Healthcare Financial Management articles from January 2008

Healthcare Financial Management archives from January 2008

'To be an indispensable resource for healthcare finance'.(HFMA PROFILE)(Healthcare Financial Management Association)
January 1, 2008... 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 to prepare the...

HFMA thanks its Level Sponsors! * HFMA appreciates the generous support and contributions of its Level Sponsors, which provide invaluable funding to help HFMA achieve its mission. Sponsorship contributions assist HFMA in reducing members' costs, funding special projects, and offering more resources to help members and their organizations excel.
January 1, 2008... Diamond Level Sponsor 3M Health Information Systems is the focused expert in healthcare funding and performance management solutions. Built on nearly 25 years of experience delivering superior coding, grouping and abstracting products, 3M...

HFMA chapters opportunities and resources.(HFMA CHAPTER ESSENTIALS)(Healthcare Financial Management Association)(Organization overview)
January 1, 2008... 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 68 chapters. Local chapter membership brings immediate opportunities for...

2008 HFMA seminars and meetings.(Healthcare Financial Management Association)(Calendar)
January 1, 2008... CONFERENCES AND SPECIAL EVENTS February 10-12 Executive Summit: The CFO Imperative--Healthcare Reform, Physician Alignment, and the Changing Payment System Phoenix April 13-15 Leadership Training Conference San...

An essential tool for quality assessment: choosing a product or service? HFMA's Peer Review process makes you a smart shopper.(HFMA PEER REVIEW)(Healthcare Financial Management Association)
January 1, 2008... How do healthcare financial leaders learn whether a product or service is credible in the market? Say, for instance, they are seeking a pricing, charge capture, revenue, or chargemaster system or an outsourced service to ensure Medicare...

E-learning now available through more technology partners.(E-LEARNING)(services of online education by Healthcare Financial Management Association)
January 1, 2008... After a couple of years of adding new e-learning courses and updating older ones, HFMA's e-learning team has focused this year on bringing customers more options for the platforms on which the e-learning is run. Several new technology partners...

Timely take-aways ... in every HFMA newsletter issue.(HFMA NEWSLETTERS)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Each HFMA newsletter provides the type of practical, hands-on information and strategies that executives and managers can put to use in the daily work of improving their organizations' financial health. Sample these...

Quality reporting reducing the nurse burden: the nurse was slumped in her chair, obviously tired, with a daunting stack of charts piled in front of her. As she passed by, Lillee Smith Gelinas, RN, MSN, FAAN, vice president and CNO for VHA Inc., offered the nurse a word of encouragement about her long workday--only to learn that the nurse was not officially on duty.(THE BUSINESS OF CARING)(Reprint)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Here's a nurse on her day off, coming in to extract data so she could go into a performance improvement committee the following day," says Gelinas. Like most nurse leaders, Gelinas is enthusiastically on board...

MedAssist, Incorporated: imagine your revenue cycle all in sync.(CORPORATE PROFILE)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Is your revenue cycle out of sync? MedAssist can help you navigate through your accounts receivable. We are your one source solution to managing the A/R challenge. MedAssist provides the professional excellence...

Amerinet: total spend management solutions.(CORPORATE PROFILE)
January 1, 2008... As a leading health care group purchasing organization, Amerinet strategically partners with health care decision makers to enhance the delivery of high quality care. Challenges Amerinet understands the challenges health care providers...

Creating a successful CNO-CFO partnership: it's difficult to measure the return on investing in a good relationship with your CFO. But Spectrum Health Hospital's Shawn Ulreich, MSN, RN, is certain of one thing: "It takes less time to do things when you have a good partnership.".(THE BUSINESS OF CARING)(Reprint)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Case in point: Somebody says finance did X, which might be perceived as unfair. "Well, you could easily say, 'There goes that finance department again,'" says Ulreich, who is CNO and vice president of patient care...

Healthcare system-owned collection agencies: why would a hospital, with all its complexity, want to start its own collection agency?(REVENUE CYCLE STRATEGIST)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Many healthcare providers view collections as a task best left to the experts and employ an outside collection agency. But others see collections as a part of the revenue cycle that they want to oversee, influence,...

