Healthcare Financial Management articles from January 2002

Healthcare Financial Management archives from January 2002

OIG announces new guidelines for the imposition of CIAs. (Updata).(Office of the Inspector General; corporate integrity agreement standards for health care providers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The consequences of an investigation by the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) are likely to be less onerous for healthcare organizations than in the past thanks to reforms announced by Inspector General Janet Rehnquist on November 20, 2001....

CMS boosts outpatient PPS rates 2.3 percent, reduces pass-through payments. (Updata).(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, prospective payment system)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... On November 30, 2001, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final rule in the Federal Register updating payment policies under the Medicare outpatient prospective payment system (PPS) for calendar year 2002. Overall,...

Physician fee schedule update factor decreases for 2002. (Updata).(Medicare)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Despite an increase in total Medicare spending, the physician fee schedule update factor will fall 4.8 percent, yielding a conversion factor of 5.4 percent below 2001 levels, CMS announced in a final rule published in the November 1, 2001,...

CMS delays definition of "Set-in-Advance" compensation under Stark II. (Updata).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... CMS has changed the effective date for a key definition of the final Stark II regulations--"set-in-advance" compensation--from January 4, 2002, to January 6, 2003. CMS determined that the one-year delay was necessary to allow further...

New rule tightens Medicaid UPL loopholes. (Updata).(upper-payment-limit)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... The Federal government continues to clamp down on what it regards as loopholes in Medicaid's upper-payment-limit (UPL) provisions, which have enabled states to redirect billions of dollars in Federal matching funds for services unrelated to...

CMS to publicize nursing home quality-of-care data. (Updata).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... A new CMS demonstration project will lay the groundwork for providing Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries with access to specific comparative data on nursing homes' quality of care. The demonstration project, which is scheduled to begin this...

Lack of CWF edits leads to overpayments for Postacute Care Transfers. (Updata).(common working file; Medicare)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... According to a recent audit report by the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), the Medicare program's common working file (CWF) lacks any controls or edits to prevent excessive payments to prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals for...

Administrative simplification compliance act. (In Brief).(approved by House of Representatives)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Without a dissenting vote, the House of Representatives this week approved the Administrative Simplification Compliance Act, which would delay the effective date of the HIPAA final rule on transaction standards and code sets to October 16,...

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on November 14, 2001, that it recovered $1.6 billion in civil fraud payments in FY01, the highest amount ever recorded in a one-year period. (In Brief).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on November 14, 2001, that it recovered $1.6 billion in civil fraud payments in FY01, the highest amount ever recorded in a one-year period. Healthcare fraud cases topped the list of annual recoveries...

CMS has been granted a stay in court proceedings against its current discount-drug-card proposal to allow the agency to investigate issuing a new version of the proposal. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... CMS has been granted a stay in court proceedings against its current discount-drug-card proposal to allow the agency to investigate issuing a new version of the proposal. A court-imposed injunction halting all activity on CMS's original plan...

The time for action is now. (Vantage Point).(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposes Medicare outpatient prospective payment system rule modifications)(Brief Article)(Column)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... As I write this column, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) just published the proposed rule to substantially modify payments under Medicare's outpatient prospective payment system (PPS) for high-cost items placed on its...

A new year brings new challenges and opportunities. (Viewpoint).(year 2002 healthcare industry forecast)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 1, 2002... Remember the beginning of 2001? As of January 1 of that year, we did not know who was going to be President of the United States. After a roller-coaster ride of recounts and legal challenges, the U.S. Supreme Court essentially decided the...

Medicare direct-access legislation introduced in congress. (In the News).(Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act (H.R. 3363), introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Phil Crane (R-Ill.) and Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.Dak.), would allow Medicare patients direct access to physical therapists. The...

At a glance: Annual salaries of full-time registered nurses, 1980-2000 (Actual and Inflation-Adjusted).(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... At a glance ANNUAL SALARIES OF FULL-TIME REGISTERED NURSES, 1980-2000 (ACTUAL AND INFLATION-ADJUSTED) Average Inflation-Adjusted Annual Salary Annual Salary 1980 $17,398 $17,398 1984 ...

Life, health insurers' profits drop in 2001. (In the News).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Profits of U.S. life and health insurers dropped $6 billion during the first six months of 2001, down 42 percent from the first six months of 2000, according to Weiss Ratings, Inc., Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The industry's return on assets...

