advantage plans an edge over traditional Medicare

Optum: UnitedHealth's secret weapon

News

Healthcare mergers and acquisitions in 2016: Running list

Healthcare mergers and acquisitions in 2016: Running list While 2015 was a record-breaking year in healthcare mergers and acquisitions, 2016 saw more change as organizations across the industry adjust and adapt to the evolving financial landscape.

Analyze this: Health systems, health plans get to the core of big data

Analyze this: Health systems, health plans get to the core of big data Pamela Peele knows that people who subscribe to cooking magazines have a much higher risk of going to the emergency room. But how she knows that is a whole other story.

Once-failing hospitals say accountability, transparency key to surviving fallout from failing patient safety grades

Once-failing hospitals say accountability, transparency key to surviving fallout from failing patient safety grades When Leapfrog released their Spring 2016 patient safety grades recently, 15 hospitals got slapped with a very public 'F' grade casting a spotlight on them that no institution wants. ...

Whitepapers

Clinical Quality Measures 101

Clinical Quality Measures 101 Although quality-reporting programs such as meaningful use provide incentives to help providers implement and use electronic health records (EHRs) to collect and report on clinical data, practices often need help deciding what data to collect, which measures to report ...

Credible, Defensible Estimates

Credible, Defensible Estimates In healthcare, every interaction with the patient matters. Especially in today’s environment of continuous improvement, efforts have been concentrated on coordination among providers, the patient care experience and quality outcomes – all laudable goals.

Gaining Actionable Insight into Financial Systems and Areas Impacting the Revenue Cycle

Gaining Actionable Insight into Financial Systems and Areas Impacting the Revenue Cycle Hospital systems across the country are looking to streamline their billing and collection processes to become more efficient and better compete in their markets. The challenge many face is how to turn the data ...