HELP Financial Corporation: customized patient loan programs since 1989.(CORPORATE PROFILE)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Founded in 1989 to fill a void in patient financial services, the Hospital Expense Loan Program is the largest patient loan program operating nationally, successful in both small rural hospitals and large national...

Increasing downstream revenue and market visibility with spine centers.(MANAGING THE MARGIN)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Spine centers are emerging as a niche opportunity within orthopedic or neurosurgical service lines. Increasing incidence, growing surgical volume, and the opportunity to stem significant healthcare expenditures due...

MiraMed Global Services, Inc.: healthcare's new bottom line.(CORPORATE PROFILE)(Company overview)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Company History and Philosophy On April 1, 2007, MiraMed Global Services became the new name for an organization and vision that began more than twenty-five years ago. In 1979, they began as a small, medical...

Focused financing breathes new life into aging CAH.(BIG BUSINESS FOR NOT-SO-BIG-HOSPITALS)(critical access hospital )
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Picture a hospital executive saying to his investment banker, "We have a 56-year-old facility, less than $3 million in cash, and we need $25 million to replace our hospital. Did I mention that we cannot pledge a...

And now, for the million-dollar question how much can we afford to spend?(STRATEGIC FINANCIAL PLANNING)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Few healthcare organizations have sufficient capital resources to meet their comprehensive, strategic capital requirements. Their leaders must make choices. How much capital to spend and the projects on which dollars...

Pinstripe Healthcare our experience is your advantage.(CORPORATE PROFILE)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pinstripe's Healthcare Group specializes in talent management solutions that enable healthcare organizations to reduce their talent acquisition and overall labor costs while continuing to provide the highest quality...

Adopting supply chain best practices from across the industry.(SUPPLY CHAIN SOLUTIONS)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Perhaps one of the most important steps that hospitals can take to become more efficient and gain better control of costs is to stop thinking like a hospital. The philosophy is one that pushes all hospital workers to...

Vendor listing.(Accounting/Auditing Services--Executive Search Firms/Staffing)(Directory)
January 1, 2008... Companies are organized by product/service category. To locate a particular company, turn to the alphabetical index of vendors on page 183 Accounting/Auditing Services AKT LLC 5665 S.W. Meadows Road, Suite 200 Lake Oswego, OR...

Vendor listing.(Facilities Design and Construction--Time and Attendance Systems)(Directory)
January 1, 2008... Facilities Design and Construction Anderson-Moore Construction Corporation 1568 Watertower Road Lake Park, FL 33403 561/753-7400, Fax: 561/204-4360 The Baker Group, Inc. 2220 E. Paris Avenue S.E. Grand Rapids, MI...

State legislatures face unsettled conditions in 2008: NCSL.(State Watch)
January 1, 2008... The issues that state legislatures will face in 2008 are relatively known factors this year but will be shaped by some very strong political and economic forces, according to a forecast released Dec. 14 by the National Conference of State...

Kill bill(s)?(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... KILL BILL(S)?: In 2008, a record will be set for the number of bills introduced by the states in an election year. Even though six states won't be meeting, more than 95,000 new bills are expected to be introduced. That's on top of the more than...

Universal health care comes closer to reality in California.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... On Dec. 17, California's Assembly approved Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan for universal health insurance, passing the compromise legislation by a vote of 46 to 31. The plan now must be approved by the state Senate as well as the state's...

CMS has provided information on the update to the changes to payment to end-stage renal disease facilities.(CMS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... ... CMS has provided information on the update to the changes to payment to end-stage renal disease facilities. They include a growth update to the drug add-on adjustment to the composite rate, and an update to the wage index adjustments to...

CMS has instructed contractors to deny claims if the appropriate Food and Drug Administration certification (FDA) status is not listed on the Mammography Quality Standard Act (MQSA) file instead of returning the claim to the provider or returning the claim as unprocessable.(CMS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... ... CMS has instructed contractors to deny claims if the appropriate Food and Drug Administration certification (FDA) status is not listed on the Mammography Quality Standard Act (MQSA) file instead of returning the claim to the provider or...

