Reimbursement

Hospital revenue fell in 2014's first quarter compared with the final three months of 2013, the Census Bureau estimated last week. And for a full year -- from Q1 2013 to Q1 2014 -- revenue for healthcare and social assistance rose only 2.9 percent.

"Clinical integration" and "organizing for value" are two key themes at the HFMA 2014 ANI conference. Both are crucial in preparation for the transition from a fee-for-service reimbursement system. Here's an example of how one health system is preparing, by teaming with a health plan on a new care management venture.

In the midst of the exchange evolution, insurers are taking some common but also some diverging paths when it comes to the private HIXs transforming the group market.

The Affordable Care Act requires employers to provide coverage for full-time employees, but not part-timers. That sounds like a straightforward and reasonable provision, but as usual the devil is in the details.

Amid the shift to high-deductible health plans, patients are finally getting more convenient options to pay for their health services up front.

Phrases abound for the imminent future of team healthcare. Whether it's accountable care, coordinated care, medical home, or even the uber-approach of patient-centered medical community, the underlying notion is that all caregivers practice at the top of their license to essentially put patients front-and-center.

With population health management becoming a central focus for more healthcare providers, a growing number are considering adding a chief population health officer to the executive ranks.

The breakthrough hepatitits C drug Sovaldi has brought the high price of specialty pharma to recent public attention. But less examined are proactive approaches that could be used to curb the growth trend without depriving patients of needed therapies.

Healthcare companies working for publicly-funded programs have one certainty: they will be serving many more Americans getting public coverage, at the same time they will have to bring down the cost-curve.

If health insurers want to garner new members and keep them well, it may be worth looking internally, at how employees are faring and how managers make decisions.