1. CMS miscalculated MIPS payment adjustments: 4 things to know
CMS recently disclosed it made an error when processing quality scores for physicians participating in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System.
2. Fitch: Nonprofit hospital balance sheet metrics improve, operating margins don’t
U.S. nonprofit hospitals continue to struggle with operating margins, but key balance sheet metrics have improved, according to Fitch Ratings.
3. Is patient billing a pain point for your hospital? Here’s how to improve the process
With the rise in high-deductible health plans, patients are shouldering a greater portion of the cost of their medical care. As payment responsibility falls increasingly to the patient, it’s vital for hospitals and other provider organizations to make it simple for patients to understand and pay their medical bills.
4. CMS eases readmission penalties for safety-net hospitals
Partially because of a push from Congress, CMS is easing its penalties for 30-day readmissions for hundreds of safety-net hospitals.
5. How providers can analyze data to boost finances
Healthcare providers are increasingly focused on protecting their revenue amid financial pressures from dwindling reimbursement and increasing competition. In this environment, data analytics — using technology to examine and make conclusions from data sets — can help organizations improve revenue cycle performance, payer contracts and, ultimately, the bottom line.
More articles on healthcare finance:
Steward closes Ohio hospital, lays off 468
Temple University Health System’s finances improve as Epic install costs shrink
Houston hospital appeals loss of federal funding for heart transplants