HMO snapshot.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... HMO SNAPSHOT: As of July 2006, there were 539 HMOs in the United States, according to www.statehealthfacts.org. California (42), New York (39), Michigan (28), and Florida (26) have the highest number.

Maryland passes law offsetting costs of small-business health coverage.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... On Nov. 19, 2007, Maryland's Gov. Martin O'Malley signed into law Senate Bill 6, the Working Families and Small Business Health Coverage Act, which was written to offset the cost of providing coverage to employers by offering subsidies to small...

For services furnished on or after Jan. 1, 2008, hospitals are required to report HCPCS modifier FC on the procedure code for all cases.(CMS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... ... For services furnished on or after Jan. 1, 2008, hospitals are required to report HCPCS modifier FC on the procedure code for all cases in which the device being implanted is on the list of creditable devices, the procedure code in which...

HMO zoom shot.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2008... HMO ZOOM SHOT: Alaska, the nation's largest state, has only one HMO (so do Mississippi, North Dakota, and Wyoming). Rhode Island--the smallest state--has five.

Employer mandates for small businesses may not improve benefits or reduce premiums: RAND study.(Workplace Health)
January 1, 2008... State health insurance mandates designed to expand access to health insurance for small businesses do not necessarily increase those businesses' ability to offer benefits or reduce their insurance premiums, according to a new BAND Corporation...

CMS has issued a final rule with comment period (Federal Register, Dec. 5) finalizing the Medicare program provisions relating to contract determinations involving Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations and Medicare Part D prescription drug plan sponsors.(FEDERAL REGISTER)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... ... CMS has issued a final rule with comment period (Federal Register, Dec. 5) finalizing the Medicare program provisions relating to contract determinations involving Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations and Medicare Part D prescription drug...

Would you like that glazed or with sprinkles?(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... WOULD YOU LIKE THAT GLAZED OR WITH SPRINKLES? About 3 million Medicare beneficiaries are expected to hit the prescription drug "doughnut hole" in 2008, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Total Medicare hospice expenditure by provider type (in billions).(NEWS WATCH)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Total Medicare Hospice Expenditures by Provider Type (in billions) Hospital- Home Free- based health standing agency FY95 1% 17% 28% 53% FY96...

CMS also issued an interim final rule with comment period (Federal Register, Dec. 4) revising current Medicaid regulations to incorporate changes made by section 6052 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.(FEDERAL REGISTER)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... ... CMS also issued an interim final rule with comment period (Federal Register, Dec. 4) revising current Medicaid regulations to incorporate changes made by section 6052 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. In addition, it incorporates...

So much for that New Year's resolution.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... SO MUCH FOR THAT NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION: For the period January through June 2007, only 31% 0f U.S. adults age 18 years and over reported engaging in regular exercise, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Physician integration, cost of capital among key industry challenges: HFMA report.(Quick Hits: Top News Stories of the Month)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Key financial challenges for hospitals over the next five years include physician alignment, accelerating regulatory requirements, inadequate Medicare payment, and increasing cost of capital, according to HMFA's recently released Healthcare...

Bush vetoes revised SCHIP reauthorization bill.(Quick Hits: Top News Stories of the Month)(State Children's Health Insurance Program)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... In a Dec. 12 letter to the House, President Bush vetoed H.R. 3963, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007. In related news, on Dec. 13, the House voted 38527 to pass a continuing resolution funding SCHIP at FY07...

CMS publishes national list of poor-performing nursing homes.(Quick Hits: Top News Stories of the Month)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Nov. 29 released the first ranking of the nation's poor-performing nursing homes. Release of the list was prompted by the number of facilities that were consistently providing poor quality...

States experiencing tighter fiscal conditions, says report.(Quick Hits: Top News Stories of the Month)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Although states experienced stable finances in 2007, overall revenue growth has slowed and tighter fiscal conditions are expected in 2008, according to the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers.

Government should use its buying power to promote health IT: Leavitt.(Quick Hits: Top News Stories of the Month)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... With key technical standards now in place, the time has arrived for the federal government to start using its buying power to promote the adoption of health IT, says Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt in a Health Affairs web...

