Healthcare Financial Management articles from January 2007

Healthcare Financial Management archives from January 2007

Hospital-physician rift leads to "medical arms race" and endangers emergency care, says study.(Healthcare Quality)
January 1, 2007... Deteriorating relations between hospitals and physicians are imperiling a wide range of healthcare objectives, reported researchers from the Center for Studying Health System Change in early December. One consequence of the unraveling...

CMS.(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulations for health care industry's prices for using different medical supplies)
January 1, 2007... ... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released instructions on calculating reasonable charges for claims for splints, casts, dialysis supplies, and certain intraocular lenses furnished in CY07. The payment limit for splints and...

A spreading problem.(obesity problem in Europe)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A SPREADING PROBLEM: The United States isn't the only country with a growing obesity problem. According to the Associated Press, the prevalence of obesity in Europe has tripled in the past 20 years; half of all adults and 20% of all children...

In fewer we trust.(adults surveyed about their trust in hospitals )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... IN FEWER WE TRUST: According to an annual poll by Harris Interactive, the percentage of 2,010 adults surveyed who perceived hospitals as generally trustworthy tell to 28% this year, down from 34% in 2005. Hospitals ranked behind supermarkets...

OK, so we're older--but are we wiser?(infant mortality)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... OK, SO WE'RE OLDER--BUT ARE WE WISER? U.S. life expectancy at birth is at a record high, reaching 77.9 years in 2004-up from 75.4 in 1990, according to the latest statistics from the CDC. Infant mortality improved, too, falling to 6.8 deaths...

Medicare Part D hasn't affected most states' budgets: study.(State Watch)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Only 12 states report that they are paying more for drug coverage under the Medicare Part D drug benefit, according to a recent survey of Medicaid officials in 47 states. The study, conducted by the National Association of State Medicaid...

Cost of protecting the entire country? Priceless.(government finance for H5N1 virus and antiviral agents preventing avian influenza )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... COST OF PROTECTING THE ENTIRE COUNTRY? PRICELESS HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt has reported that the federal government has stockpiled enough vaccine to inoculate about 3 million Americans against the H5N1 virus and 16 million courses of antiviral...

Study shows Americans still not enthusiastic about CDHPs.(consumer-directed health plans)
January 1, 2007... Americans have not yet warmed to consumer-directed health plans, and satisfaction continues to lag when compared with more comprehensive health insurance, according to a survey released in December by the Employee Benefit Research Institute and...

Federal register.(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulations for hospitals and its services)
January 1, 2007... ... CMS has issued a final rule (Federal Register, Nov. 27, 2006) revising the requirements regarding hospital conditions of participation for completion of history and physical examinations, authentication of verbal orders, securing...

Do we detect a note of cynicism?(survey on purchasing drugs from other countries)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... DO WE DETECT A NOTE OF CYNICISM? An AARP Bulletin poll reported in November that 64% of adults surveyed favor legalizing the purchase of prescription drugs from other countries, 54% think reimportation hasn't been legalized because of drug...

What's wrong with this picture?(workers surveyed about their health)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?: According to the employee engagement poll released by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, 44% of employees surveyed considered themselves to be in above-average health, yet only one in five reported...

HFMA approves new accounting guidelines for reporting charity care and bad debt.(Healthcare Financial Management Association)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... HFMA's Board of Directors, at its November 2006 meeting, approved revised accounting guidelines for the reporting of uncompensated care. The Board approved recommendations made by the Association's Principles and Practices Board on Statement...

Increasing competition one of top health industry trends of '07: study.(Quick Hits: Top News Stories of the Month)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A major trend that will affect physicians and hospitals in 2007 is the increasing competition from retailers that have opened health mini-clinics, predicts PricewaterhouseCooper's Health Research Institute in its new report, The Top Seven...

Many uninsured ineligible for public programs: study.(Quick Hits: Top News Stories of the Month)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Fifty-six percent of the nation's uninsured residents are ineligible for public programs but do not have enough resources to purchase coverage themselves, researchers from the Urban Institute report in Health Affairs online.

Medicare drug benefit cost less than expected in 2006.(Quick Hits: Top News Stories of the Month)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Medicare Part D has cost the government 30 percent less than expected this year--a savings of $13 billion--which the Bush administration attributes to competition among insurers offering the drug benefit.

Medicare advantage plans paid $5.2 billion more than fee-for-service program.(Quick Hits: Top News Stories of the Month)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Private Medicare Advantage plans were paid an average 12-4 percent more per enrollee in 2005 compared with what the same enrollees would have cost in the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program, according to a new report from the...

