Healthcare Financial Management articles from January 2006

Healthcare Financial Management archives from January 2006

HFMA profile.(Healthcare Financial Management Association)
January 1, 2006... The Healthcare Financial Management Association is the nation's leading personal membership organization for healthcare financial management professionals. HFMA brings perspective and clarity to the industry's complex issues for the purpose of...

HFMA thanks its level sponsors! *.(Healthcare Financial Management Association)
January 1, 2006... HFMA appreciates the generous support and contributions of its 2005 Level Sponsors, which provide invaluable funding to help HFMA achieve its mission. Sponsorship contributions assist HFMA in reducing members' costs, funding special projects,...

HFMA chapters bring immediate benefits.(Healthcare Financial Management Association)
January 1, 2006... One of the great benefits of joining HFMA. in addition to the products and services the Association offers at the National level. is free membership in one of HFMA's 70 chapters. Local chapter membership brings immediate opportunities for...

HFMA congratulates the 2004-05 Davis chapter management system award recipients.(Healthcare Financial Management Association)
January 1, 2006... C. Henry Hottum Awards for Educational Performance Improvement Arizona First Illinois Florida Great Lakes Hawaii Heart of America Hudson Valley Idaho Indiana Pressler Memorial Iowa Lone Star...

2006 HFMA seminars and meetings.(Healthcare Financial Management Association)(Calendar)
January 1, 2006... JUNE 18-22 2006 ANNUAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE Orlando, Fla. HFMA's Annual National Institute is the premier educational and networking experience for healthcare financial management professionals, providing four days of focused, relevant,...

HFMA's online resource center ideas that work are just a click away.(Healthcare Financial Management Association0)
January 1, 2006... HFMA's online Resource Center is a key membership benefit that makes your job easier. How? By logging on to www.hfma.org/resource, you can browse and download HFMA's latest research and reports, summaries of key regulations, revenue cycle...

www.hfma.org: the ultimate HFMA resource: HFMA's web site, www.hfma.org, offers a wealth of information 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
January 1, 2006... Services provided through the web site can help you achieve certification, get a new job, connect with other financial professionals in health care, and keep up to date on federal regulations. It's also a great place to look for information...

Patient Friendly Billing[R] addresses concerns of uninsured and underinsured: balancing patient needs and stakeholder expectations while operating in a dynamic regulatory and market environment creates major challenges for hospitals.
January 1, 2006... Given these conflicting demands, hospitals are faced with the fundamental challenge of how to best identify those patients who are unable to pay and establish payment expectations for those who are able to pay. Consequently, to help better...

Healthcare administration on the web.
January 1, 2006... Whether you're looking for data, people, regulations, or additional resources, the web is a good place to start. The following web sites include a variety of organizations of interest to healthcare finance professionals and others involved in...

HFMA forums creating community one peer at a time.(Healthcare Financial Management Association)
January 1, 2006... HFMA offers four professional communities for members who are looking for an HFMA experience tailored to their interests: the Patient Financial Services Forum, the Chief Financial Officers Forum, the Managed Care Forum, and the Healthcare...

hfm: the knowledge source for healthcare financial managers.(Healthcare Financial Management )(Company Profile)
January 1, 2006... Each month, hfm magazine provides practical information to healthcare financial managers-information they can use to solve problems and improve performance. The magazine includes how--to articles, tools, commentaries, and industry news that...

HFMA peer review mark provides the assurance of excellence.(Healthcare Financial Management Association)
January 1, 2006... HFMA's Peer Review process, a rigorous testing process that screens products for the highest standards, is poised to take off in 2006. The process is, designed to provide healthcare financial managers with an objective third-party evaluation of...

HFMA e-learning lessons support hospitals' capital strategies: the typical hospital has so many capital needs. To keep up with patient demands, they need to invest in new technology. And many have aging facilities that have seen better days.(Healthcare Financial Management Association)
January 1, 2006... Many hospitals are experiencing difficulty in accessing capital to meet a glut of current and future needs. According to HFMA's Financing the Future series (Report 4, The Future of Capital Access, May 2004), cash from operations will play a key...

