Budgeting
Aggregated clinical data are essential to managing population health. But analyzing the financial health of various service lines is a complex undertaking.
As a result of the push towards accountable care, increased patient census no longer translates to higher revenue for hospitals. Unless costs are managed internally, higher patient volume may instead lead to narrower margins, if not outright red ink.
Having IT is a necessity for hospitals, but for many, having an IT team to support that technology is a luxury. Here are some tips from experts on creating an IT team on a budget.
Medicare's Trust Fund has a 12 years of solvency left and seniors are also being forced to pay more, making it a ripe time to reform today's haphazard payment system, argues Medicare's independent advisor.
Some of the nation's largest pharmaceutical companies have slashed payments to health professionals for promotional speeches amid heightened public scrutiny of such spending.
The Obama Administration released its proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2015 this week. Virtually all types of healthcare providers, health plans, and drug manufacturers would be impacted by the budget provisions if adopted as proposed - although that is an unlikely scenario.
Meaningful use requirements and the move toward integrated, accountable care have been pushing long-term care facilities to improve their technology systems, but it's been a tough road for many skilled nursing facilities.
In light of the cadre of reform measures reverberating through the healthcare industry, hospitals are responding to the pressure by changing up their budgeting formats.
Last month, Paul R. Bengston, CEO of Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital, a small, critical access hospital located in St. Johnsbury, Vt., was chosen to lead the American Hospital Association's Section for Small or Rural Hospitals in 2014. The 21-person governing council represents small or rural hospitals in the AHA's policy process and member services initiatives.
Honolulu's Kuakini Medical Center was anticipating an enormous capital investment to upgrade its energy systems, when a golden opportunity came along.