Financial Decision Making

The unfortunate growth of pharmacy deserts is creating new urgency and opportunities for health systems and hospitals to expand pharmacy services — if executives are careful to develop strategies that ensure the initiatives deliver ROI.

Chief financial officers are taking on a bigger role in health systems as the industry evolves.

States will face new rules in funding Medicaid. Mary Mayhew, CEO of the Florida Hospital Association, says new federal rules are threatening vital programs.

Even with big changes in federal policy and mounting cost pressures, Hancock says devising strategies for the future is the best way to manage and adapt.

She spoke with Chief Healthcare Executive at the HFMA conference about integrating Spectrum Health and Beaumont Health to form Corewell Health. She also talked about facing financial headwinds and the value of partnerships.

The Catholic health system has completed the deal to acquire AMSURG’s 300 ambulatory surgery centers. It marks a shift in Ascension’s long-term strategy.

For both clinicians and attorneys the lesson is quite clear: whatever the AI model, verification of output together with your own medical and legal judgment remains important.

Most doubt the long-term viability of the health system and say the tipping point is coming, and soon, according to a survey by Vitalic Health.

Providers are seeing more patients confused by misinformation and disinformation, and some aren’t going to doctors. She outlines steps health systems can take to counter misinformation.

Corewell Health CEO Tina Freese Decker and CFO Matt Cox talk about the need for candor, trust, and even a bit of tension in making big decisions at the Healthcare Financial Management Association conference.

The Healthcare Financial Management Association presented the Richard L. Clarke award to Dennis Dahlen, chief financial officer of Mayo Clinic.

The Healthcare Financial Management Association’s conference offers scores of sessions, but there are some big themes.

The carefully polished language once designed to inform the masses must give way to clear, immediate answers and real-time updates.

The FBI says healthcare remains the industry of choice for ransomware groups. Authorities are going after attackers, but hospitals face greater risks amid financial pressures.

Chris Bjornberg, CEO of the Imperial Valley Health District, discusses managing financial challenges and using partnerships to serve vulnerable communities.

Health systems should treat cybersecurity compliance as a fraud prevention imperative.

He talked with us about new opportunities to expand care, changes in federal policy, AI, and more.

Executives say they are focused on cutting expenses and worried about reduced government funding, according to a new report by Strata Decision Technology.

Health systems say the federal government’s planned inpatient payments don’t match with rising cost pressures. They also bristled at changes in reimbursements for joint procedures.

There were more than 20 deals announced, the biggest first quarter number since 2020, according to Kaufman Hall.

Many say concerns about violence are affecting their ability to deliver care, and that they don’t see their organizations viewing their safety as a high priority.

Millions are expected to lose coverage in the coming years, and some hospitals are already making plans. Industry leaders say hospitals can’t afford to wait.

Erik Swanson of Kaufman Hall talks about the rising financial pressures health systems are facing, including more without insurance or underinsured, and rising expenses.

Executives expect to spend more on AI and are focused on funding for new markets or patient acquisition, according to a new report from Sage Growth Partners.

Work requirements and state policies could mean 5-10 million may no longer be covered, according to the Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.