Employer mandates hurt low-income employees: study.(Quick Hits: Top News Stories of the Month)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... A new study presented as part of a Cornell University symposium finds that "pay or play" laws, which require employers to provide health insurance to their employees or pay a fine, will reduce employment for the least skilled members of the...

More employees in plans requiring deductible: report.(Quick Hits: Top News Stories of the Month)(reports of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... The percentage of employees enrolled in a health insurance plan that required a deductible was 48 in 2002-and 64 in 2005, according to a new issue brief from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. And by 2005, small firms' employees...

Black belts to the fourth degree.(Member Spotlight)
January 1, 2008... David Cholger and his son teach tae kwon do. It started when David Cholger's son, Martin, was just six years old. Martin had just begun taking classes in tae kwon do, a Korean martial art and combat sport, when Cholger asked his son's...

Overheard.(ETCETERA)(opinions of Michael O. Leavitt)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... "At some point in time, the federal government needs to say, 'If you're going to do business with us, you will adopt a system of your choice that will allow these standards to be met.'" --Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O....

We Carry Each Other: Getting Through Life's Toughest Times.(Viewpoint essay)
January 1, 2008... We Carry Each Other: Getting Through Life's Toughest Times Sharon and Eric Langshur with Mary Beth Sammons Conari Press: 2007 When I was asked to review a book by the founders of CarePages, I jumped at the opportunity. CarePages offers free...

Wheel could help roll back pounds.(From the Headlines)(care and treatment of obesity in childrens)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... The largest provider of Medicare coverage in West Virginia is hoping a paper wheel distributed to thousands of physicians across the state will help combat the state's obesity problem. The wheels may be used to calculate body mass index...

Could your initials spell your intellectual fate?(Strange, but True)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... What's in a name? Plenty, two researchers have found. A recent study shows that those whose names begin with the letters "C" or "D" tend to achieve lower grades than their counterparts, particularly if they like their initials. Meanwhile,...

What's new on our web site.(ETCETERA)
January 1, 2008... HFMA Roundtable: Your Communication Strategy for Effective Receivables Management. See "Resource Library," then "Revenue Cycle," then "Billing & Collecting," and click on the title of the document. Executive Summary: HFMA's Healthcare...

Strategic pricing: hitting the mark.(20 Years Ago in hfm)(government to reduce healthcare costs)
January 1, 2008... "Efforts by government and business to reduce healthcare expenditures by fostering competition and reducing utilization have combined to redefine the basic economic structure of the healthcare delivery system. Increased competition among...

Reaching out to children in crisis: we live and work in a country where we enjoy so many freedoms and are afforded endless opportunities.(Make a Difference)
January 1, 2008... We still have many who are less fortunate than others. Thousands suffer from issues such as abuse, neglect, homelessness, and addictions. Many of these victims are children facing problems that would overwhelm many adults. Some run away from...

The year ahead: making New Year's resolutions reminds me of a habit my younger son had when he was six years old.(FROM THE EDITOR)
January 1, 2008... Each night, when I said goodnight to him, he gave me something to leave in front of his door. Usually, it was a book, toy, or drawing that he was particularly enamored of that day. In the morning, he picked up the item as he left his room,...

HFMA announces nominees for board leadership.(HFMA NEWS)(Healthcare Financial Management Association)
January 1, 2008... HFMA is pleased to announce that the Association's Board of Directors has selected the following members to stand for nomination to the Board. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chairman-Elect for 2008-09: Catherine A. Jacobson, FHFMA, CPA,...

Clarke addresses need for patient-friendly payment system on Forbes.com.(HFMA NEWS)(Healthcare Financial Management Association)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HFMA President and CEO Richard L. Clarke, DHA, FHFMA, recently published a commentary on the need to reconstruct our nation's healthcare payment system on Forbes.com. In his commentary, entitled "The Healthcare...

VBP: considering the worst case scenario: the CMS value-based purchasing (VBP) plan has been given to Congress, so is it time to start worrying about Medicare's approach to taking "payment by data" to the next level?(EYE ON WASHINGTON)
January 1, 2008... There are no signs that VBP has any urgency on the Hill yet--at least not as Congress contemplates getting out of D.C. for the holiday season. But VBP for hospital and physician services could hold the answer to restraining Medicare spending...

