Healthcare Financial Management articles from May 2002

Healthcare Financial Management archives from May 2002

There is no quick recipe for compliance. (Letters to the Editor).
May 1, 2002... In the March 2002 issue of HEALTHCARE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, two articles addressed healthcare compliance issues: "Corporate Integrity Agreements: Making the Best of a Tough Situation" by Robert B. Ramsey, III, Esq., and "Using the OIG Model...

HHS announces changes to privacy rule. (Updata).(Department of Health and Human Services)
May 1, 2002... On March 27, 2002, HHS published in the Federal Register a proposed rule substantially modifying the final HIPAA privacy regulations. The proposal is designed to streamline consent requirements to facilitate easier access to care. The proposed...

Providers win UPL battle, but the war continues. (Updata).
May 1, 2002... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) agreed on March 13, 2002, to a month-long delay in the effective date of the controversial Medicaid upper-payment-limit (UPL) final rule. The relatively short delay comes on the heels of a...

HHS releases transactions extension model compliance plan. (Updata).(Department of Health and Human Services)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... HHS has released the anticipated model compliance plan outlined in the Administrative Simplification Compliance Act (ASCA), which President Bush signed into law last December. This act allows most entities a one-year extension (to October 16,...

CMS unveils Long-Term Care PPS. (Updata).(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services )
May 1, 2002... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule in the March 22, 2002, Federal Register to launch the new prospective payment system (PPS) for long-term care (LTC) hospitals. The new PPS, which would replace the...

OIG finds deficiencies in ASC oversight. (Updata).(Office of Inspector General )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Medicare's system of quality oversight of ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) is inadequate and lacks accountability, according to a recent HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) report. The OIG's inspection revealed that nearly one-third of...

Concern grows over 2003 payment rates for Medicare+Choice organizations. (Updata).(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Payment for virtually all Medicare+Choice plans will increase 2 percent in calendar year 2003, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator Tom Scully announced on March 1, 2002. Conceding that the small boost does not reflect...

CMS launches second attempt at discount drug cards. (Updata).(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule in the March 6, 2002, Federal Register on the second rendition of its Medicare prescription drug card program. CMS's first effort was derailed when the National...

IRS compiles guide on substantiation and disclosure of charitable gifts. (Updata).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The IRS has produced a new publication clarifying when charitable organizations must furnish acknowledgements to enable donors to claim a charitable tax deduction. Although most of the rules are not new, it is the first time that the IRS has...

Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP). (In Brief).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Effective March 31, 2002, the frequency with which hospitals must gather Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) information from Medicare beneficiaries was reduced to every 90 days, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced March...

HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG). (In Brief).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) has clarified that it will consider reasonably expected loss in determining exclusion actions but only in cases in which there is adequate evidence to make the calculation. Further the threshold amount...

Turning challenges into opportunities. (Vantage Point).
May 1, 2002... When I assumed the Chairmanship of HFMA last June, I reflected on how incredibly quickly technology is changing our lives. Technology brings with it both efficiencies and challenges. With my theme, "Leading @ The Speed of Light," I challenged...

To HFMA's volunteers: Thank You! (Viewpoint).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... According to Independent Sector, a not-for-profit coalition of more than 700 national organizations, foundations, and philanthropy programs, more than 44 percent of adults over the age of 21 (some 83.9 million people) volunteered with an...

AHA: U.S. Hospitals still suffering financially. (Industry Scan).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Many U.S. hospitals "are sitting on the edge of financial viability," according to "The State of Hospitals' Financial Health," a white paper released by the American Hospital Association (AHA). The AHA paper reports that despite Federal...

ED overcrowding leading to more diversions. (Industry Scan).(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Emergency department (ED) capacity is a nationwide public health problem. Results of a survey conducted by the Lewin Group, Inc. for the American Hospital Association suggest that a majority of U.S. EDs often operate at or over their capacity...