Mergers and acquisitions activity declines in 2001. (In the News).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... The September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., along with the consequent suspension of the capital markets and the developing economic recession, contributed to a 16 percent decline in the number of healthcare mergers and...

First energy star labels awarded to hospitals. (In the News).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... The first Energy Star[R] labels have been awarded to three hospitals--Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, Carbondale, Illinois; Naval Medical Center, San Diego, California; and St. Joseph's Medical Center, Yonkers, New York. Energy Star, the...

www.cit.nih.gov/security.html. (Web Sights).(National Institutes of Health web site offers information security policies and guidelines)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Visitors to the National Institutes of Health's Center for Information Technology Web site will find information about security policies, guidelines, and regulations related to information security.

www.mclibrary.duke.edu/respub/guides/pda. (Web Sights).(offers information regarding hardware, software, and handheld devices)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Visitors to this Duke University site will find information about hardware and software and a variety of resources and tools for handheld devices.

www.bcg.com/publications/files/drs_e_health_sept_plus_report.pdf. (Web Sights).(offers research report)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Visitors to this vendor site will find the research report Doctors Say E-Health Delivers.

http://medicine.wustl.edu/~wumpi. (Web Sights).(Washington University School of Medicine web site offers information regarding handheld devices, hardware, and software)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The Washington University School of Medicine Medical Palm Initiative site offers access to information about handheld devices, including general and medical resources, hardware and software, tutorials, and tips.

Ground broken for digital hospital. (In the News).(HealthSouth Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Ground has been broken for construction of the first state-of-the-art, fully automated hospital, which is being built by HealthSouth Corporation, Birmingham, Alabama. Scheduled to open in 2003, the hospital will replace the current HealthSouth...

URAC develops disease-management standards. (In the News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... URAC, Washington, D.C., expects to have new disease-management program standards in April 2002. Three or four disease-management organizations will participate in beta tests of the standards. The standards will emphasize collaborative...

Healthcare career-ladder study funded. (In the News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Healthcare organizations in three urban markets are collaborating to study how to create a community-wide healthcare-sector career ladder that will offer education about community-based careers and advancement opportunities in nursing,...

Aetna drops HMO for small businesses. (In the News).(in Colorado)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... After losing $30.6 million on its HMO product in Colorado during the first three quarters of 2001, Aetna U.S. Healthcare has announced that it will cease offering its HMO plan to Colorado small businesses after May 31, 2002. The decision will...

AMA names new CEO. (In the News).(American Medical Association names Michael D Maves)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The American Medical Association (AMA) has appointed Michael D. Maves, MD, MBA, as its new executive vice president and CEO, effective January 15. Most recently, Maves served as president of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association,...

Outsourcing budgets to rise 30 percent by 2003. (In the News).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Healthcare industry outsourcing budgets will increase 30 percent by 2003, according to a survey by VHA Inc., Irving, Texas, and Michael F. Corbett & Associates, Ltd., LaGrangeville, New York. Study findings show that healthcare executives...

Hospital margins up slightly in 2001. (In the News).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... U.S. hospital profit margins rose slightly in the first two quarters of 2001, reporting an average profit margin of 5.2 percent, up from 4.2 percent for the first two quarters of 2000, according to Solucient, Evanston, Illinois. Since 1997,...

Discussion area participation can earn members founders points. (HFMA News).
January 1, 2002... HFMA members now can earn one Founders point for every 10 questions they reply to in the HFMA Knowledge Network Discussion Area of HFMA's Web site. This method for earning Founders points was established to recognize the importance of...

CFO exchange to examine HIPAA implementation, employee recruitment. (HFMA News).
January 1, 2002... HIPAA and staffing issues will be a main focus of the 2002 CFO Exchange, which will take place March 3-5, 2002, at the Westin Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida. Among the topics to be addressed at the CFO Exchange are HIPAA...

More HFMA chapters donate to September 11 funds. (HFMA News).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... The number of HFMA chapters that have pledged to donate $1,000 or more to organizations providing assistance to victims and rescue workers of the September 11 terrorist attacks has grown. The pledge drive was initiated by HFMA's Montana Chapter...

