HCM
Health Care Management Advisor
Showing 1–16 of 132 results
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Credit matters – Will revised credit rating criteria impact your nonprofit hospital?
Summer 2018
Newsletter: Healthcare Management Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 440
Abstract: With credit ratings playing so vital a role in hospitals’ financial sustainability, they need to stay current with both Standard and Poor’s (S&P) and Fitch Ratings Inc. (Fitch) changes — which could affect their ability to obtain critical financing. This article discusses the revised rating criteria and explains their effects on hospitals. Because strong ratings are essential to minimizing the cost of debt, hospitals need to study the criteria changes and take the necessary steps to maximize their ratings.
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Keeping health care quality high: Physicians are key
Summer 2018
Newsletter: Healthcare Management Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 526
Abstract: Hospitals — and physicians — need to track a variety of quality metrics over time to ensure that the hospital’s patient care and safety standards meet, or exceed, the quality improvement (QI) goals of reporting programs such as the Joint Commission’s, and others. This article points out that physicians are key to quality of care. The best way to let physicians know that QI is a strategic priority is for top management to show their commitment to it. Among other things, public demonstrations of encouragement and support help create a strong, sustainable quality culture.
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How to ward off cyber-extortion – OCR offers some tips
Summer 2018
Newsletter: Healthcare Management Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 611
Abstract: Cyber-extortion schemes are on the rise, and hospitals aren’t immune. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued some guidance that might help hospitals avoid these types of attacks. This article explains the forms these attacks may take, including ransomware, Denial of Service and Distributed Denial of Service, and threats to expose sensitive data. It also outlines several steps hospitals can take, such as implementing a robust risk analysis / risk management program and limiting internal network access, which will assist them in protecting their data.
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Blockchain is coming to health care
Summer 2018
Newsletter: Healthcare Management Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 768
Abstract: Many are proclaiming blockchain technology the “next big thing” in a wide range of industries. Whether blockchain can live up to its reputation remains to be seen, but experts agree it has the potential to bring significant positive change to health care. This article explains what blockchain is and how it can be helpful in a medical context to make patient records more accessible, maintain data security and share clinical trial data, among other things. A sidebar notes some potential hurdles to using blockchain in a health care setting.
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Hospitals warming up to bundled payments
Spring 2018
Newsletter: Healthcare Management Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 461
Abstract: In late November, the CMS finalized its rule canceling the mandatory hip fracture and cardiac bundled-payment models and scaling back the five-year Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Model (CJR) program. Yet CMS data indicate that many hospitals had managed to satisfy the CJR program’s tough requirements, reaping financial rewards as a result. This article looks at hospital use of bundled payments and notes that, as bundling continues to gain traction, industrywide adoption may be only a matter of time.
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Don’t hold on to buried assets – Understand unclaimed property laws
Spring 2018
Newsletter: Healthcare Management Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 700
Abstract: A hospital or practice may hold unclaimed property that can weigh down its bottom line if not handled appropriately. To take full advantage of all of its assets, the organization needs to understand the laws relating to unclaimed property, such as wages or unpaid credit balances, and the applicable dormancy periods. This article offers an explanation of unclaimed property laws and how a hospital can make the most of its resources and dig out the truth about its unclaimed property.
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Retail comes to health care
Spring 2018
Newsletter: Healthcare Management Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 577
Abstract: Patients concerned with health care costs increasingly are turning to lower-priced retail clinics. The introduction of such consumerism isn’t necessarily all bad news for hospitals, though. Those that get on board with the trend may actually strengthen their revenues. This article explains why the retail model can be helpful for hospitals and how they can meet patient demand for more convenient and affordable options.
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The final OPPS rule for 2018: What you need to know
Spring 2018
Newsletter: Healthcare Management Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 836
Abstract: The release of the CMS’s Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) final rule for 2018 — all 1,133 pages of it — has generated much concern regarding its implications for hospitals’ bottom lines. This article explains several areas affected by the rule, including drug program reimbursements, the inpatient-only list and the Outpatient Quality Reporting Program. A sidebar discusses CMS cuts in fees for off-campus physicians.
