Healthcare Financial Management articles from March 2006

Healthcare Financial Management archives from March 2006

Most Americans worry about insurance--or lack thereof; attempts to address the issue come from many sectors.(The Uninsured/Underinsured)
March 1, 2006... The statistic is so often repeated that it seems nearly meaningless: Almost 46 million Americans are uninsured. But when different components of that statistic are examined individually, the number takes on stark meaning. The poor/working...

CMS.(Centers for medicare and medicaid services)
March 1, 2006... ... CMS is repealing section 20.25 of the National Coverage Determinations Manual (100.3), effective for cardiac catheterization services performed in other than a hospital setting on or after Jan. 12. In the absence of an NCD on cardiac...

To address Medicare Part D confusion, states take matters into their own hands; CMS heeds call.
March 1, 2006... Start-up problems with the new Medicare Part D program have angered enrollees, frustrated pharmacists, and engendered legislative action in 31 states and the District of Columbia since the program took effect Jan. 1. The problems mainly relate...

Federal Register.(affects healthcare managers )(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... ... In a proposed rule (FederalRegister, Jan. 23) that would update the prospective payment system rates for Medicare inpatient hospital services provided by inpatient psychiatric facilities, CMS is recommending that the Medicare IPF payment be...

President asks for another $36 billion in Medicare cuts; signs Deficit Reduction Act.(health care budgets)
March 1, 2006... The 2007 budget President Bush presented to Congress on Feb. 6 included $36 billion in Medicare cuts over five years, with $20 billion of those cuts resulting from lower reimbursement to hospitals. In a White House press briefing, Office of...

Kentucky to create new Medicaid program.(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Kentucky received the go-ahead to create a new Medicaid program after CMS granted initial approval of the state's Medicaid waiver on Jan. 18. As a state with one of the highest percentages of people living below the federal poverty threshold...

Bill to require Illinois hospitals to provide more free care.(charity care of hospitals)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... In an effort to get Illinois not-for-profit hospitals to deliver more charity care, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan introduced legislation that mandates tax-exempt Illinois hospitals give away an amount of care equal to at least 8...

Five states to sue over "clawback" payments.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2006... Five states plan to sue the federal government, claiming that they are being overcharged for the cost of drugs to low-income seniors under Medicare Part D. Before the new drug plan went into effect, states reimbursed the federal government for...

Arizona introduces universal healthcare legislation.(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Rep. Phil Lopes, the top Democrat in the Arizona House of Representatives, introduced legislation in late January to create a state health plan to cover all Arizona residents who have lived in the state for more than a year. The plan would pool...

Bush signs Deficit Reduction Act, trims Medicare/Medicaid spending.(medicare regulations)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... In February, President Bush signed the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which will reduce Medicaid spending by almost $5 billion and Medicare spending by $6 billion over the next five years. The signing comes on the heels of the president's FY07...

Bush budget asks for another $36 billion in Medicare cuts.(medicare budget)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... The 2007 budget President Bush presented to Congress last month included $36 billion in Medicare cuts over five years, with $20 billion of those cuts resulting from lower reimbursement to hospitals. In a White House press briefing on Feb. 6,...

Positive short-term outlook for not-for-profit hospitals.(industry forecasts)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Not-for-profit hospitals will continue to have robust performance in 2006 with substantial improvement in credit quality, says a new report by Standard & Poor's Rating Services. Strong capital spending will be a hallmark of this year as a...

HMOs report $7 billion in profits in first half of 2005.(Quick Hits: Top News Stories of the Month)
March 1, 2006... HMOs' profits were up 21.2 percent for the first six months of 2005 compared with the same period in 2004, according to Weiss Ratings, Inc. The HMOs reporting the largest increases in net income were Horizon Healthcare Services, Oxford Health...

Growth of specialty hospitals likely to lead to less charity care.(medicare services)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... In light of CMS's moratorium on referrals of Medicare patients to specialty hospitals, the Commonwealth Fund's Program on Medicare's Future reviewed reports on specialty hospitals by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and CMS, and...

The Ultimate in beach sports.(Member Spotlight)(Gordon Jones and the frisbee )
March 1, 2006... For HFMA member Gordon Jones, nothing beats a good game of Frisbee, whether diving for a catch on grassy terrain or digging his toes through soft sand to maintain his footing. Jones, a member of HFMA's South Carolina Chapter, has played...

