Study: primary care specialists play critical role Americans made an estimated 890 million physician visits in 2002, and a majority of those visits were to primary care specialists, according to the latest annual report from CDC’s National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a report of medical care provided in physician’s offices. Primary care specialists play essential […]
Category: Healthcare Financial Management
How OBRA admission rules affect nursing facilities – includes admission agreement checklist Stephen H. Siegel How OBRA admission rules affect nursing facilities The Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA ’87) included the most sweeping reforms to Medicare and Medicaid nursing facility benefits since the programs began. OBRA and its implementing regulations radically redefine the relationship […]
Becoming a CEO or COO requires planning – chief executive officer or chief operating officer Edward A. Kazemek Becoming a CEO or COO requires planning Conventional wisdom says that a financial manager, even a chief financial officer, is too narrowly focused and trained to be considered for general management positions. In this case, however, conventional […]
HCFA defines “actual charge” in proposed rule – Health Care Financing Administration Richard Gundling Citing the lack of a definition of “actual charge” in the Medicare statute, HCFA, in a ruling published June 18, proposed an interpretation of the term that it feels is both reasonable and consistent with Medicare law. HCFA proposes to define […]
Practice enhancement strengthens hospital-physician ties Vincent Pivnicny PHYSICIAN RELATIONS In the increasingly competitive U.S. healthcare environment, hospitals must be concerned with maintaining and increasing the number of patients admitted. A key strategy for hospitals is to fortify relationships with physicians who admit and refer patients. Practice enhancement services designed to improve the strategic, financial, and […]
How will America replace its rural hospitals? Many of the nation’s 2,000-plus rural hospitals are aging. Some may be in immediate need of substantial renovation or replacement. Major construction projects have often been unaffordable for small hospitals. But the financial story for rural hospitals is not all doom and gloom. HFMA’s Financing the Future series […]
Senate bill includes grants, loans for healthcare IT A new bipartisan proposal for provider grants and loans for healthcare IT and to establish standards to support an interoperable health IT system was quickly approved by the Senate Health Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee July 20. The Wired for Health Care Quality Act (S.1418) would provide […]
Do your homework on 529 plans – Personal Finance – benefits of 529 college savings plans Ronald J. Paprocki In 2002, many of us saw our investment returns drop and our taxes go up, with more of the same expected in 2003. The IRS does give a break to those who are saving for a […]
Emerging trends, strategies explored – HFMA News – Healthcare Financial Management Association’s fall seminar series – Brief Article – Calendar Healthcare leaders can stay on top of industry trends with HFMA’s fall seminar series. Locations and dates for the event are: * Atlanta, October 27-30 * Phoenix, November 17-20 * Chicago, December 8-11 The series, […]
Identifying and validating managed care data – Managed Care Catherine Sreckovich Reliable data are essential to a healthcare organization’s success in many areas, ranging from delivery to quality to financing. Individuals within a healthcare organization often are not aware of or do not understand data collected by other individuals or departments within an organization. Knowing […]