N.Y. Commission recommends closing 9 hospitals, restructuring 48 others.(Quick Hits: Top News Stories of the Month)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Nine hospitals in New York state have been earmarked for closure by the state Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century. The long-awaited recommendations by the commission, which was charged with "rightsizing institutions" to...

Dynamic duo.(Doc Coulter and John Streibel player bridge game)
January 1, 2007... Doc Coulter and longtime friend John Streibel have a passion for duplicate bridge. Duane "Doc" Coulter has matched wits with Bill Gates and competed against professional bridge players while seated at a square table with a set of cards in...

Consumers believe greed is the reason for rising healthcare costs.(Survey Says)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Nine out of 10 Americans believe that greed is a major reason why U.S. healthcare costs are rising, according to a recent report released by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. A nationwide survey of healthcare perceptions of 1,000 Americans found...

Forget the pharmacy: these physicians offer prescription drug vending machines.(Strange, but True)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A group of physicians in Pennsylvania have found a way to increase patient convenience while generating extra revenue: By providing prescription drug vending machines that dispense generic medications at competitive prices. One...

Product Line Management: how far have we come?(20 Years Ago in hfm)
January 1, 2007... The January 1987 cover article of hfm, "Product Line Management: Will It Work in Health Care?," discussed the pressures that many hospitals were beginning to feel to run their organizations more like businesses, rather than taking a passive or...

HFMA Highlights: inpatient Psychiatric Facility PPS Final Rule for Rate Year 2007.(Healthcare Financial Management Association)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... HFMA Highlights: Inpatient Psychiatric Facility PPS Final Rule for Rate Year 2007. Under the Inpatient Psychiatric Facility PPS Final Rule for RY07, Medicare payments to IPFs will increase, on average, by 4 percent for discharges occurring on...

Principles & Practices Board Statement 15: Valuation and Financial Statement Presentation of Charity Care and Bad Debts by Institutional Healthcare Providers.(Site Seeing)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Principles & Practices Board Statement 15: Valuation and Financial Statement Presentation of Charity Care and Bad Debts by Institutional Healthcare Providers. The Principles and Practices Board has updated its accounting guidance on the correct...

Healthcare finance 101.(Courage IN LEADERSHIP)(Column)
January 1, 2007... I'm not a teacher, at least not professionally. I come from a family of teachers, however. My grandmother was a teacher. My mom taught kindergarten for 22 years. One of my sisters is an assistant principal; another is a high school counselor....

Steven T. Miller: the IRS perspective on charity care.(Internal Revenue Service)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... The IRS is scrutinizing how tax-exempt hospitals are presenting charity care in their financial statements. At issue is whether not-for-profit hospitals provide enough charity care to qualify for tax-exempt status. Steven T. Miller,...

Organization as a leadership skill.(FROM THE EDITOR)(Editorial)
January 1, 2007... Benjamin Franklin listed 13 virtues necessary to "succeed in life with good character." The list included virtues such as frugality and moderation. The virtue he had the most trouble achieving was order. Franklin defined order as "Let all...

HFMA announces nominees for board leadership.(Healthcare Financial Management Association appointed Robert L. Broadway, Catherine A. Jacobson and Thomas S. Albanesi, Jr.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... HFMA is pleased to announce that the Association's Board of Directors has selected the following members to stand for nomination to the Board. Chairman-Elect for 2007-08: Robert L. Broadway, FHFMA, vice president, corporate strategy,...

HFMA employees help hurricane victims through habitat for humanity.(Healthcare Financial Management Association)
January 1, 2007... Four HFMA employees and two of their children spent their Thanksgiving holiday in hurricane-ravaged areas of Louisiana, where they worked on new houses for those who lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina and helped to restore a church that had...

Big business, where are you? Health care is again on the table in Washington. And the U.S. business community should be invited to dinner.(Bill Clinton's health policy regulating health insurance industry)
January 1, 2007... When speaking before groups, I often ask the question, "Who supported the Clinton health plan back in 1993-94?" Labor Democrats opposed it; generous union contracts guaranteed them womb-to-tomb coverage paid for almost entirely by employers....

Reasonable value of noncontracted emergency services 3 health plan myths.(MANAGED CARE)(Industry overview)
January 1, 2007... One of the most hotly disputed issues in managed care today is what should be paid for noncontracted emergency services. A hospital has an obligation to provide, and a plan has an obligation to pay for, emergency services to all subscribers who...

Medicare changes likely to ignite interest in joint ventures.(MEDICARE/MEDICAID)
January 1, 2007... Hospitals have historically enjoyed the lucrative revenue stream generated from surgical and diagnostic imaging procedures. However, the explosion in the number of physician-owned ambulatory surgical centers, as well as advancements in medical...