Training from fighter pilots helps some hospitals decrease medical errors.(pilots service to reduce medical errors in hospitals)
March 1, 2006... Looking for ways to improve patient safety? Some hospitals are taking a "Top Gun" approach, hiring a group of former fighter pilots, astronauts, and physicians to teach their staffs the team skills needed to reduce medical errors. ...

This stork works overtime.(obstetrician services)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... It was a marathon of baby deliveries, the likes of which few hospitals, if any, have ever experienced: three sisters who gave birth on three consecutive days, at the same hospital, with the babies delivered by the same obstetrician. ...

Twenty years ago in hfm.(healthcare financial management)
March 1, 2006... The March 1986 cover story in hfm, "Joint Ventures Revisited: We're All in This Together," was the beginning of a three-part series that explored the growing interest in joint ventures, the legal implications in setting up a joint venture, and...

Merry medics.(ambulance services)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... A group of drunken physicians and nurses in the United Kingdom gave new meaning to the words "designated driver" when they called an ambulance to drive them home after a night at a bar. Staff from the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford,...

Site seeing.(new web services)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... When was the last time you visited www.hfma.org? You could be missing out on some of the latest additions to HFMA's web site, including: A new resource for CFO forum members, "Request for Proposal, Clinical Laboratory Operating System."...

Overheard.(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... "We want to give (consumers who are considering health savings accounts) enough useful information to make the best decisions about their care." --Mark McClellan, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, responding...

View your surgery on the Web--before you're admitted.(education service from web sites)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Preparing for surgery? You may be able to watch a live-action video of the same type of surgery online, courtesy of your employer or health insurance company. Today, an increasing number of employers and health insurers are making surgery...

45 million uninsured and growing: one reason I enjoy working in the healthcare field is that I can have a powerful effect on people's lives.(striving for the uninsured health care)
March 1, 2006... The healthcare field is unpredictable. Health care continues to change, evolve, challenge us, and provide opportunities. The unpredictability can keep us engaged and sharp. Every day we're dealing with real people who are often sick and...

Mona Lisa and the uninsured.(Editorial)
March 1, 2006... She is 83 percent happy, 9 percent disgusted, 6 percent fearful, a percent angry, less than percent neutral, and not at all surprised. Mona Lisa, that is. At least, those are the findings of Dutch researchers using emotion-recognition...

HFMA research details barriers to National EHR adoption.(Healthcare Financial Management Association )
March 1, 2006... Electronic health records have the potential to address two of the most critical challenges facing the U.S. healthcare system: enhancing quality of care and controlling costs. But HFMA research shows that hospitals face a number of barriers in...

Survey says: road to EHR adoption is long, but commitment is strong.(HFMA NEWS)(electronic health records)(Survey)
March 1, 2006... In December 2005, HFMA surveyed healthcare finance executives to identify the challenges that hospitals face in EHR adoption as well as the steps that government could take to encourage adoption. Below are some key responses received from the...

Proposals sought for HFMA seminars.(Healthcare Financial Management Association )(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Would you like to present an educational seminar for HFMA? Our education department is now accepting proposals for seminars on focused areas of interest to healthcare financial managers. Each year, HFMA provides one- and two- day...

Taking "ownership" of health care are Americans willing to assume the risks? Do Bush's plans for the nation's healthcare system really address the system's biggest problems?(EYE ON WASHINGTON)
March 1, 2006... A dozen years after the failed Clinton health plan and just a year after his own failure to accomplish Social Security reform, President Bush used his January 2006 State of the Union speech to outline his plans to reform the U.S. healthcare...

Looking reality straight in the eye: five claim denial facts every CFO should know.(Chief Financial Officer)
March 1, 2006... "I believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it," --Garrison Keillor, host and writer of "A Prairie Home Companion" Unfortunately, claim denials continue to be an expected part of the insurance billing process. Most...

Teaching hospitals and payment for residents and fellows.(medical education payments)
March 1, 2006... Teaching hospitals are by now quite familiar with the basic rules governing Medicare's medical education payments for interns, residents, and fellows who are training in accredited residency programs. However, many hospital administrators,...

