Healthcare

As discussed in my previous blog post, the IRS is ramping up compliance audits of governmental hospitals who are exempt under 501(c)3. However, the IRS isn’t the only one monitoring your tax-exempt hospital. Other organizations have started policing these requirements.

Consider a small U.S. town that doesn't have local access to a cardiologist. The community can't support one on a full-time basis, so the hospital brings in a cardiologist twice a month. The physician pays to use the hospital's facilities, equipment, support staff and nurses during those two days. Patients are able to access the specialized care they need without having to travel, and the physician pays only for the space and support that he or she needs.

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the Health Care Advisory Board’s National Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. One of the topics that really struck me was the last presentation about the importance of building a consumer-focused organization and increasing consumer loyalty.

Is the following statement true or false? The new revenue recognition standards will have only a minimal effect on my accounting practices and policies.

For the C-Suite to become value added, the C-Suite level executives must become value added leaders within the organization. Senior leadership must learn how to recruit, train, nurture, maintain and retain these value added individuals.  For an organization to do more than just survive – to succeed, it must anticipate its customers’ needs and adjust its direction and momentum so that it is providing what the customer needs in a timelier fashion than its competition. Becoming an anticipatory organization guided by visionary leader is essential for growth. 

I recently saw an excellent example of offering appropriate care in the appropriate setting when I reviewed my new HORNE healthcare plan. HORNE is offering a new program called “MD Live.” For the first time, our insurance will cover employees who consult a doctor remotely by using a phone, tablet or computer. The next time I feel a cold or the flu coming on, I can visit with a doctor and get the treatment I need without traveling to the doctor’s office. 

Healthcare reform has undoubtedly created more integrated delivery and payment models based on a culture of quality-focused and cost-efficient clinical management. In one example, many healthcare systems have begun implementing clinical co-management arrangements (“CCMAs”) to accomplish the physician alignment and integration required to achieve these goals. 

Nearly a year ago, we started our conversation on this blog about the big ideas and important news driving big changes in healthcare delivery. There are many challenges to face, but also many opportunities that can be mined. It’s an exciting and pivotal time for healthcare leaders and our goal remains the same as we approach 2015: to help our clients meet the future armed with the information that matters.

As you look toward leading your organization into the new year, here is a resource center of articles to help you move your workplace culture forward, note important regulatory deadlines and stay compliant, and secure patient health information (PHI). We look forward to continuing to bring you the resources you need to make informed decisions that protect and grow your organization. Happy New Year from our team to yours!

A major change to pension plan reporting takes place in fiscal year 2015 that could become a significant headache for governmental hospitals if they don’t get started now preparing for it. The ramifications of GASB 68 are substantial enough without the stress of waiting too long to prepare. Here’s why: 

Leadership at health care organizations is being tested like never before. The move away from fee-for-service (FFS) to a patient outcome based model means management has to get clinical care teams collaborating in a whole new way. Your leadership style and the culture you help create within your organization will be the deciding factor in determining whether your facility survives, and potentially thrives, in this new dynamic.

So, no pressure. Just the success of your organization riding on your shoulders.

The good news is that if you are reading this it means that you recognize the importance of being a great leader and seek out information to build your skills. Half the battle is being aware that you have a management style and committing to building on what is working and improving what is not.

Are you wondering about the status of your Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments in light of the recent Allina DSH court ruling? You’re not alone.  An April 2014 ruling from a U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a previous ruling that a Health and Human Services (HHS) rule change in 2004 (codified in 2007) was procedurally defective. The lawsuit had to do with a rule change the HHS made to determine DSH payments in 2007. The hospitals claimed there was not proper notification. Although the court ruled favorably for the hospitals, what happens next is still unknown. 

The appeals court included instructions in the ruling that gave the HHS room to reach the same policy decision through administrative adjudication. The bad news for providers is that adjudicatory findings can be applied retroactively. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has not yet issued a definitive guideline on how to retrofit the reimbursement fractions for the years in question.