Here are five articles published by Becker's Hospital Review this past week that offer insight on bundled payments, the Congressional Budget Office's healthcare spending outlook and health system operational metrics.
1. Moody's: US for-profit hospital outlook stable as outpatient volumes offset costs, bad debt
A newly released outlook report from Moody's Investors Service for the U.S. for-profit hospital sector shows higher outpatient volumes are counterbalancing the effects of weak inpatient volume trends, small increases in reimbursement rates and rising costs, indicating stability.
2. CBO releases healthcare spending outlook: 5 takeaways
Spending for the major government healthcare programs will rise by $55 billion, or about 6 percent, in 2016, and Medicare will account for more than half of that increase, according to projections from the Congressional Budget Office.
3. 21 health systems with strong finances
A roundup of 21 health systems with strong operational metrics and solid financial positions based on recent reports from Moody's Investors Service, Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings.
4. What we know about bundled payments so far: Q&A with Strata's director of continuous improvement
Bundled payment models have posed new challenges and revealed gaps in financial knowledge that hospitals must address quickly to stay profitable in a value-based industry.
5. Health systems invest in revenue cycle companies to simplify billing, improve collections
As patients take on more responsibility for their healthcare costs, health systems across the nation are focused on improving revenue cycle management. In the move toward that goal, health systems have invested in or acquired RCM companies to simplify billing and improve collections.
More articles on healthcare finance:
UMC approves debt repayment plan for bankrupt children's hospital
UPMC gets financial boost from insurance division
AHA: Proposal to reduce Medicare appeals backlog won't solve problem