HFMA newsletters deliver.(Healthcare Financial Management Association )
January 1, 2006... Whether you're looking for ways to maintain regulatory compliance or tips for achieving top operational performance goals, you'll find solutions in four information-packed newsletters published by HFMA. Subscribing to these newsletters will...

What's left to fix in the hospital supply chain? Plenty!
January 1, 2006... The days of delegating supply cost-reduction efforts to "basement" departments--materials management or purchasing--are coming to an end. Many progressive hospitals have done most of what they can do on the price side with commodities, such as...

Engaging physicians in supply expense management.
January 1, 2006... Many hospital executives have already investigated most of the possible savings available in commodity supplies, such as intravenous tubing and bandages, and they have found that there is little yield left. To obtain substantial savings in the...

Beyond piecemeal automation: the benefits of an integrated procurement system.
January 1, 2006... With the advancement of Internet-based technologies, many healthcare organizations have been automating various procurement processes, from purchasing to inventory management. While this has improved productivity and accuracy in supply chain...

How accurate is your supply inventory?(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The average hospital item master--or inventory of every supply item a hospital uses--has 40,000-50,000 items. Over the course of one year, 30 percent of the total line items will become incorrect. January 1 100% Correct December 31...

The missing link that's eating away at your bottom line.
January 1, 2006... What exactly does integrating the supply chain and the revenue cycle entail? A foundational step is linking the item master and the chargemaster, which are usually found on two separate computer systems. The chargemaster is usually part of...

Contract terms can curtail costs of new medical devices.(Low-Hanging Fruit)
January 1, 2006... Is your hospital paying for expensive new medical devices that vendors convince physicians to try out? Here are two simple ways to curtail these unexpected costs: * Add a term to your supplier contracts that says something like this: "New...

Clean supply data reveal savings opportunities.
January 1, 2006... Like most hospital systems. Genesis HealthCare System, in Zanesville, Ohio, spends a lot on supplies--up to $75 million annually. Like other hospitals, we used to have difficulty researching how the money was being spent because the condition...

Equipping for obese patients is a costly undertaking.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Hospitals can expect to pay up to five times more for equipment that is specially reinforced for obese patients. Take wheelchairs. One major hospital system pays $915 for an oversized wheelchair versus $165 for a standard chair. Adopting a...

Accounting/ auditing services.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... Advantium 105 Executive Parkway, Suite 100 Hudson, OH 44236 800/807-4603, Fax: 330/656-3773 Alexander, Aronson, Finning & Co., CPA 21E. Main Street Westborough, MA 01581 508/366-9100, Fax: 508/366-9789 ...

Appraisal/valuation services.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... Anchor Planning & Valuations, Ltd. 1010 Jorie Boulevard, Suite 380 Oak Brook, IL 60523 800/898-3048, Fax: 630/573-9930 Anchor Planning & Valuations, Ltd., provides fair market value appraisals, strategic valuation services,...

Benchmarking data services.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... 3M Health Information Systems 575 W. Murray Boulevard Murray, UT 84123 800/367-2447, Fax: 801/263-3658 www.3mhis.com 3M Health Information Systems is an international leader in clinical information management, with...

Capital equipment purchase/leasing.(Brief Article)(Directory)
January 1, 2006... Celtic Leasing 4 Park Plaza, Suite 300 Irvine, CA 92614 866/3-CELTIC, Fax: 949/263-1331 www.celticleasing.com Celtic Leasing is a nationwide full-service equipment lessor specializing in middle market lease transactions...

Collection and A/R recovery services.(VENDOR LISTING)
January 1, 2006... 1st NationWide Resources Group, Inc. 99 Long Court, Suite 201 Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 805/413-1426, Fax: 805/373-5531 www.1st-nationwide.com 1st NationWide Resources Group, Inc., operates as a highly focused company with...