Best practices in healthcare investing.(CAPITAL FINANCE)
January 1, 2008... U.S. hospitals and health systems have a long and distinguished history of following best-practice examples when it comes to medical science. Whenever a leading healthcare organization makes a medical breakthrough, it can be expected to soon be...

Regulating long-term care hospitals in search of a roadmap to clarity.(MEDICARE/MEDICAID)
January 1, 2008... The Medicare program has increasingly focused on developing strategies and regulations to halt or moderate the growth of specialty hospitals, including long-term care hospitals (LTCHs). Although those initiatives have taken different forms,...

Representative Nancy Johnson: moving to a health and wellness system.(hfm Q & A)(dialogue with Nancy Johnson)(Interview)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] We need to move from an illness treatment system to a health and wellness system, says former Rep. Nancy Johnson. That won't be easy, because the U.S. healthcare system is structured to support incidence of disease...

Glenn Hackbarth, JD: care coordination for Medicare beneficiaries.(hfm Q & A)(dialogue with Glenn Hackbarth)(Interview)
January 1, 2008... As baby boomers begin to retire, the nation's Medicare program will soon feel the effect of thousands of new beneficiaries seeking health care. The healthcare industry also is rewarding consumers for practicing preventive care and providers for...

Major trends affecting hospital payment: healthcare financial leaders can implement some cost-saving and cost-shifting initiatives to enhance their organizations' margins in 2008.(Cost-saving Cost-shifting)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The healthcare industry is at a crossroads. Healthcare spending is growing three times faster than wages and is expected to double from current levels to exceed $4 trillion by 2016, according to a February 2007...

Creating a sustainable physician strategy: hospital-physician relations are changing. Will your hospital keep pace? Get prepared with these six must-do actions.(FEATURE STORY)
January 1, 2008... The next five years will be one of the most transformative periods for physician-hospital relationships in recent history. Will your organization be prepared? Savvy hospital leaders recognize that organizational strategies must not only...

For the sake of others: New Year's resolutions of healthcare finance executives.(FEATURE STORY)
January 1, 2008... "Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man." --Benjamin Franklin As a new year approaches, so does the time many of us identify our New Year's resolutions--those...

5 nuances of Medicare billing: Medicare billing includes intricacies that all healthcare financial leaders should understand. Do you know how to minimize their impact on your organization?(FEATURE STORY)
January 1, 2008... Some say life was simpler in the 1960s. Medicare certainly was. When Medicare debuted in 1965, its simple payment system paid inpatient claims based on hospital-specific per diems and outpatient claims based on "reasonable costs." ...

The red and the blue: how the candidates would reform U.S. health care: universal health care versus private market. Just another way of saying Democrat versus Republican?(FEATURE STORY)
January 1, 2008... Among the healthcare reform proposals unveiled in 2007 by many of the presidential candidates, there are few surprises, but there are some glimpses of a possible future on the key issues of coverage, quality, and funding. In this article,...

Simulation game provides financial management training: all healthcare leaders should grasp the essentials of financial management, but gaining that knowledge may look to some like an unappealing chore. Here's how one health system made it interactive, engaging, and fun.(FEATURE STORY)
January 1, 2008... Healthcare leaders require financial acumen. Whether the leader's role is administrative or clinical, the need for financial savvy has become an inescapable reality, imposed upon the industry by today's depressed payment rates across the...

Nursing and finance making the connection: the results of the nursing-finance partnership at Yavapai Regional Medical Center make a compelling case for teamwork.(FEATURE STORY)
January 1, 2008... The fact that hospitals and health systems are under pressure these days is often the only truth finance departments and nursing departments agree on. Too many CFOs see the pressure purely as a matter of managing costs and targeting revenues;...

The RAC program are you ready? National implementation of the recovery audit contractors (RAC) program could save Medicare as much as $10 billion over five years. Discover the impact this program will have on providers--and how to prepare for an RAC review.(FEATURE STORY)
January 1, 2008... If you're a healthcare provider in Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, or South Carolina you are probably well aware of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) recovery audit contractors (RAC) demonstration...

