Hospital Revenue Cycle Management

Trauma center hospitals charged above-market prices for non-trauma care

March 11, 2024 - Hospitals designated as trauma centers charged higher prices for non-trauma inpatient admissions and emergency department visits compared to non-trauma center hospitals, a Health Affairs study found. Hospital prices are the largest driver of rising healthcare spending in the commercial market and are often influenced by the structure of hospital...


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January Hospital Margins Dip, But Overall Finances Remain Stable

by Victoria Bailey

Hospital margins in January were down slightly from December 2023, but finances are more stable compared to previous years, according to a report from Kaufman Hall. The latest edition of the National...

2023 Healthcare Bankruptcies Reached Highest Level in 5 Years

by Victoria Bailey

The number of healthcare bankruptcies in 2023 increased 71 percent from 2022, reaching the highest level in the last five years, a report from Gibbins Advisors revealed. The report analyzed healthcare...

Financial Distress Drove 2023 Merger and Acquisition Activity

by Victoria Bailey

Healthcare merger and acquisition activity increased in 2023, with many transactions driven by financial distress, a Kaufman Hall report revealed. In 2022, merger and acquisition activity rebounded...

Hospital Finances Show Signs of Recovery as Revenues Rise

by Victoria Bailey

Hospital finances are showing signs of recovery as margins continue to be positive and revenues are up from prior years, according to data from Kaufman Hall. The National Hospital Flash Report...

The Role of the Hospital Chargemaster in Revenue Cycle Management

by Editorial Staff

The hospital charge description master, or hospital chargemaster, is at the heart of the healthcare revenue cycle, serving as the hospital’s starting point for billing patients and payers. A hospital chargemaster lists all the...

74% of Hospitals Use Some Revenue Cycle Automation

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Hospitals and health systems are increasingly using revenue cycle automation to streamline operations and improve efficiency. A recent survey of over 450 CFOs and revenue cycle leaders at US hospitals...

COVID-19 Surges Led to Fluctuating Occupancy Rates at Hospitals

by Victoria Bailey

COVID-19 surges in 2020 led to increased occupancy in inpatient settings and intensive care units (ICUs) and declining surgical occupancy rates, creating unstable financial conditions for hospitals, a...

Breaking Down the Top 5 Healthcare Revenue Cycle KPIs

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Healthcare organizations need to understand financial performance to maintain access to high-quality, cost-efficient care — a level of care that is central to both the value-based care journey...

Hospital Outpatient Revenue Growth Contributes to Positive Margins

by Victoria Bailey

Hospital outpatient revenue is growing as patients seek healthcare services in less expensive settings, a performance trends report from Strata Decision Technology and Syntellis Performance Solutions...

Financial Challenges Drove Healthcare Merger and Acquisition Activity

by Victoria Bailey

Healthcare merger and acquisition activity continues to rebound to pre-pandemic levels, with many transactions in the third quarter of 2023 driven by financial challenges, according to a Kaufman Hall...

Hospitals See Financial Relief as Revenues Increase, Margins Stabilize

by Victoria Bailey

Hospitals are seeing some financial relief as revenue increases offset rising expenses and operating margins stabilize, a Kaufman Hall report revealed. The latest edition of Kaufman Hall’s...

Hospital Finances Stabilize After 6 Months of Positive Margins

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Hospital finances seem to be stabilizing after years of historic losses and uncertainty. Median hospital operating margins increased to 1.4 percent in August, according to the latest hospital...

Hospital Prices Online Are Not Aligned With Prices Offered via Telephone

by Victoria Bailey

Hospital prices posted online for vaginal childbirth and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) did not match the prices offered to a secret shopper via telephone, indicating poor price...

Hospital Financial Performance Continued Downward Trend in July

by Victoria Bailey

Hospital financial performance worsened in July 2023, with patient volumes, revenue, and operating margins falling, data from Kaufman Hall revealed. The most recent edition of the National Hospital...

Hospital Margins Aren’t Budging, Raising Concerns About Care

by Jacqueline LaPointe

The economic outlook for hospitals remains bleak, according to the latest data on hospital financial performance from Kaufman Hall. The median calendar year-to-date operating margin index for...

The Next Step in UnityPoint Health’s Revenue Cycle Technology Journey

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Digital transformation is taking UnityPoint Health’s revenue cycle system from automation to machine learning in order to drive efficiencies and capture value. The non-profit health system consisting of 17 regional hospitals, 19...

Hospital Finances Stabilized as Revenues Grew, Expenses Fell

by Victoria Bailey

Hospital finances stabilized in May as operating margins remained positive, revenues increased, and expenses fell, a report from Kaufman Hall shared. The latest report reflects hospital performances...

Negotiated and Cash Prices are Lower at Physician-Owned Hospitals

by Victoria Bailey

Commercial negotiated prices and cash prices for common hospital procedures were lower at physician-owned hospitals compared to facilities not owned by physicians in the same region, a study published...

Rising Expenses May Jeopardize Hospitals’ Financial Stability

by Victoria Bailey

Hospital operating margins remained positive in April, but expenses continue to rise year-over-year, threatening future stability, a report from Syntellis Performance Solutions found. The report draws...