Standalone cancer centers may have to rethink their economic structure to be successful in a healthcare reform environment, according to a report by Andrew Ziskind, MD, managing director of Huron Healthcare's clinical solutions.
Dr. Ziskind says factors such as reimbursement cuts, physician employment and competition may jeopardize standalone cancer centers' continued viability. He suggests implementing performance improvement initiatives, assessing opportunities to partner with health systems and leveraging designations to stay afloat in this challenging market.
As part of performance improvement, standalone cancer centers should focus on the following five areas, according to Dr. Ziskind:
• Reduce bad debt payments from 70 percent to 25 percent. Estimated savings: $20 billion over 10 years.
• Optimize the effectiveness of the workforce through comprehensive labor initiatives.
• Smooth demand to ensure most efficient use of specialized treatment areas.
• Ensure all front- to back-end revenue cycle processes are functioning at peak performance.
• Optimize patient flow to reduce length of stay, enhance the efficiency of ambulatory operations and reduce care variation.
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Dr. Ziskind says factors such as reimbursement cuts, physician employment and competition may jeopardize standalone cancer centers' continued viability. He suggests implementing performance improvement initiatives, assessing opportunities to partner with health systems and leveraging designations to stay afloat in this challenging market.
As part of performance improvement, standalone cancer centers should focus on the following five areas, according to Dr. Ziskind:
• Reduce bad debt payments from 70 percent to 25 percent. Estimated savings: $20 billion over 10 years.
• Optimize the effectiveness of the workforce through comprehensive labor initiatives.
• Smooth demand to ensure most efficient use of specialized treatment areas.
• Ensure all front- to back-end revenue cycle processes are functioning at peak performance.
• Optimize patient flow to reduce length of stay, enhance the efficiency of ambulatory operations and reduce care variation.
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