Digital technologies are transforming healthcare by reducing human errors, facilitating the coordination of care, and improving efficiencies within medical practices. Healthcare IT enables providers to more easily manage the practice, big or small, so they can focus on serving their patients. Because of the sensitive personal and health information stored and transmitted via digital health […]
Some commercial health insurers are using policies that can delay patient care and create burden for providers, causing relationships with hospitals to worsen, according to a survey by AHA. The association fielded responses from more than 200 hospitals in 2019 and from 772 hospitals between December 2021 and February 2022, creating data that both predates […]
The spotlight is on your revenue cycle’s coding team as COVID-19 reporting sheds light on a multitude of post-acute conditions brought on by the virus. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open found that between October 1, 2021, and January 31, 2022, providers used ICD-10-CM code U09.9 (post-COVID-19 […]
A report highlights pandemic-related impacts of the past year on revenue cycle challenges. As the labor shortage continues to hamper healthcare organizations, outsourcing has become a common strategy to mitigate costs. Nearly one-third of hospital and health system leaders (63%) have pursued at least one outsourcing solution, with revenue cycle functions at the top of […]
How bad is inflation? Physicians, financial managers report the latest. The Medical Group Management Association has published its 2022 MGMA Cost and Revenue Survey Report. The title is “Maintaining Margin in the Inflation Era,” and survey respondents said it’s been difficult to do so in 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering effects on health […]
Economists say hospitals will have to enact “aggressive cost-cutting measures,” including department or service line closures, to stabilize profit margins. Hospitals will need to take drastic cost-cutting measures to stabilize balance sheets after one of the worst financial years in decades, according to economists. Those measures may include department and service line closures or even […]
Waiving the PAYGO sequester requirements and updating the 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule would help limit Medicare payment cuts to hospitals, FAH wrote. As the 117th Congress nears the end of its session, the Federation of American Hospitals (FAH) has called upon congressional leaders to pass legislation that will reduce financial challenges for hospitals, including […]
In today’s healthcare ecosystem, every health system, hospital and physician is being asked to do more with less. Healthcare providers face increasing pressure to manage revenue, optimize utilization and reduce costs. At the same time, they must also fulfill their primary duties: preventing illness, optimizing care and improving patient outcomes. From clinical decision support systems […]
Nearly 75 percent of primary care practice leaders have invested in additional staff to accommodate the shift to value-based care, while 71 percent have added new technology. Staffing and technology are the top investment areas for primary care practice leaders as they manage the challenges of shifting from fee-for-service (FFS) models to value-based care, according […]
The majority of hospital leaders reported raising starting salaries and introducing signing bonuses to improve recruitment as they manage persistent workforce shortages. Hospitals and health systems have increased their recruitment and retention strategies as workforce shortages and high expenses continue to be top challenges in 2022. The 2022 Healthcare Performance Improvement Report reflects responses from […]