Compliance/Fraud & Abuse.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... 3M Health Information Systems 575 W. Murray Boulevard Murray, UT 84123 800/367-2447, Fax: 801/263-3658 www.3mhis.com 3M Health Information Systems is an international leader in clinical information management, including...

Computer software.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... A4 Health Systems 5501 Dillard Drive Cary, NC 27511 888/672-3282, Fax: 919/851-5991 www.a4healthsystems.com Also see our listing on page 175. Accenx Technologies, Inc. 7 Corporate Park, Suite 160 Irvine, CA 92606 ...

Consulting services.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... 3d Health, Inc. 1118 W. Fulton Market Chicago, IL 60607 312/423-2670, Fax: 312/423-2679 www.3dhealthinc.com At 3d Health, our mission is straightforward: to work with healthcare organizations to identify, evaluate, and seize...

Contract management services.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... ARAMARK Healthcare 1101 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 800/909-7373, Fax: 215/413-8815 www.aramarkhealthcare.com ARAMARK Healthcare Management Services provides nonclinical services including food, facility, and...

Decision support systems/services.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... 3M Health Information Systems 575 W. Murray Boulevard Murray, UT 84123 800/367-2447, Fax: 801/263-3658 www.3mhis.com 3M Health Information Systems provides sophisticated tools and services to capture, classify, and...

Document management products.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... BlueChip Technologies, Ltd. 24 Cherry Hill Drive Danvers, MA 01923 978/564-2000, Fax: 978/564-2001 Business Strategy, Inc. 944 52nd Street S.E. Grand Rapids, Ml 49508 616/261-2200, Fax: 616/261-2066 Castelle...

EDI products/services.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... The Data Systems Group 2322 Capitol Avenue Sacramento, CA 95816 800/568-7553, Fax: 916/443-8254 www.datasystemsgroup.com Founded in 1970, The Data Systems Group designs and develops systems for healthcare information,...

Education/training.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... Altarum Institute 4401 Ford Avenue Alexandria, VA 22302 703/575-1673, Fax: 703/575-5347 www.altarum.org Altarum's credentialed professionals, experienced with full compliant revenue cycle management, assist organizations...

Energy management services.(Brief Article)(Directory)
January 1, 2006... Hill Mechanical Group 4241 N. Ravenswood Avenue Chicago, IL 60613 773/929-6600, Fax: 773/929-9549 UTC Carrier-Strategic Partnerships Group 5 Hemlock Street Latham, NY 12110 518/220-2044 x639, Fax: 518/220-2051

Executive search firms/staffing.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... Advantegrity, LLC 18624 Detroit Avenue, Suite 200 Cleveland, OH 44107 216/228-1498, Fax: 216/228-2704 Aegis Group Search Consultants, LLC 41451 W. 11 Mile Road Novi, MI 48375-1855 248/344-1450, Fax: 248/347-2231...

Facilities design and construction.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... AMDC 10 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 2290 Chicago, IL 60606 888/782-2632, Fax: 312/756-9301 www.amdchealth.com Since 1984, AMDC has delivered customized, comprehensive real estate and facility solutions for hospitals and...

Facilities management.(Brief Article)(Directory)
January 1, 2006... ARAMARK Healthcare 1101 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 800/909-7373, Fax: 215/413-8815 Also see our listings on pages 119 and 156. ARCHIBUS, Inc. 18 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02108 617/227-2508, Fax:...

Financial planning models.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... BDO Seidman, LLP 3200 Bristol Street Costa Mesa, CA 92626 714/957-3200, Fax: 714/957-1080 Also see our listings on pages 79, 98, 153, 166, and 175. Business Objects 13190 S.W. 68th Parkway Portland, OR 97223 ...

Financial services.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... Accuro Healthcare Solutions 14241 Dallas Parkway, Suite 800 Dallas, TX 75254 972/755-6500, Fax: 972/755-6501 www.accurohealthcare.com Accuro Healthcare Solutions helps healthcare providers improve their financial position...

