Billing and Collections

Commercial insurers inaccurately process about 20 percent of claims filed by medical practices. It's an industry standard that has weathered the test of time -- though not in a good way.

Significant inpatient pricing variation between hospitals in the state of Washington is "putting some consumers at financial risk," according to a recent study by the Washington Health Alliance. But the state's hospitals are questioning the report's conclusions, claiming that price variation should not be surprising.

Many Medicare beneficiaries treated at primarily rural "critical access" hospitals end up paying between two and six times more for outpatient services than do patients at other hospitals, according to a report released Wednesday by the HHS inspector general.

A program that combines a mobile app, analytics and direct intervention is showing promise in reducing the costs associated with hospitals' most expensive patients -- the so-called "super-utilizers."

A Mississippi health system and three hospitals in Texas, Indiana and Alabama are illustrating how hospitals can thrive in a tough economic environment. The facilities recently won awards for their leadership in initiatives to improve financial sustainability and achieve significant financial performance improvements.

Although there are some indications of a possible lull, hospital systems are still buying up private physician practices at a high rate. With that come concerns about maintaining the revenue cycle during transition, but there are steps hospitals can take to smooth the process.

Medicare announced Friday that it was revising rules intended to prevent the agency from paying twice for the same prescriptions for seniors receiving hospice care. The drug categories in question were identified in a 2012 investigation by the HHS inspector general.

Health costs will accelerate next year, but changes in how people buy care will help keep them from attaining the speed of several years ago, PricewaterhouseCoopers says in a new report.

Communicating effectively with patients about their financial responsibility means hospitals and health systems get paid. Here are some best practices to achieve success.

As providers continue adjusting to the reimbursement changes wrought by the Affordable Care Act, it appears increasingly likely that hospitals will place more emphasis on collecting payments at the point of service.