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

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/].

April 15: Health system capex plans; IPPS proposed rule details

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 dialing back their capex in 2026 and changing where those dollars flow. Learn the details and what they mean. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 34.9% is the share of rural hospitals that operated in the red in 2025, according to financial tracking by Chartis Center for Rural Health. One More Thing: Hospitals will face a range of financial impacts under the IPPS proposed rule from CMS. Hear the key numbers. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.hfma.org/fast-finance/fastfinance-hfma-cfo-newsletter/].

April 1: Hospital revenue sources; ACA plan concerns

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. Most hospital revenue is from non-patient-care sources, according to a new analysis. The shares of patient-care revenue vary widely by hospital type. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 40%. That’s the increase in bad debt and charity per calendar day when comparing year-to-date 2023 to year-to-date 2026. One More Thing: Hospital advocates raised a range of concerns about proposed changes to ACA marketplace plan rules for 2027, including allowing more to purchase catastrophic plans. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.hfma.org/fast-finance/fastfinance-hfma-cfo-newsletter/].