Group purchasing organizations.(Brief Article)(Directory)
January 1, 2006... Amerinet, Inc. 2060 Craigshire Road St. Louis, MO 63146 800/388-2638, Fax: 314/542-1999 Broadlane 40 Gold Street San Francisco, CA 94133 866/BROADLN www.broadlane.com Broadlane is the group procurement...

Healthcare publications.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... The Academy of Healthcare Revenue 2701 University Avenue, # 452 Madison, W153705 888/700-5223, Fax: 8881700-5959 Billian's HealthDATA Group 2100 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 300 Atlanta, GA 30339 800/533-8484, Fax:...

Home care products/services.(Brief Article)(Directory)
January 1, 2006... 3M Health Information Systems 575 W. Murray Boulevard Murray, UT 84123 800/367-2447, Fax: 801/263-3658 www.3mhis.com 3M Home Health Systems' integrated home care management system provides a wide range of standard report...

Human resources/employee benefits.(Brief Article)(Directory)
January 1, 2006... API Software, Inc. 1550 Innovation Way Hartford, W153027 262/673-6815, Fax: 262/673-2650 www.apisoftwareinc.com API Software, Inc., offers best-of-suite, real-time information time/attendance, scheduling/staffing,...

Information systems.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... 3M Health Information Systems 575 W. Murray Boulevard Murray, UT 84123 800/367-2447, Fax: 801/263-3658 www.3mhis.com 3M Health Information Systems provides sophisticated tools and services to capture, classify, and...

Insurance products/services.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee 801 Pine Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2555 800/924-7141, Fax: 423/763-3334 First Niagara Risk Management 7481 Henry Clay Boulevard Liverpool, NY 13088 800/852-7954, Fax:...

Investment banking.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. 1675 Broadway, Suite 2700 Denver, CO 80202 303/893-5300, Fax: 303/893-9313 Bittel Financial Advisors 1319 Montgomery Avenue Wynnewood, PA 19096 610/896-6446, Fax: 610/896-6155 Cain...

Investment products/services.(Brief Article)(Directory)
January 1, 2006... Commonfund 15 Old Danbury Road Wilton, CT 06897 203/563-5265, Fax: 203/563-5565 D.B. Fitzpatrick & Co., Inc. 225 N. Ninth, Suite 810 Boise, ID 83702 208/342-2280, Fax: 208/342-2448 Halbert, Hargrove/Russell...

Managed care products/services.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... American Medical Review, Inc. 2980 Hartley Road, Suite 1 Jacksonville, FL 32257 800/576-6966, Fax: 904/288-8811 www.americanmedicalreview.com Apogee Consulting Group 1111 North Loop W., Suite 1020 Houston, TX...

Materials management.(VENDOR LISTING)(Directory)
January 1, 2006... AdvanTech, Inc. 2661 Riva Road, Suite 1000 Annapolis, MD 21401-7471 410/266-8000, Fax: 410/266-8842 ARAMARK Healthcare 1101 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 800/909-7373, Fax: 215/413-8815 Also see our...

Office equipment/furniture.(Brief Article)(Directory)
January 1, 2006... Anthro Corporation 10450 S.W. Manhasset Drive Tualatin, OR 97062 800/325-3841, Fax: 800/325-0045 Brayton International 250 Swathmore Avenue High Point, NC 27263 800/627-6770, Fax: 888/413-5161 Ergotron ...

Online supply purchasing.(Brief Article)(Directory)
January 1, 2006... MCOT 2004 American Way, Suite 101 Kingsport, TN 37660 800/964-6268, Fax: 423/230-4102 Ormed Information Systems, Ltd. 10216-124th Street, Suite 700 Edmonton, AB T5N 4A3 Canada 780/482-7200, Fax: 780/482-6886 ...

