Strategic Planning

The Jane Phillips Medical Center, member of St. John Health System in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, named James Brasel as the hospital's chief financial officer, effective Dec. 1.

Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, MD, has joined Carrick Capital Partners, LLC, as a special adviser to the investment firm.

The relationship between a Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Financial Officer can become adversarial when external pressures are calling for change to healthcare's economic model. But a partnership between the two can become the foundation for moving forward in a challenging environment.

Two years ago General Dynamics, one of the biggest federal contractors, reported a quarterly loss of $2 billion. An "eye-watering" result, one analyst called it.

Here's a look at some recent headlines in the world of healthcare finance.

CMS appears to recognize the significant challenges that many ACOs have faced in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, and has proposed a number of changes to the financial performance tracks for ACOs participating in the program.

The timeworn image of the number-crunching hospital CFO, toiling behind the scenes, has transformed over the past several years into that of a key management figure, deeply entrenched in daily operations and strategic planning.

Consumerism in healthcare is changing the industry, as patients are paying far closer attention to the costs of medical care than in the past. This change will likely shape the top 10 issues faced by providers in 2015, claims a new report by the PwC Health Research Institute.

National health spending is growing at the slowest rate since the federal government began tracking the trend in 1960, a welcome change to policymakers after decades of inflation. But is the slowdown a sign that healthcare spending rationalization is taking hold?

An increasing number of healthcare organizations are turning to demand forecasting, crunching numbers to help them determine potential device usage, patient demand and even to decide whether or not to build new facilities.