Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, R-La., said he thinks federal surprise-billing legislation will pass Congress by the end of 2019.

Medical group practices ranked prior authorization requirements as their top regulatory burden, followed by Medicare's Quality Payment Program, according to new survey results released Oct. 14 by the Medical Group Management Association.

Georgia is requiring executives and board members at 59 rural hospitals to take financial management classes and receive other training to improve rural healthcare, the Georgia Hospital Association confirmed.

Patients with low incomes may have a hard time getting free or discounted care at nonprofit hospitals because they don't know about the help available to them, according to The Washington Post.

Three major for-profit hospital operators saw their stock prices rise last week.

Lawmakers in Illinois called on the state attorney general to investigate the "morally wrong and reprehensible" closure of MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island, Ill., according to The Chicago Sun Times. 

The following hospitals and health systems posted job listings for a billing specialist in the last week:

Patients costs increase in hospital-owned physician practices compared to physician-owned groups, but the quality of care is not necessarily better, according to a Rice University study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

HHS has endorsed a Medicare alternative payment model focused on emergency physicians, according to the national medical society that developed the model.

A Hawaii man is working with a national nonprofit to erase medical debt for hundreds of residents in his state, Texas and Florida, according to news website Honolulu Civil Beat. 

Lynchburg, Va.-based Centra Health has resumed billing patients at locations using its new Cerner EHR, after it shut down the process for three months due to errors and delays, according to The News & Advance.  

Voters in Arkansas are backing a tax that will go toward building a new hospital in Sevier County, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health opened an urgent care center in Lee County, Va., as it gears up to fully reopen Lee County Hospital, reports The Roanoke Times.

At the end of fiscal year 2019, NYC  Health + Hospitals reported that it was able to close 65 percent of its $1.8 billion budget gap.

The CEO of Fulton (Mo.) Medical Center said the hospital owes the IRS $3 million, a debt that will "tank" the hospital if it can't pay it off, according to the Fulton Sun.

Richmond-based Virginia Commonwealth University Health System said it will stop filing lawsuits against patients to collect debt and make it easier for patients to receive financial assistance, according to Kaiser Health News.

Ten hospitals and health systems posted job listings seeking revenue cycle management expertise in the last week:

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who are enrolled in a private high-deductible health plans are more likely than those with traditional deductible coverage to face cost-related healthcare access problems, grapple with financial strain and visit emergency rooms, according to a new Harvard study.

In a recent press release, RevSpring, a leading provider of healthcare financial engagement and payment solutions, announced that it has expanded its award-winning Appointment Reminder product to coordinate multiple types of pre-service messages tied to a single encounter.

In a recent press release, RevSpring, a leading provider of healthcare financial engagement and payment solutions, announced a new solution that prioritizes digital delivery in advance of printed communications.