News
As the pressure on independent practices has increased, many physicians have left their private practices to become employed in hospitals and health system settings. For those fighting to stay independent but who need some support, there are practice management companies.
U.S. healthcare spending was up 3.9 percent in 2010, just slightly more than the 3.8 percent growth seen in 2009, according to numbers released in January by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
West Penn Allegheny Health System recorded a loss of $52 million in its 2011 fiscal year - an amount that would have been nearly double had it not received $50 million from health insurer Highmark on June 28, just two days before closing its books for the year
The number of young people entering the nursing profession is surging, providing relief from the recent nursing shortage, according to an article in the December issue of Health Affairs.
With the flip of the calendar to 2012, the ICD-10 implementation deadline of Oct. 1, 2013, suddenly appears very closer.
Steven Chyung, vice president of supply chain management for Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, spoke recently with Healthcare Finance News Contributing Writer Betsy Caron about what he expects to be the major supply chain management trends in 2012.
When it comes to supply chain management, it isn’t just about moving boxes anymore, said Ed Raeke, director of materials management at Massachusetts General Hospital. Spending trends in 2012 will move toward reducing operating expenses for hospitals by effectively using the analytics and tools offered by GPOs.
A panel of ICD-10 experts spoke recently at a conference co-hosted by the New England Health Information and Management Systems Society and Maine Healthcare Financial Management Association in South Portland, Maine, giving advice about the five ‘gotchas’ that can wreak havoc on the best-laid plans for implementing the new coding system.
Hospitals are beginning to advocate for green practices, but it doesn’t just happen without a business plan. Providers need to put policies and procedures in place that keep physicians and employees mindful of the environment and that make green activities easier and more consistent.
Roy Snell, CEO of the Heath Care Compliance Association and the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics spoke recently with Healthcare Finance News Editor René Letourneau about compliance trends in 2012.