June 24: AI in the ED, ACA plan pressure on providers

June 24: AI in the ED, ACA plan pressure on providers

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. An AI tool helped cut emergency department lengths of stay, a recent study found. That improvement demonstrates the technology’s potential to drive operational efficiency, says one of its authors. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 11%. That’s the amount of decrease in Medicare Part A payments to providers in 2033 when the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is depleted, according to the latest projections by the Medicare trustees. One More Thing: Increasing financial vulnerability for ACA marketplace plans could hit providers through greater administrative restrictions. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.hfma.org/fast-finance/fastfinance-hfma-cfo-newsletter/].

June 10: Provider plan challenges; Digital remote triage

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Hospitals and health systems have launched an increasing number of health plans in recent years and now they need major re-assessments amid pressure facing all payers. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 2.3 million. That’s the number of Medicaid enrollees CMS projected will leave the program in FY27 due to requirements that able-bodied adult beneficiaries ages complete at least 80 hours per month of work, volunteering, job training, or education. One More Thing: One health system is pioneering digital triage to reduce unnecessary visits of low-acuity patients to the over-crowded emergency departments. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.hfma.org/fast-finance/fastfinance-hfma-cfo-newsletter/].

May 27: Patient collections trends; state-directed payment cuts

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Hospitals and health systems have improved their front-end patient collections over the last year. But back-end collections are faltering. Also, this week’s Weird Number: $1.3 billion. That’s the amount of Medicaid funding CMS announced it was withholding from California as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing healthcare fraud crackdown. One More Thing: A new rule implementing cuts to Medicaid state-directed payments will cut much more than previously projected under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.hfma.org/fast-finance/fastfinance-hfma-cfo-newsletter/].

May 13: MA trends and opportunities, state price caps

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Hospitals and health systems may have some opportunities ahead to improve their results in Medicare Advantage. Also, this week’s Weird Number: $3.8 billion. That's the total drop in Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule Medicare payments from 2018 to 2020, according to estimates from the American Clinical Lab Association. One More Thing: One driver of the proliferation of hospital price cap laws in states is research on existing laws. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.hfma.org/fast-finance/fastfinance-hfma-cfo-newsletter/].

April 29: Medicaid provider burdens, Cost focus in 2026

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Hospitals and health systems are facing Medicaid administrative burdens as states scramble to upgrade their programs ahead of OBBBA. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 49.5%. That’s the combined percentage of top automation concerns among revenue cycle leaders, according to HFMA's new "Revenue Cycle of the Future" report. Those concerns included 25% citing concerns of errors scaling faster than humans can catch and more than 24% raising concerns over increased dependency on outside partners. For more insights, go to hfma.org and click on new "Revenue Cycle of the Future" report. One More Thing: Hospitals plan to prioritize cost cutting this year as expenses outpaced revenue growth over the last 12 months. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.hfma.org/fast-finance/fastfinance-hfma-cfo-newsletter/].