DOJ allows Michigan hospital network. (Industry Scan).(United States Department of Justice)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Seven small, geographically dispersed community hospitals in Michigan can form a network to negotiate contracts on their behalf with insurance companies, employers, and managed care organizations, according to the U.S. Department of Justice...

www.aha.org/info/content/EdoCrisisSlides.pdf. (Web Sights).(American Hospital Association)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Visitors to this site will find the results of a survey on hospital emergency department overcrowding.

www.gcd.com/practice/publications.asp?groupid=3. (Web Sights).
May 1, 2002... This vendor site provides information about the proposed amendments to the HIPAA privacy rule.

www.hanys.org/fcr402.pdf. (Web Sights).(Healthcare Association of New York State)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Visitors to this Healthcare Association of New York State Web site will find the report Health Care under Stress: A Financial Profile of Hospitals and Health Systems in New York State.

www.marylandhealthcareers.org. (Web Sights).(Maryland Hospital Association)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Visitors to this Maryland Hospital Association career Web site will find resources about health careers.

Pennsylvania enacts malpractice reform law. (Industry Scan).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Pennsylvania Governor Mark Schweiker has signed medical malpractice reform legislation that reduces the cost of malpractice insurance for hospitals and physicians and provides strong, new patient-safety measures. The legislation took effect...

Physicians bring in $1.5 million for hospitals. (Industry Scan).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Physicians generate $1.5 million in revenue a year on average for their affiliated hospitals, according to a survey by Merritt, Hawkins & Associates, Dallas, Texas. Responses from 1,200 CFOs at 153 hospitals indicated how much revenue...

Allied professionals' salaries rise with demand. (Industry Scan).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) are being offered salaries that top what some physicians earn, according to a survey by Allied Consulting, Dallas, Texas. Based on 951 allied healthcare professional search assignments in 2001,...

Health spending could reach $2.8 trillion in 2011. (Industry Scan).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... U.S. healthcare spending is projected to rise to $2.8 trillion in 2011 from $1.3 trillion in 2000, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS expects health spending to grow at an average annual rate of 7.3 percent...

HFMA's CFO Exchange focuses on future challenges. (HFMA News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... More than 300 individuals attended the 2002 HFMA CFO Exchange March 3-5 at the Westin lnnisbrook Resort, Palm Harbor, Florida. The theme of this year's conference was "Heath Care Today and Tomorrow: Turning Challenges into Opportunities." Focus...

Former Board of Examiners member dies. (HFMA News).(David B. Petrie)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
May 1, 2002... David B. Petrie, FHFMA, died on March 22. Petrie's professional experience began at Providence Hospital in Portland, Oregon, where he worked as an accountant. From there he went to Douglas Community Hospital in Rose-berg, Oregon, where he was...

Killing the golden goose? Physicians exiting Medicare. (FYI).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... "Don't cry into a TV camera about your plight. You are a frivolous people. You were offered an opportunity and you slept through it." --Princeton University professor and healthcare economist Uwe Reinhardt, speaking on July 26, 1994, the...

Long: Financial turnaround focuses on revenue cycle, managed care contracts. (Executive Insights).(Ronald R. Long, outgoing chairman of Healthcare Financial Management Association National Board of Directors)(Interview)
May 1, 2002... Ronald R. Long, FHFMA, CPA (lic. in Oregon), is executive vice president and CFO of Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, which comprises six hospitals, a physician group, and a reference laboratory. Before joining the Health...

IT Investments can add business value. (Business).(information technology)
May 1, 2002... Investment in information technology (IT) is costly, but necessary to enable healthcare organizations to improve their infrastructure and achieve other improvement initiatives. Such an investment is even more costly, however, if the technology...

Optimizing growth opportunities during the managed care revolution. (Managed Care).
May 1, 2002... Despite reports to the contrary, managed care is pervasive and growing. By understanding employers' needs and how those needs are forcing managed care to change, hospital and physician provider organizations can create growth opportunities for...

Anticipating and controlling rising malpractice insurance costs.
May 1, 2002... Escalating malpractice insurance costs can take a huge bite out of providers' budgets, but measures are available to ease the pain. The unprecedented proliferation of large jury awards and settlements in medical malpractice cases over the...