Outsourcing services.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... A PFS Group 7670 Woodway, Suite 250 Houston, TX 77063 877/784-4410, Fax: 713/784-4499 www.pfsgroup.org We provide business process outsourcing services exclusively to the healthcare industry. We offer strategic...

Patient accounts management/business office.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... 3M Health Information Systems 575 W. Murray Boulevard Murray, UT 84123 800/367-2447, Fax: 801/263-3658 www.3mhis.com 3M's advanced software tools and services are designed to capture, classify, and manage accurate...

Patient record products/services.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... Addressograph Healthcare 450 Weaver Street Rocky Mount, VA 24151 800/552-3282, Fax: 540/489-4393 ChartOne, Inc. 3 New England Executive Park, Suite 200 Burlington, MA 01803 800/733-2679, Fax: 800/878-3631 ...

Physician practice acquisition services.(Brief Article)(Directory)
January 1, 2006... The Scheye Group Ltd. 5455 N. Sheridan Road, #808 Chicago, IL 60640 773/989-9315

Physician practice management.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... A4 Health Systems 5501 Dillard Drive Cary, NC 27511 888/672-3282, Fax: 919/851-5991 www.a4healthsystems.com Also see our listing on page 101. Accumedic Computer Systems, Inc. 11 Grace Avenue Great Neck, NY...

Professional member/ trade organization.(Brief Article)(Directory)
January 1, 2006... American Association of Healthcare, Administrative Management (AAHAM) 11240 Waples Mill Road, #200 Fairfax, VA 22030 703/281-4043, Fax: 703/359-7562 American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) 233...

Reimbursement services.(VENDOR LISTING)
January 1, 2006... Account Recovery Corporation 1900 Wazee Street, Suite 205 Denver, CO 80203 888/528-6700, Fax: 303/839-4377 Adler Advisory Services 1445 N. Genesee Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90046 323/878-2633, Fax: 323/878-2634 ...

Telecommunications equipment/services.(Brief Article)(Directory)
January 1, 2006... Advance Consulting Solutions 364 Princeton Drive Costa Mesa, CA 92626 818/321-2312 AHA Solutions, Inc. 1 North Franklin, Suite 3000 Chicago, IL 60606 312/895-2546, Fax: 312/895-2501 www.aha.org IMCO...

Time and attendance systems.(Brief Article)(Directory)
January 1, 2006... API Software, Inc. 1550 Innovation Way Hartford, W153027 262/673-6815, Fax: 262/673-2650 www.apisoftwareinc.com API Software, Inc. offers best-of-suite, real-time information time/attendance, scheduling/staffing,...

Economic disparities, lack of insurance, and pricing practices continue to affect healthcare access.(Uninsured/Underinsured)
January 1, 2006... As health care gobbles up an ever-larger share of the U.S. economy, the inability or unwillingness to ensure equal access to high-quality health care is fueling a widening rift between rich and poor Americans, according to a study by the Center...

This is news?(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2006... Overall hospitals prices increased 0.4 percent in September 2005, and were 3.7 percent higher than a year ago, the Bureau Labor Statistics reported.

CMS.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2006... HFMA staff review CMS notices regularly for transmittals that affect healthcare financial managers, and post links to those transmittals on HFMA's web site. For links to these and other key transmittals, bookmark HFMA's Internet Guide to...

Baby boom 2?(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2006... U.S. rose by nearly 1 percent in 2004 to 4.1 million, according to preliminary data released in October 2005 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Pediatricians, we hope.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2006... More than 17,000 new students enrolled in the nation's 125 medical schools for 2005-06-the largest entering class on record, according to the Association 0f American Medical Colleges.

Pressure growing for healthcare IT adoption.(Healthcare IT)
January 1, 2006... The end of 2005 saw significant activity intended to push the nation toward greater healthcare IT sophistication. On Nov. 18, 2005, the Senate unanimously passed the Wired for Health Care Quality Act (S.1418), which would provide...

Federal register.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... HFMA staff review the Federal Register daily for information that affects healthcare financial managers, and post links to the Federal Register on HFMA's web site (www.hfma.org/members_only/federal_register.cfm). CMS has published a final...

