This week's 5 must-reads for hospital RCM leaders - Becker's Hospital Review

1. ClearBalance reveals 2018 winners for top patient financing performance
Four U.S. health systems have been recognized for patient financing performance by hospital patient loan provider ClearBalance.

2. Increasing patient out-of-pocket costs spur more uncompensated care for hospitals, analysis shows
Hospitals are facing reimbursement challenges as patients are hit with greater financial responsibility for their care, a new analysis from TransUnion Healthcare finds.

3. RCM tip of the day: Include provider data management in M&A integration plans
Hospitals involved in mergers and acquisitions shouldn’t forget to include provider data management to ensure claims payment, according to Scott Friesen, CEO of Newport Credentialing Solutions.

4. Study: Less than half of hospitals, health systems are pursuing customer-friendly billing statements
While hospitals and health systems are focusing more on patient-focused initiatives, they have room for improvement in various key areas related to consumerism, particularly pricing strategy and price transparency, according to a new report by Kaufman Hall.

5. Study finds no significant link between care costs and early penetration of value-based payment models
One way to reduce the nation’s total cost of care is with stronger incentives for adopting value-based payment models, according to a research study conducted by the Healthcare Financial Management Association, Leavitt Partners and McManis Consulting.