UnitedHealth Group, Anthem, Aetna, and Cigna returned to the list of the top five largest health insurers and one newcomer joined the list. UnitedHealth Group, Anthem, Aetna, and Cigna held onto their status as the top four largest insurers, but in 2020 Kaiser rose to fifth place. AMA was careful to point out that data […]
Prime’s New Jersey hospitals will continue to honor the rates and services in the agreements until the end of the cooling off period. The decision impacts Saint Clare’s Health in Denville, Dover and Boonton, Saint Michael’s Medical Center in Newark, and Saint Mary’s General Hospital in Passaic. Dr. Sonia Mehta, regional CEO and chief medical […]
Sicker patients, fewer outpatient visits, and higher expenses for labor, drugs, and supplies will continue to damage the financial health of hospitals and health systems throughout 2021, says a new analysis released today by the American Hospital Association (AHA). Hospitals nationwide will lose about $54 billion in net income over the course of the year, […]
Typical CDI programs are intended to drive reimbursement through diagnosis securement, contributing to improved case mix index. The COVID-19 pandemic is placing monumental financial stressors upon hospitals, with added costs to treat patients with high acuity and long length of stays, coupled with significant revenue loss associated with postponement of more profitable elective surgeries, […]
2021 may not have started as the fresh page everyone was hoping for, but a new administration could be making some well-worn strategies more relevant. In a new Healthcare Strategies podcast, the editors of Xtelligent Healthcare Media shared their predictions and priorities for 2021. In the revenue cycle and healthcare finance space, some of those […]
More than 80% of survey respondents stated that they have confidence in their organization’s ability to “rapidly adjust their plans and strategies.” Healthcare finance leaders are more optimistic about the ability to adjust to a changing business environment and utilize quality data in the decision-making process, according to the 2021 Healthcare Financial Trends Survey report released […]
Coders should also take note of the new HCPCS Level II codes CMS is considering. CMS released the calendar year (CY) 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) on August 3, introducing 39 new CPT codes, mainly for cardiovascular services. If finalized, the new codes will go into effect January 1, 2021. The proposed update includes five new codes for […]
Though healthcare organizations have endured a global health crisis that has severely taxed their bottom lines, there are areas for growth coming out of the pandemic. The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused one of the most financially crippling situations for healthcare in decades. Besides the clinical implications, hospitals and health systems that […]
Doctors are fond of complaining that they didn’t go to medical school in order to practice business, but independent physicians do spend much of their time on their practices’ finances. That requires mastering revenue cycle management (RCM), the financial process practices use to administer all the functions associated with claims processing, payment, and revenue generation. […]
CMS’ proposed 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule includes substantial changes to the rules for obtaining and maintaining Medicare billing privileges. A one-paragraph statement in the proposed rule calls for applying Medicare enrollment approval and revocation rules for opioid treatment programs to all physicians and other eligible professionals. The proposal would allow CMS to revoke Medicare […]