Follow the leader: does your leadership inspire confidence? Learn how to evaluate your leadership skills--and how to make the most of what you learn.
January 1, 2007... "The people who really succeed in this field have a vision. They have a high degree of motivation, and they are out to make things better--to do good and to change the world on whatever scale they can. They work hard, they have an end in mind,...

Take this job and love it: if your staff won the lottery tomorrow, would they show up for work?(FEATURE STORY)
January 1, 2007... What does it take to get your employees excited about their jobs? Money is a common benefit of working, but money isn't everything. Most people are happy to receive what they consider fair compensation for their j oh, but they also want other...

Connecting (with) the docs: health systems that own physician practices need to bear in mind that physician practices have operational requirements that are significantly different from those of hospitals.(FEATURE STORY)
January 1, 2007... In Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, John Gray discusses the difference in communication styles between men and women. The suggestions he offers for improvement can be applied to another communication-challenged pair: health systems and...

A heart for change: drawing analogies between change management principles and a healthy cardiovascular system could help you better communicate a model for change to clinicians.(FEATURE STORY)
January 1, 2007... The heart of any hospital is the quality of care and service provided for patients, who are the lifeblood of healthcare organizations. Providing high-quality care in the face of increasing economic and regulatory pressures often requires...

Black space versus white space the new revenue cycle battleground: many providers assume their out-of-network claims (their "black space") are being paid at billed charges--but they often aren't. By tracking their black space, providers can increase their revenue by 8 percent to 10 percent.(FEATURE STORY)
January 1, 2007... As the healthcare insurance market migrated from fee-for-service to managed care in the 1980s and 1990s, a troubling development related to preferred provider organizations emerged--the "silent PPO." As defined by Stephen Messinger and Terri...

Call of the riled addressing the financial impact of ED call coverage: what are the major factors underlying the pay-for-call trend? And what can healthcare financial managers do to ease the impact on the bottom line?(FEATURE STORY)
January 1, 2007... In recent years, clinical call coverage agreements between hospitals and physicians have been changing due to demographic, strategic, and operational trends. The result is that physicians are less willing to provide coverage unless they are...

Disaster management using Internet-based technology: Internet-based disaster management technology can help lighten operational challenges and financial burdens.(FEATURE STORY)
January 1, 2007... New York University's Downtown Hospital treated 1,500 people who were injured in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and its aftermath. Located less than five blocks from Ground Zero, the hospital functioned despite a...

All in a day's work counting days for Medicare reimbursement purposes: changes in the Medicare program over time have not only altered the significance and use of patient days in determining Medicare payments, but also muddied the waters somewhat as to what exactly is a patient day.(FEATURE STORY)
January 1, 2007... Patient day statistics are a very significant component of several Medicare payment calculations, including, for example, graduate medical education payments and disproportionate share hospital payments. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid...

P&P Board Statement 15: valuation and financial statement presentation of charity care and bad debts by institutional healthcare providers.
January 1, 2007... Table of Contents I. Introduction II. The Importance of Properly Reporting Charity Care and Bad Debts III. Criteria for Charity Care IV. Timing of Charity Care Eligibility Determinations V. Recordkeeping for...

Baptist Health Care's standards of performance.(human resource management)
January 1, 2007... Baptist Health Care, based in Pensacola, Fla., has established standards of performance for all of its employees. Written in 1996 by a cross-representation of employees serving on the Standards Team, the standards of performance define how...

Providing meaningful pricing information.(hfma roundtable)
January 1, 2007... Many patients today are more aware of the costs of their health care as their portion of payment responsibility increases. Yet hospitals find providing them with meaningful estimates before they receive healthcare services often proves to be a...

Transforming financials into exponential change: look beyond the bottom line, and focus on your organization's complete financial health through effective reporting and data analysis.(LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT)
January 1, 2007... How a healthcare organization uses its financial data will greatly affect its performance. Having been a part of several healthcare organizations for 35 years, I've seen two camps emerge related to processing data. The first camp is led by...

The role of the hospital board in the IT agenda: IT is an increasingly hot topic for hospital boards--and one that can challenge board members, who may not have any background or experience in this area to draw from when making critical decisions about the organization's IT strategy.(information technology)
January 1, 2007... There are three primary reasons for the elevation of the IT agenda. Investments in IT can be a critical element of organizational strategies and plans. When hospitals make plans to advance patient safety, streamline the revenue cycle, and...