Optimizing claims payment for successful risk management.(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... By investigating reasons for inefficient claims operations and modifying procedures to address these problems, payers can reduce claims-payment costs. Disputed claims and delayed payments are among the principal sources of provider and...

Disruptive innovation: a new diagnosis for health care's "financial flu".
May 1, 2002... To succeed, healthcare leaders need to create a business framework that allows them to better address the needs of mainstream markets. Financial difficulties are threatening many healthcare organizations. To survive and target new markets...

Building market share in the Latino community.
May 1, 2002... By partnering with a healthcare organization in the Latino community healthcare providers can learn about the community's unique needs and thus improve market share among Latinos. Within the next few years, the Latino community will become...

Medicare payment options for rural hospitals: the name game. (Medicare/Medicaid).
May 1, 2002... Within the framework of Medicare laws and regulations governing payments for acute-care services are various options affecting payments to individual hospitals, many of which are directed at rural hospitals. Several changes in the...

Ambulance services move to a new payment method. (Medicare/Medicaid).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... As payments for ambulance services undergo a transition away from a system based on reasonable costs, healthcare organizations need to establish billing practices in accordance with the fee schedule mandated by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997....

Five steps to great revenue-cycle management. (Management Issues).(suggestions for managing receivables at hospitals)
May 1, 2002... At a conference last year, the vice president responsible for all revenue-cycle functions for a large integrated delivery system posed the following question: "Why is this so tough? We have known for 20 years what it takes to manage receivables...

Use of PDAs in health care poses risks and rewards. (Digital Perspectives).
May 1, 2002... Use of personal digital assistants (PDAs) for healthcare applications is growing rapidly Even healthcare organizations that do not intend to use them should become familiar with their capabilities and risks because physicians and medical...

Reevaluating life insurance. (Personal Finance).
May 1, 2002... Financial strategies regarding use of life insurance to pay estate taxes often depend largely on individual expectations of what will happen during 2010, the year the government has designated for implementing a 12-month repeal of estate taxes....

Stand out! Preparing for interview success. (Career Development).(interview techniques)
May 1, 2002... In addition to having the qualifications and skills required by a hiring organization, candidates for senior healthcare financial positions should know how to set themselves apart from other candidates in interviews. That takes thoughtful...

Morgan Hay, FHFMA, CPA. (People).(United Medicorp Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Morgan Hay, FHFMA, CPA (South Texas Chapter), has been named executive vice president, United Medicorp, Inc., Garland, Texas. Previously he was vice president of finance, Valley Baptist Medical Center, Harlingen, Texas.

Thomas G. Radenberg. (People).(promoted at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Thomas G. Radenberg (Northern California Chapter) has been named controller, Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, San Francisco, California. He had been senior auditor/consultant, Karling Health Care Consulting, San Ramon,...

Perry T. White, MBA. (People).(promoted at Pershing Yoakley and Associates)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Perry T. White, MBA (Alabama Chapter), has been named manager, consulting department, Pershing Yoakley & Associates, Knoxville, Tennessee. He had been benefits consultant, Anderson, Williams & Co., Birmingham, Alabama.

Joyce Gusman. (People).(promoted at Unicare Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Joyce Gusman (Northeast Ohio Chapter) has been promoted from operations analyst to corporate compliance officer, Unicare Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio.

Will F. Walk III. (People).(promoted at Inspiron Consulting L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Will F. Walk III (Texas Gulf Coast Chapter) is a principal, Inspirion Consulting, LLC, Houston, Texas. Previously, he had been a senior consulting manager, IMA Consulting, Inc., West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Gary L. Lampi, FHFMA, MBA. (People).(joins Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Gary L. Lampi, FHFMA, MBA (Northern California Chapter), has joined Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, California, as vice president, patient business services. He had been vice president, consulting, Canfield & Associates, Scottsdale, Arizona.