Finding the missing pieces for payment: as hospitals shoulder more than $25 billion in uncompensated care annually, new, automated tools are improving collections by ensuring that each account has the correct patient demographic and financial information.(reduce costs and decrease bad debts for hospitals)(Cover story)
March 1, 2006... For Allina Hospitals and Clinics, one of the most basic requirements for collections was also one of the system's biggest challenges: getting the bill to the right address. Sound like a simple fix? Not exactly. Consider that this...

Informing quality health care: quality is the organizing principle for transforming our healthcare system. And the foundation for quality is information.(delivering health care quality)
March 1, 2006... Quality is the new paradigm in health care--the model to build around as we address the many challenges in our healthcare system. While for years the primary focus of reform was placed narrowly on containing healthcare costs, today there is...

Estimated payment ability an approach to allocating charitable assistance: healthcare providers can save time, expense, and reputation by properly--and fairly--classifying certain payment balances as charitable assistance.(insurance to low income patients)
March 1, 2006... A basic fact of U.S. health care is that the likelihood of having healthcare insurance is firmly linked to income. In fact, the uninsured rate for households with annual incomes below $25,000 is twice that of households earning more than...

HSAs--friends or foes? Like it or not, health savings accounts are coming soon to an employer near you. If you have not started preparing yet, it's time to start.(FEATURE STORY)
March 1, 2006... Should hospitals welcome or worry about health savings accounts? To answer the question, it's necessary to understand the impact HSAs will have on patients and providers. One thing is certain: HSAs are being heralded as the next...

To be or not to be (a retail pharmacy): if you choose not to become a participating retail pharmacy under Medicare Part D, you may find it more difficult to get paid for Part D-covered drugs. There's the rub.(analysis of medicare part D)
March 1, 2006... On Jan. 1, part of your world changed. Medicare Part D got started, and as recent news reports suggest, confusion has abounded. And the possibilities for confusion are not restricted to Medicare beneficiaries who are attempting to understand...

Trouble at the back end? Look at the front end: if your registration data error rate is high, your front end may need help.(helping for the patients)
March 1, 2006... Missing primary care physician's name, incorrect format of subscriber identification number, minor listed as guarantor. Over the past decade, most health systems have installed electronic bill scrubber software to identify registration data...

Charity care qualification decision tree.(hfm TOOLBOX)
March 1, 2006... Some part of bad debt can be classified as charity care, according to 92 percent of the hospitals that responded to the 2005 PricewaterhouseCoopers charity care survey. This fact indicates that charity care numbers reported by hospitals may be...

Tackling the capacity crisis: successful bed management strategies.(supplies in hospitals)
March 1, 2006... It's 3 p.m.... do you know where your beds are? Ask this question in a roomful of hospital administrators, and you might be somewhat bewildered by the response. Rather than hearing a simple "Yes," you're more than likely to either encounter...

Leadership = influence: do you inspire or deflate the people around you?(management styles)
March 1, 2006... I have always been fascinated with the personality traits and characteristics of leaders of organizations. I am even more fascinated with the different types of personalities that lead successful organizations. For example, in professional...

Learning the alphabet of healthcare IT: healthcare IT is like a great big bowl of alphabet soup, with three- and four-letter acronyms swimming together in spoonfuls.(health care information technology expands acronyms)
March 1, 2006... While most people would agree on the word that each individual letter in an acronym stands for, there is significant confusion and conflict over what exactly the technologies represented by these acronyms are supposed to do. For that reason,...

Is the sky falling? A classic children's story tells of the folly of a dear little chicken who insists the sky is falling.(managing of primary care physicians)
March 1, 2006... "I saw it with my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears, and part of it fell on my head," she cries out to several friends she meets along her journey. In her fear and frenzy, Chicken Little ultimately drives herself and her friends straight...

What's your game plan? The capital markets want to know-really: is it a good idea, in the real world, for hospitals to withhold their long-term strategic plans from prospective investors?(buying hospital bonds )
March 1, 2006... Although it is considered best practice to share such information with investors (i.e., the "capital markets"), the reality is that all too many hospitals and health systems are not so forthcoming. The attitude of too many of these...

The healthcare financial manager's to-do list.(health care finance management)
March 1, 2006... HFMA'S 2006 ANNUAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE (ANI) GIVES YOU THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO STAY ON TOP OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES. The list of challenges that healthcare financial managers face is growing longer every day. Changes to payment and pricing...