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To bundle or not to bundle – CMS steers away from ACA-related payment models
Winter 2018
Newsletter: Healthcare Management Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 470
Abstract: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has sent a proposed rule to the Office of Management and Budget that would cancel, or scale back, some of the major bundled payment initiatives created by the Affordable Care Act. This article looks at the proposed CMS changes to these bundled payment programs, noting that, while the American Medical Association had criticized the programs for moving too fast, it isn’t generally opposed to bundling payments.
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Supreme Court rules on ERISA exemption
Winter 2018
Newsletter: Healthcare Management Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 558
Abstract: The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued a ruling that could free church-affiliated hospitals from the costly burden of complying with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). This article explains the exemption under which some plans for employees of churches or church-affiliated nonprofits — such as hospitals — qualify as “church plans” even though not actually administered by a church. The article adds the caveat that hospitals seeking to take advantage of the church plan exemption to ERISA must be able to establish principal-purpose status for their plans — and the bodies that maintain them. Advocate Health Care Network v. Stapleton, No. 16-74, U.S.S.C., June 5, 2017
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Stay on top of your credit rating
Winter 2018
Newsletter: Healthcare Management Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 501
Abstract: A good credit rating is key to obtaining financing, so it’s important to be aware of how agencies evaluate it. Utilization metrics have historically focused primarily on inpatient activity. But because the Affordable Care Act has prompted a shift away from inpatient care toward outpatient and ambulatory care, the major credit ratings agencies have begun to incorporate new metrics that reflect a hospital’s ability to deliver quality care at a reasonable cost. This article discusses these factors and points out that taking the proper steps to enhance care can benefit a hospital’s credit rating.
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Beyond the rate increase: Other important IPPS changes
Winter 2018
Newsletter: Healthcare Management Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 863
Abstract: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule for the 2018 fiscal year addresses several areas of vital importance. These include hospital readmission penalties, changes to the measures for evaluating inpatient services payments, and easing aspects of the Electronic Health Record incentive program. This article explains that the 2018 rule also replaces the three pain management questions in the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey with three new questions. A brief sidebar looks at revisions to the treatment of Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments.
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FBI alert – Don’t leave your health files vulnerable
Fall 2017
Newsletter: Healthcare Management Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 417
Abstract: The FBI has issued a “private industry notification” alerting health care organizations that cyber criminals are targeting file transfer protocol (FTP) servers associated with medical facilities to compromise protected health information and personally identifiable information. This article discusses the FTP risks and suggests some preventive steps to take.
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Does your billing department measure up?
Fall 2017
Newsletter: Healthcare Management Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 638
Abstract: A hospital billing department’s efficiency, accuracy and effectiveness are critical to its survival. This article lists several important areas to examine to determine how well a billing department is performing, including accounts receivable aging, collection ratios and denial rate. If the billing department is falling behind in these, and other, areas, it’s time to take action — perhaps by providing additional training, staff or outsourcing.
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How to prevent medical errors
Fall 2017
Newsletter: Healthcare Management Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 656
Abstract: In the medical field, a simple mistake could be life changing — for patients and caregivers alike. How can a large and complex organization such as a hospital prevent errors? Most medical errors or adverse events are the result of system failures, such as missed and delayed diagnoses, mistakes made during treatment, and medication mistakes. This article discusses the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s multistep program for improving patient safety and care system reliability.
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A new CMS rule changes DSH payment limits
Fall 2017
Newsletter: Healthcare Management Advisor
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 878
Abstract: A new CMS final rule that addresses how third-party payments are treated when determining Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments to health systems could hurt children’s and safety net hospitals that rely heavily on Medicaid DSH funding. This article explains the role of the DSH limit and the new changes. It also discusses the ramifications of these changes, including the claim that the new rule could dissuade hospitals from treating large populations of low-income and uninsured patients. A sidebar reports the American Hospital Association’s response to the rule.