Here are five articles published on Becker's Hospital Review this past week that offer insight on medical debt, Recovery Audit Contractor claim denials and direct-to-consumer drug ads.
1. 150 hospital and health system CFOs to know 2016
Becker's Hospital Review released the 2016 edition of its "150 Hospital and Health System CFOs to Know" list. The men and women on this list lead some of the most prominent hospitals and health systems in the nation, be they for-profit or nonprofit, and help their organizations navigate the challenging changes in healthcare reimbursement today.
2. Hospitals have 60% overturn rate when appealing RAC claims
Hospitals appealed 47 percent of all Recovery Audit Contractor claim denials in the first quarter of 2016, and 60 percent of those claim denials were overturned in the appeals process, according to the American Hospital Association's RACTrac survey.
3. Budget crisis continues to short Illinois hospitals of millions
A state budget crisis has created an extremely challenging operating environment for Illinois hospitals, and healthcare leaders are feeling an enormous amount of pressure to keep their facilities afloat in such a difficult market.
4. This nonprofit aims to eliminate $1B in medical debt for the nation's poorest
RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit based in Rye, N.Y., has set a goal to eliminate at least $1 billion in medical debt for the nation's poorest patients. Although that sounds daunting, company cofounder Craig Antico told STAT it's more manageable than it appears.
5. Do direct-to-consumer drug ads undermine efforts to cultivate 'thrifty' healthcare consumers?
Critics have been railing against direct-to-consumer ads for prescription drugs since the 1990s. Opponents of the ads, many of whom are medical providers, argue they contribute to unnecessary anxiety and self-diagnosis among patients, inflate demand for expensive brand name drugs that may not be medically necessary and contribute to a culture of over-utilization.
More articles on healthcare finance:
Florida hospital's future uncertain as owner struggles to keep utilities on
John Oliver forgives $15M in medical debt
Los Angeles hospital files for bankruptcy as cash collections fall short