U.S. perspective.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2006... Healthcare costs rank seventh on the list of U.S. CEOs' top 10 challenges, but only 52nd globally; 37.5 percent identified steady top-line growth as their top challenge, according to a survey by The Conference Board.

Pay for performance works, says CMS ...(Quality of Care)
January 1, 2006... The quality of care has improved significantly in hospitals participating in Medicare's first pay-for-performance demonstration project, the Premier Hospital Quality Incentive, CMS reported Nov. 14, 2005. Medicare has awarded $ 8.85 million to...

Education needed here.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2006... Nearly 21 million Americans-about 7 percent of the population--have diabetes, and more than 6 million of them do not know they have the condition, says tee CDC.

... But challenges persist, says study.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2006... Although pay-for-performance programs can improve both medical care and quality of life by giving healthcare providers a financial incentive to seek measurable improvements in the health of their patients, pay for performance is not a magic...

Small gains.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2006... Premiums in 2005 increased 8 percent over 2004, the smallest increase in five years, according to health plans that responded to a Milliman survey. PPO premiums for standard benefit plans also increased 8 percent; those for high-deductible...

Leapin' lawsuits!(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2006... Healthcare companies lace an average of 64 pending lawsuits each, compared with an average of 37 each for all types of U.S. companies, according to law firm Fulbright & Jaworski. Energy companies had the next highest average number of pending...

New CMS physician voluntary reporting program begins.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... In January, CMS will launch the first phase of a new program that allows physicians to voluntarily report information on the quality of care they provide to Medicare beneficiaries. Physicians, physician organizations, and other experts have...

Study: consumer-directed plans find support from employers.(Consumer-Directed Health Care)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... U.S. employers are increasingly turning to consumer-directed health plans such as health savings accounts with the expectation they will help control rising healthcare costs, according to a Deloitte Center for Health Solutions survey of U.S....

MDs on HSAs.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2006... Some 34 percent of physician groups surveyed said they believed health savings accounts benefit patients, while 68 percent said such plans are good for employers, according to a survey by the Medical Group Management Association and Visa USA.

Overview 2005: looking for a word that best describes the past year in health care? "Tempestuous" comes to mind.(STATE POLICY WATCH)
January 1, 2006... Dominating the list of state healthcare priorities in 2005 were Medicaid, implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act, the uninsured, and Hurricane Katrina. Medicaid In January, legislators and governors were steeled to make...

Absence of a national health policy needs to be addressed.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... Dear Editor, I was particularly interested to read the letter to the editor in the November issue of hfm by Arthur Cusack entitled, "HFMA Should Applaud Consumer-Directed Care," and the reply by HFMA President Richard Clarke. The...

Overhead.(quality in patients care)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... "We are seeing that pay for performance works. We are seeing increased quality of care for patients, which will mean fewer costly complications-exactly what we should be paying for in Medicare." --Mar McClellan, administrator for the...

Rocky mountain high: Will Barnes is reaching new heights in Colorado, where he is an avid mountain climber.(Member Spotlight)
January 1, 2006... For Barnes, the Best form of relaxation is sheer physical exhaustion. Barnes, a member of HFMA's Colorado Chapter, has scaled every peak in Colorado above 14,000 feet--54 in all. He's also climbed in the Tetons, the Sierras, and the...

The Power of Clinical and Financial Metrics: achieving success in your hospital.(Bookshelf)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... In The Power of Clinical and Financial Metrics, Steven Berger challenges those hospitals that are not meeting performance expectations to institute rigorous metrics with corresponding actions that support meeting and exceeding these metrics....

Kissing Dis-Ease.(ETCETERA)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Because affections could interfere with afflictions, a Norwegian hospital has opened "kiss and drive" lanes so staffers can kiss loved ones goodbye without blocking ambulances. Staff at the St. Olaves Hospital in Tronheim used to stop their...