|
HealthLeaders Media Finance - June 21, 2010 | Credit Rating Agencies Have Been Botching Some Important Ratings
|
View as a Webpage | Subscribe for Free
|
|
|
Millions Lost To Contractual Underpayments, and How My Cable Bill Can Help
Karen Minich-Pourshadi, Senior Editor-Finance
I'm about to offer you a hard pill to swallow; as many as 40% of your payers are likely underpaying you AND they aren't doing it intentionally AND they aren't violating your contracts. In fact, what's happening is actually your mistake and it's costing hospitals and practices approximately $1.5 billion, or roughly $300,000 annually per hospital.
[Read More]
|
|
| |
June 21, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
Editor's Picks
|
Could Nonprofit Hospitals Become an Endangered Species?
Are tax breaks necessary for nonprofit hospitals and health systems any longer? That's the question HealthLeaders Media Editor Philip Betbeze asks in his column this week. He delves into the notion of, what if hospitals are no longer having to spend huge amounts covering charity care and bad debt write-offs? Will they be seen as a potentially big source of revenue not only for the feds but for state governments as well? Thoughts that are worth pondering, and reading about.
[Read More]
Pay Patients Without Overpaying
Money, money, money . . . it seems that it's a great incentive for everyone. If you want physicians as a group to focus more on quality, pay them based on performance. If you want employees to quit smoking or follow routine wellness programs, give them cash incentives. If you want to remind patients to take their medication, pay them with a lottery. HealthLeaders Media Editor Elyas Bakhtiari takes a look at a New York Times profile of an Aetna-sponsored program in Philadelphia that paid patients who had been prescribed warfarin for remembering to take their medication. Find out what kind of results came from this program.
[Read More]
Study: Physicians Change Treatment Patterns to Offset Payment Cuts
Cutting or changing physician reimbursement doesn't always produce the desired cost savings, as physicians are likely to increase services or switch to more profitable treatments after a cut, according to a study published in Health Affairs. The study examined how oncologist treatment patterns for lung cancer changed after the Medicare Modernization Act reduced payments for certain chemotherapy drugs beginning in 2005. Did the change in reimbursement produce the desired outcomes? Read on to learn more.
[Read More]
|
|
Finance Forum
|
Getting Ahead of the Revenue Cycle Curve with Technology
The nation's recent economic downturn has spread the pain of increased healthcare costs from patient to provider, as outstanding provider debt has been on the increase. It's understandable that some in the healthcare industry may be saying, "If we can't get all our existing patients to pay on a timely basis now, how will we get even larger numbers to do so?" While many healthcare providers struggle with this question, others are getting ahead of the curve by using technology.
[Read More]
|
Sponsored Headlines
|
: Mayo Clinic transforms the way it processes and interprets medical imaging results to enable more accurate detection.
| |
: From clinical alert notification and clinical trial management to staff scheduling and claim processing, providers are transforming core processes through intelligent decisioning.
| |
: Access the smarter healthcare virtual scenario to see first-hand how process improvement can lead to new, enhanced levels of healthcare delivery.
| |
: Read this brief to see how smarter collaboration can streamline processes, improve communication and deliver outstanding customer service.
| |
: Your Web presence may be the only way customers and partners get work done. You need to make those interactions count.
| |
: The IDC recently did a study comparing the total cost of ownership of in-house portal development with that of portals developed with IBM® WebSphere® Portal.
| |
|
Finance Headlines
|
Senate Gives Doc Fix Six Month Reprieve, But 21% Cuts Go Into Effect
John Commins, for HealthLeaders Media - June 18, 2010
Doctors limit new Medicare patients
USA Today - June 21, 2010
Metro Atlanta hospitals create partnerships
Atlanta Journal-Constitution - June 18, 2010
TN-based LifePoint nears deal for Sumner Regional Health Systems
The Tennessean - June 15, 2010
HHS Releases Final Rule for Temporary EHR Certification Program
Andrea Kraynak, for HealthLeaders Media - June 18, 2010
|
Stay Connected to HealthLeaders Media Finance
|
To help us ensure future delivery of HealthLeaders Media Finance, please add our "From" address— news.editor@healthleadersmedia.com—to your address book or e-mail whitelist.
| |
|
|
| From HealthLeaders Magazine |
Taking On the Cost Drivers
While most expense categories are unavoidable, there are ways to reduce costs.
[Read More]
|
|
|
| Service Line Management |
Creating Stroke Systems of Care
If U.S. healthcare is headed toward a model that eliminates fragmentation and emphasizes continuity and cooperation, stroke care may be leading the way and making a difference in patients' lives.
[Read More]
|
|
|
Money Talk
A look at one hospital's struggles to improve
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Rating: AA-
Outlook: Positive
Affected Debt: $1.7 billion
Agency: Standard & Poor's Ratings Services
Remarks: S&P revised its rating outlook to positive from stable and affirmed its AA- rating on various issuers' debt issued for Mayo Clinic. At the same time, S&P affirmed its various other ratings on numerous bonds issued on behalf of Mayo Clinic. Offsetting credit factors include liquidity levels that are still below similarly rated organizations. S&P also considers Mayo Clinic's asset allocation aggressive, with approximately 50% of Mayo's long-term fund in alternative assets. S&P also cites its potential exposure to future Medicare and Medicare physician reimbursement reductions.
[Read More]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Webcasts
|
|
|
|
