Henry Powderly

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services assigns ratings to more than 3,500 hospitals, which it said will give consumers a clearer picture of quality when it comes to choosing a healthcare provider.

Tennessee-based Iasis, which operates acute-care hospitals, said its revised 2014 revenue will be $2.5 billion, $30 million less than previously thought.

CMS programs that focus on alternative payment models such as accountable care organizations, which currently serve eight million people, and population health, are moving a fragmented system tied to fee-for-service into a future in which costs are controlled and care is improved.

The revenue cycle of the future is going to be one with the patient front and center.

According to Intermountain CFO Albert Zimmerli, the problem comes down to how well organizations and providers answer these questions for patients: How much does this cost? And how do I find financing?

Speakers tackled topics such as increasing patient communication, finding solutions to improve patient collections and prepping for the big ICD-10 change on Oct. 1.

Recent rankings by Healthgrades and Truven claim to list the best hospitals in the country for measures such as quality, safety, patient experience and financial management, yet only one made all four.

The bill would expand coverage using federal subsidies, but would also require some enrollees to pay premiums and participate in job programs.

Map and table shows the state-level incentive totals for meaningful use incentives from January 2011 to February 2015.

We asked several experts in the field to highlight key issues affecting a hospital's revenue cycle management and offer some advice to providers on how to improve their operations.