News

Recent public comment on changes to the guidelines on the 2010 Affordable Care Act’s physician payments provision, the so-called Sunshine Act, brings to light a number of questions from both sides of the issue of making public the healthcare-related financial dealings of doctors and hospitals who receive Medicare and Medicaid funding.

Watchers of a February broadcast of “60 Minutes” may have been stunned to learn that studies have been conducted that seem to prove that antidepressants, on the whole, are no more effective than placebo.

About six years ago, Anne Peters, MD, an internist practicing in southern California, started receiving calls from doctors in her area. They told her their patients were reporting that she was billing Medicare for procedures she had done for them – things like brain scans and surgery – procedures she didn’t do.

Hospitals and healthcare systems are increasingly coming up with ways to keep their employees healthy and motivated to stay active with the hope that this message will resonate to their surrounding communities as well.

Charitable hospitals and health systems have the opportunity to create comprehensive, long-term strategies and procedures to help improve their communities’ healthcare needs, all the while retaining their tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service.

Results of a national healthcare industry survey revealed that 60 percent of hospital executives believe revenue integrity is essential to their organization’s financial health.

Citing a CMS survey that found one quarter of providers do not believe they will be ready by October 1, 2013, HHS argues for delaying ICD-10 implementation by one year.

While it may cost slightly more initially, many hospital and healthcare facilities around the country are finding it financially beneficial to receive LEED certifications by the U.S. Green Building Council for sustainable designs, green building materials and energy-efficient systems.

Kathy Love Chief Executive Officer Clark Regional Medical Center Winchester, KY

In an era where healthcare organizations are expected to implement complex initiatives within the constraints of limited budgets, quantifying the efficiency and effectiveness of every function – including hiring – is essential.