Racial disparities in health care quality should mean equality: reducing racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare quality is essential for health systems to survive a more diverse America.(COMMENTARY)
January 1, 2008... All of us who track national healthcare costs know that the United States spends twice as much per capita as any other industrialized country. One would hope that such a commitment of resources would result in the highest quality of care and...

Executive compensation tally sheets.(hfm TOOLBOX)
January 1, 2008... Now more than ever, thanks to ever-increasing regulatory oversight, boards and compensation committees at tax-exempt healthcare organizations need to be fully informed when making executive-compensation decisions. Disclosing base pay only--and...

The three circles of career advancement: choices and sacrifices go hand in hand.(LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT)
January 1, 2008... As one's career progresses, many opportunities are presented, and the choices are often difficult. So how do we proceed along the path of career advancement without regretting decisions along the way, or being disappointed in the end? As we...

Calendar.(Calendar)
January 1, 2008... NATIONAL EVENTS January 22-25, February 5-8, March 3-6, May 5-8 HFMA's Spring Seminars Denver; Charlotte, N.C., New Orleans; Seattle Seminars will cover financial and healthcare business management, revenue cycle improvements,...

Chris Haunschild, CPA.(PEOPLE)(Health and Life Sciences)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Haunschild, a partner in the Pittsburgh office of Ernst & Young, has been named north central sub-area industry leader for Health and Life Sciences. The appointment makes Haunschild Ernst & Young's health and life...

Paul M. Horton.(PEOPLE)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Horton has been appointed manager, healthcare business services, Parente Randolph LLC, Pittsburgh. Formerly, he was supervisor, Carbis Walker, LLP, New Castle, Pa.

Blix M. Rice.(PEOPLE)(UMG Department of Medicine)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Rice has been named administrator, UMG Department of Medicine, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, Greenville, S.C. He had been senior manager, Ernst & Young, LLP, Greenville.

Andrea Fann.(PEOPLE)
January 1, 2008... Fann has joined Orthopaedic South Surgical Center, Morrow, Ga., as administrator. She had been business office manager, Buckhead Ambulatory Surgical Center, Atlanta.

Charles D. Hall, CPA.(PEOPLE)
January 1, 2008... Hall has been promoted from vice president of finance and CFO to executive vice president and CF0, Piedmont Healthcare, Atlanta.

Jessie Menendez.(PEOPLE)(HCA Far West Division)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Menendez has joined HCA Far West Division, Henderson, Nev., as senior contract analyst. Previously, she was senior product analyst, contracting, Avega Health Systems, El Segundo, Calif.

Steven Miller.(PEOPLE)
January 1, 2008... Miller has been named controller, Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center, Crystal River, Fla. He had been reimbursement manager, Adventist Midwest Health, Hinsdale, Ill.

Patricia L. Nikkhoo.(PEOPLE)(Kaiser Foundation Health Plan)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Nikkhoo has been promoted from associate director PBS national Medicare finance to managing director, patient access revenue cycle, Southern California, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Pasadena, Calif.

Carol Reineck, PhD, RN, CNAA-BC, FAAN.(PEOPLE)(American Organization of Nurse Executives)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Reineck has been elected treasurer, American Organization of Nurse Executives 2008-10. She is chair and associate professor, Department of Acute Nursing Care, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio.

Marlena J. Ward.(PEOPLE)
January 1, 2008... Ward has been promoted from senior director of financial planning to vice president of financial planning, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brooldine, Mass.

Stephanie Wood.(PEOPLE)
January 1, 2008... Wood was promoted from financial analyst to medical underwriter, Sanford Health Plan, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Present on admission: impact on hospitals for Medicare and other payers.(DATA TRENDS)
January 1, 2008... Recent actions and announcements by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have raised concerns among healthcare organizations. On Oct. 1, 2007, CMS began collecting present-on-admission (POA) information on all inpatient Medicare...

New Year's resolutions: Happy New Year. It's incredible to me that it's 2008 already--I still haven't adjusted to the idea of living in the 21st century.(FROM THE PRESIDENT)
January 1, 2008... Is it possible that time is moving faster? Maybe it's global warming. More likely, it's these great communication tools I have that allow me to answer e-mail while I'm sitting in traffic. The new year gives us an opportunity to pause in...