Calendar.(Statistical table)(Calendar)
March 1, 2006... CALENDAR Spring 2006 Seminars March 13-16 April 24-27 Level Seminar San Diego Minneapolis Financial Management I/A Achieving...

Marion General Hospital.(James B. Davis appointed)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... James B. Davis (Southwestern Ohio Chapter) Mr. Davis has been appointed assistant vice president, physician practices and development, Marion General Hospital, Marion, Ind. Formerly, he was director, clinical practice operations, Wellington...

Methodist Erath County.(Deanna Elizondo appointed)(Harris Methodist Erath County hospital)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Deanna Elizondo (Lone Star Chapter) Ms. Elizondo has been named CFO, Harris Methodist Erath County, Stephenville, Texas. She had been accounting manager, Harris Methodist Southwest, Fort Worth, Texas.

University Physicians, University of Missouri Health Care.(Stephanie D. Fennewald joined University of Missouri Health Care)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Stephanie D. Fennewald, FHFMA (Show Me of Missouri Chapter) Ms. Fennewald has joined University Physicians, University of Missouri Health Care, Columbia, Mo., as manager, finance and performance assessment. She had been director, patient...

Beatrice Community Hospital and Health Center.(James Garbarino appointed )(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... James Garbarino, FHFMA (Sunflower (Kansas) Chapter) Mr. Garbarino has been appointed CFO, Beatrice Community Hospital and Health Center, Beatrice, Ncb. Previously, he was controller, Mercy Regional Center, Manhattan, Kan.

QHR Strategic Initiatives.(John S. Nilsson appointed)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... John S. Nilsson (Arizona Chapter) Mr. Nilsson has been named vice president, finance, QHR Strategic Initiatives, Plano, Texas. Previously, he was CFO, Cambio Health Solutions, Brentwood, Tenn.

Kahler Slater Architects, Inc.(Thomas M. O'Brien appointed)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Thomas M. O'Brien, CPA (Wisconsin Chapter) Mr. O'Brien has been appointed CFO, Kahler Slater Architects, Inc., Milwaukee. He had been director of finance, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, Milwaukee.

Paul DeMuro, JD, FHFMA, CPA: an amazing association.(Fellow of the Healthcare Financial Management Association )(Certified Public Accountant )(Column)
March 1, 2006... There are few organizations that compare with HFMA. Let me tell you why I think so. I moved to San Francisco in 1982 and joined the Northern California Chapter of HFMA at the suggestion of a colleague with whom I worked. He said the best...

Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital.(Annette S. Phillips appointed)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Annette S. Phillips, CPA (Eastern Michigan Chapter) Ms. Phillips has been promoted from vice president, finance and support services, CFO, to senior vice president, COO, Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, Wyandotte, Mich.

Phoenix Children's Hospital.(PEOPLE)
March 1, 2006... Leslie Luciano (Arizona Chapter) Ms. Luciano has joined Phoenix Children's Hospital, Phoenix, as project manager. She had been billing manager, University Hospitals Health Systems, Cleveland.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield.(Colleen Matthews appointed)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Colleen Matthews (New Jersey Chapter) Ms. Matthews has been appointed director, network hospital relations, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, Newark, N.J. Formerly, she was administrative director, managed care services, St. Joseph's Healthcare...

Catholic Healthcare West.(Genaro Mitjans appointed)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Genaro Mitjans (Southern California Chapter) Mr. Mitjans has been named director, central business office, Catholic Healthcare West, Glendale, Calif. Previously, he was system central business office director, Centinela Freeman Health System,...

Broad effort to detect adverse event needed to minimize patient harm.(affect of medical errors)
March 1, 2006... When it comes to medical errors, hospital financial leaders tend to focus more on catastrophic events because these events have the greatest financial and media impact. Every hour, according to the Institute of Medicine's landmark study To Err...

Is that all there is? As I listened to President Bush's State of the Union address, and the Democratic response given by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, I was remained of the song by Peggy Lee "Is That All There Is?".(health care analysis)
March 1, 2006... Although the song refers to lost love, it struck me that the key leaders in both parties have little of substance to offer related to concerns of Americans on healthcare issues. The president noted, "Our government has a responsibility to...