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As the trend of doctors leaving private practice to join hospitals and health systems continues, the pressure is on those doctors who aren’t leaving private practice. Marketing can help dial the pressure back.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recommended in early January that Congress provide an update of 1.0 percent for fiscal year 2013 inpatient and outpatient hospital payments and reduce Medicare payment rates for non-emergent hospital visits to be the same as payments made for equivalent services delivered at doctor’s offices.

If the economy picks up in 2012, hospitals may find themselves scrambling to hang onto key employees.

A new study on the cost of hospital readmissions finds that about 1 in 12 adults discharged from a hospital is readmitted within 30 days, adding $16 billion to the cost of healthcare in the United States, and, according to analysts, it underscores the need for a comprehensive approach to reforms.

One of the major components of the Affordable Care Act addressing the cost of care got underway Jan. 1 after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services unveiled it picks for the Pioneer Accountable Care Organization program, which government officials say could save Medicare as much as $1.1 billion.

Mary Ann Freas Chief Financial Officer Southwest General Health Center Middleburg Heights, Ohio

Successful payer contracting is one of the many important duties for safeguarding the long-term financial stability of a hospital-based physician practice. Whether contracts are self-renewing year-to-year or contain end dates that force physicians and payers to renegotiate agreements regularly, the payer dictates the terms unless the practice is prepared for negotiations. There are many factors to a successful negotiation – from the gathering and familiarity with practice data, thoroughly understanding existing payer agreements, to sheer persistence.

U.S. healthcare spending has grown dangerously out of control. Or has it? According to a recent analysis by McKinsey and Company, total spending on U.S. healthcare in 2009 was $2.5 trillion, equivalent to 17.6 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. The U.S. spends more on healthcare, per capita and as a share of GDP, than any other nation in the world.

Traditional banks have been lukewarm when it comes to deploying capital in the healthcare industry—a sector known for its regulatory complexities and reimbursement risk even during the best of times.

U.S. healthcare spending has grown dangerously out of control. Or has it? According to a recent analysis by McKinsey and Company, total spending on U.S. healthcare in 2009 was $2.5 trillion, equivalent to 17.6 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. The U.S. spends more on healthcare, per capita and as a share of GDP, than any other nation in the world.