Financial Oversight
Snapshot Patients' ability to pay premiums and out-of-pocket costs is shrinking. They also need more convenient care. Are hospitals listening?
As the U.S. population ages and lives longer, the trajectory of Medicare per capita spending is shifting, according to a study in Health Affairs. The age at which Medicare per capita spending peaked rose from 92 in 2000 to 96 in 2011. The average spending for beneficiaries age 96 in 2011 was $16,…
Before a hospital or system launches a population health management initiative, it is essential to have clarity around the goals, required resources and success metrics.
Community hospital chief executive officers ranked financial challenges first on a list of their top 10 concerns in 2014, according to an annual survey by the American College of Healthcare Executives. Financial challenges also claimed first place in 2013 and 2012. Concerns about health reform…
More Americans were able to get needed care and pay their medical bills in 2014, according to a survey from the Commonwealth Fund. The number of people who reported not having received health care because of its cost dropped from 80 million in 2012 to 66 million in 2014. Additionally, the number of…
As stewards of their hospital or health care system’s advancement, board members should be both highly vested in the organization’s work as well as invested in its mission. Trustees not only should contribute financially to their institution, they also should set the tone for an…
For urban, teaching and system-affiliated hospitals, the median is 49 days, and for rural hospitals, the median is 52 days, according to data from the 2013 AHA Annual Survey of Hospitals and the Healthcare Cost Report Information System maintained by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services…
Workers are spending more of their income on their employer-sponsored health insurance, according to a report from the Commonwealth Fund. While premiums rose 60 percent between 2003 and 2013, incomes grew only 11 percent. Workers contributed 21 percent on average to their employer health plan…
Sound policy management can support the board’s risk and compliance oversight responsibilities
Executives, trustees and physicians should be the leading advocates of philanthropy.