The healthcare crisis is back again. (FYI).(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... "Oh, you have a healthcare crisis right here today... The costs of care are escalating beyond control, and we need to do something about it. But we're not going to solve that problem with some national, top-down solution. You've got to do it at...

Nowicki: Certification indicates continued professional growth. (Executive Insights).(Michael Nowicki interview)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Michael Nowicki, EdD, FHFMA, FACHE, MHA, is associate professor of health administration at Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, the sixth largest university in the state of Texas. His teaching was honored with the College of Health...

Physician Input: A critical strategic-planning tool. (Integrated Delivery Systems).
January 1, 2002... To establish effective working relationships with medical staff and community physicians, an IDS must adopt a strategic-planning approach that adequately incorporates physicians' needs and expectations. Research shows that most physicians...

False Claims Act may reach managed care organizations. (Managed Care).
January 1, 2002... The Federal False Claims Act (FCA) applies to managed care organizations and their networks, despite the fact that managed care organizations do not submit traditional fee-for-service claims to the Federal government and the providers in their...

The IRS and the internet: New issues for tax-exempt organizations.
January 1, 2002... Tax-exempt healthcare organizations increasingly are using the internet to provide an inexpensive easily accessible forum for information exchange organization publicity and community-relations programs. A tax-exempt organization that engages...

Financial analysis projects clear returns from Electronic Medical Records: Demonstrating the economic benefits of an electronic medical record is possible with the input of staff who can identify the technology's benefits.(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Implementing an electronic medical record (EMR) is a major initiative that should be undertaken only after a thoughtful analysis of the costs and benefits involved. Unfortunately, demonstrating financial returns on an EMR often is regarded as...

Gainsharing: A cost-reduction strategy that may be back.(hospitals regulation aims at helping finances)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) seemingly has reversed its formerly unwavering prohibition on gainsharing arrangements. In Advisory Opinion 01-1, the OIG approved an arrangement between a hospital and a physician group targeted at...

Mobile Computing acceptance grows as applications evolve. (Group Practice Management).
January 1, 2002... Handheld devices are becoming more cost-effective to own, and their use in healthcare environments is increasing. Handheld devices currently are being used for e-prescribing, charge capture, and accessing daily schedules and reference tools....

CMS reverses application of payment-reduction factor to Part B inpatient ancillary services. (Medicare/Medicaid).(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services law for Medicare B)
January 1, 2002... On September 28, 2001, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a program memorandum (PM A-01-125) abruptly reversing the agency's policy of applying a payment-reduction factor to the costs of hospital inpatient ancillary...

A customer-friendly revenue cycle improves patient satisfaction, loyalty. (Patient Financial Services).
January 1, 2002... In today's consumer-focused healthcare market, it is incumbent upon healthcare organizations to adopt a revenue-cycle strategy that not only ensures strong financial outcomes, but also enhances patient satisfaction with and loyalty to the...

Providers need to prepare for HIPAA-compliant payments. (Digital Perspectives).(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) final transaction and code-set standards require payers with annual revenues greater than $5 million to support electronic claims processing with standard transactions by October...

Compensation trends reward CFO risk-taking. (Career Development).(in health care management)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Witt/Kieffer annually compiles data on compensation paid to all healthcare executives, including CFOs. Compensation data from September 2000 to September 2001 demonstrate that healthcare CFOs and other senior healthcare executives receive...

People.(managers in the health care industry)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Vicki G. Keiser, MBA, CPA (Texas Gulf Coast Chapter), regional healthcare advisory partner, Deloitte & Touche, Houston, Texas, has been elected treasurer to the national board of the Alzheimer's Association, Chicago, Illinois. John F....

Spring 2002 Seminars. (Calendar).
January 1, 2002... Spring 2002 Seminars 4/15-18 Level Seminar San Diego, CA Financial Management ...

Significant increases in maintenance labor rates of concern. (Data Trends).(maintenance labor fees for health care equipment)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... The maintenance labor rate in key equipment modalities has shown a significant increase in the past four years. An analysis of the labor rates charged by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) shows that the average increase in labor rate for...

McKesson: Empowering Healthcare.(report on healthcare supply chain management)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... McKesson is proud to work with the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) on this special report detailing the status - and the future - of healthcare supply chain management. We value our relationship with HFMA and with its more...