Take your community benefit reporting to the next level: does your community benefit program have enough benefit? More important, can you prove that it does?(NEW REVENUE GROWTH)
January 1, 2007... As more and more states and local municipalities scrutinize hospital records to see if they indeed qualify for tax-exempt status based on some measure of "community benefit," the need to advance those programs to higher levels of reporting...

Measuring up investment policies and practices in not-for-profit health care: investment management is an area that lends itself to quantitative analysis to produce information that can inform and guide your decision making.(CAPITAL FINANCE)
January 1, 2007... The questions that such information can help answer are asked over and over again in every quarter of society--by organizations and individuals. How is our healthcare organization doing--especially compared with others that are like us? Are our...

Calendar.
January 1, 2007... NATIONAL EVENTS January 22-24 This conference will offer you insight on Critical Access topics such as the Chargemaster/cost report Hospitals Conference review, expense management, and capturing Phoenix ...

Yolanda Castro (Puerto Rico Chapter).(appointed at Medicare Fiscal Intermediary )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Ms. Castro has been promoted from systems security officer, Medicare Fiscal Intermediary division, to compliance officer, Medicare Advantage division, Cooperativa de Seguros de Vida de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Ryan Hampton (North Carolina Chapter).(appointed at PayStream Advisors)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Mr. Hampton has been appointed director of operations and director of healthcare solutions, PayStream Advisors, Inc., Charlotte, N.C. Previously, he was director of revenue recovery services, Concuity, Inc., Chicago.

Lynn Lambert, FHFMA, CPA (Tennessee Chapter).(PEOPLE)
January 1, 2007... Ms. Lambert has been appointed senior vice president of finance and CFO, Brim Healthcare, Brentwood, Tenn. Previously, she was CFO, Gateway Health System, Clarksville, Tenn.

Bruce J. Adler (Metropolitan New York Chapter).(PEOPLE)
January 1, 2007... Mr. Adler has joined Tatum Healthcare Consulting, Atlanta, as national practice leader, revenue cycle management. Formerly, he was principal, KPMG, LLP, Short Hills, N.J.

Patrick McDermott (First Illinois Chapter).(appointed at Resurrection Health Care)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Mr. McDermott has been appointed senior vice president, revenue services, Resurrection Health Care, Chicago. He had been revenue cycle operations executive, Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, Ohio.

Stan Moser (Montana Chapter).(PEOPLE)
January 1, 2007... Mr. Moser has been named CFO, Mount Kisco Medical Group, Mount Kisco, N.Y. He had been CFO, Billings Clinic, Billings, Mont.

Angela Richmond (Arkansas Chapter).(appointed at Community Medical Center)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Ms. Richmond has been appointed CEO/president, Community Medical Center of Izard County, Calico Rock, Ark. Previously, she was director of finance, Ozarks Medical Center, West Plains, Mo.

Thomas J. Zuke, CPA (Maine Chapter).(PEOPLE)
January 1, 2007... Mr. Zuke has been appointed CFO, Martin's Point Health Care, Portland, Maine. Formerly, he was director of fiscal services, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, Dover, N.H.

Bert Amison (Lone Star Chapter).(PEOPLE)
January 1, 2007... Mr. Amison has been promoted from director to managing director, KPMG, Dallas.

Chuck Betz (Metropolitan New York Chapter).(appointed at Specialized Receivables Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Mr. Betz has joined Specialized Receivables, Inc., Wakefield, Mass., as regional sales executive. Previously, he was director of sales and marketing, Medical Account Services, Wantagh, N.Y.

Susan Butzko (Eastern Michigan Chapter).(PEOPLE)
January 1, 2007... Ms. Butzko has been named lead reimbursement analyst, Health Alliance Plan, Southfield, Mich. She had been senior reimbursement analyst, M-CARE, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Marc Mertz (Florida Chapter).(PEOPLE)
January 1, 2007... Mr. Mertz has been promoted from senior vice president to president, Health Check Incorporated, Mexico Beach, Fla.

Medicare inpatient ICU and CCU charges rising faster than other nursing charges.(intensive care units, critical care units)
January 1, 2007... A review of Medicare admissions at short-term, acute care hospitals over the past five years shows charges for intensive and critical care unit services have increased at rates far higher than charges for other nursing departments. Average...

In charity care reporting, consistency is king: how much? That is the question everyone seems to be asking about charity care. HFMA has just released guidance that will help answer that question.(Healthcare Financial Management Association)
January 1, 2007... HFMA members are only too well aware that the growing number of uninsured and underinsured patients is fueling an increase in the amount of charity care hospitals are providing. This increase has also fueled the need among various stakeholders...