Robert B. Porter, CPA. (People).(promoted at Brim HealthCare Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Robert B. Porter, CPA (Tennessee Chapter), has been promoted from corporate controller to vice president finance/CFO, Brim Healthcare, Brentwood, Tennessee.

Derek F. Morkel. (People).(appointed at Iasis Healthcare Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Derek F. Morkel (Lone Star Chapter) has been named operations CFO, Iasis Healthcare Corporation, Nashville, Tennessee. Previously he was CFO, Palestine Regional Medical Center, Palestine, Texas.

Sister M. Gerald Hartney, CSC, FHFMA. (People).(awarded by 'Modern Healthcare')(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Sister M. Gerald Hartney, CSC, FHFMA (Washington Metropolitan Chapter), was inducted into Modern Healthcare magazine's Health Care Hall of Fame on March 17. The award was presented to Sister Gerald at the American College of Healthcare...

Susan M. Labow. (People).(promoted at Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Susan M. Labow (Southern California Chapter) has been named senior director, consulting services, western operations, Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services, Seal Beach, California. Previously, she was vice president of operations and...

August J. (Augie) Neuhaus, MS. (People).(ActiveLifeNetwork)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... August J. (Augie) Neuhaus, MS (Nebraska Chapter), is vice president, managed care, ActiveLifeNetwork, Lincoln, Nebraska. Previously, he was contract manager, Banner Health System, Phoenix, Arizona.

Patrick R. Richards, MBA. (People).(St. Joseph Regional Health Network)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Patrick R. Richards, MBA (Appalachian Chapter of Central Pennsylvania), has been named vice president, finance/CFO, St. Joseph Regional Health Network, Reading, Pennsylvania. He had been senior vice president/CFO, Carlisle Hospital and Health...

Elaine M. Schweitzer, CPA. (People).(Northern California Division Kaiser Permanente)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Elaine M. Schweitzer, CPA (Northern California Chapter), has been promoted from interim lead of financial planning to vice president of financial planning and analysis, Northern California Division Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, California.

Jon C. Nixon, CPBE. (People).(is elected president of Medical Dental Hospital Business Associates)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Jon C. Nixon, CPBE (Southern California Chapter), executive vice president, CMRE Financial Services, Inc., Brea, California, has been elected president of the Medical Dental Hospital Business Associates, Park Ridge, Illinois.

Joseph J. Bender, CHFP. (People).(St. Joseph Mercy Hospital-Oakland)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Joseph J. Bender, CHFP (Eastern Michigan Chapter), is the new director, revenue integrity, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital-Oakland, Pontiac, Michigan. Previously, he was director, patient financial services, St. Joseph's Mercy Hospital-Macomb, Mount...

Mary K. Balogh. (People).(Siemens Health Services)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Mary K. Balogh (Florida Chapter) is the new national director of managed care receivables, business office managed services division, Siemens Health Services, Malvern, Pennsylvania. She had been director of managed care receivables, Memorial...

Michael J. Yont, CHFP. (People).(Third Millennium Healthcare Systems)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Michael J. Yont, CHFP (Colorado Chapter), has been named regional sales representative, mountain, Third Millennium Healthcare Systems, Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to this appointment, he was a consultant, Vendor Productivity Management, Aurora,...

Calendar: Spring 2002 Seminars.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... CALENDAR: Spring 2002 Seminars Financial Management 5/6-9 Level Seminar Nashville, TN (In...

Financial outlook for healthcare providers appears stable. (Data Trends).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Although 2001 was a turbulent year for the national economy, the data at right suggest that U.S. hospitals experienced relative stability at least through the first three quarters of the year. The data indicate negligible change in three of...

Strategies for the New Healthcare Marketplace: managing the Convergence of Consumerism and Technology. (Bookshelf).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... By Dean C. Coddington, Elizabeth A. Fischer and Keith D. Moore Jossey-Bass Inc., San Francisco, California, 2001 448 pages; $50 Strategies for the New Healthcare Marketplace: Managing the Convergence of Consumerism and Technology...