Sept/Oct 2012 Issue of Becker's Hospital Review

Has Healthcare Reform Brought the End to "Hospital Systems?"

Many healthcare providers don't want to be known as "hospital systems" anymore. Some hospitals and health systems are taking reform into their own hands by redefining their brand, mission and business strategies to better reflect the contemporary broader values of healthcare reform. Click to continue »

5 Observations on the State of Hospital Credit Markets

The credit and debt markets have been markedly different since 2008, when the United States and much of the world officially entered a financial crisis that impacted the credit of almost every borrower. Click to continue »

Publisher's Letter

Becker’s Hospital Review Special Lists Issue; CEO Strategy Roundtable; 2013 Annual Meeting Click to continue »

10 Considerations for Hospitals in the Aftermath of Supreme Court’s PPACA Decision

The Supreme Court made a historic decision on June 28 to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Court let the individual mandate stand, via Congress' power to tax, but limited lawmakers' ability to withhold funding from states that choose to opt-out of Medicaid expansion. Click to continue »

300 Hospital and Health System Leaders to Know

Becker's Hospital Review is pleased to present the following list of "300 Hospital and Health System Leaders to Know." Click to continue »

100 Great Community Hospitals

Community hospitals are a critical component to the American healthcare continuum. These hospitals are often the anchors of health and employment within their communities, providing patients with top-quality care close to home. Click to continue »

Protecting and Preserving the Community Hospital — Immediate Actions for Future Success

With the Supreme Court's recent decision to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, hospitals can now move into high gear preparing for new payment and delivery models. Click to continue »

What the Health? How Hospital Leaders Can Prepare Their Systems for Reform

Recently, the United States Supreme Court sent a monumental message to healthcare providers and patients across the country when it upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, with the sole exception that Congress cannot penalize states that decline to expand Medicaid. Click to continue »

How a Banker Turns Around a Struggling System: Q& With Carlos Migoya, CEO of Jackson Health System

When Carlos Migoya began his tenure as president and CEO of Miami's Jackson Health System in May 2011, he had no prior healthcare experience. Click to continue »

25 Largest Non-Profit Hospitals in America

Here are 25 of the largest non-profit health systems in the country, ranked in order by the number of hospitals in the system. Click to continue »

50 Largest For-Profit Hospitals in America

Here are the 50 largest for-profit hospitals in the United States, listed by number of beds. Click to continue »

25 Top Grossing Non-Profit Hospitals in America

Here are the 25 top grossing non-profit hospitals in the United States listed by gross revenue, according to CMS cost report data analyzed by American Hospital Directory. Click to continue »

25 Top Grossing For-Profit Hospitals in America

Here are the 25 top grossing for-profit hospitals in the United States listed by gross revenue, according to CMS cost report data analyzed by American Hospital Directory. Click to continue »

15 Largest For-Profit Hospital Operators of 2012

Here are the 15 leading for-profit hospital operators in the country, as of May 2012, including specialty/surgical hospital operators. Click to continue »

25 Largest Non-Profit Hospital Systems

Here are 25 of the largest non-profit health systems in the country, ranked in order by the number of hospitals in the system. Click to continue »

Advancing Accountable Care: 5 Hospital ACO Leaders Share Insight

CMS' July announcement of 89 new accountable care organizations participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program emphasizes a trend happening on the commercial side of things too: ACOs or similar models are sprouting up across the nation, with many health systems and hospitals considering ways to get in the ACO game. Click to continue »

6 Characteristics of High-Performing Healthcare Organizations

A common response among healthcare leaders when asked about the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on their organization isn't too surprising given the growing costs of healthcare: Major changes in healthcare delivery were and are coming, regardless of the Supreme Court's decision. Click to continue »

Healthcare M&A Activity: Key Trends for Transactions, Valuation of Ambulatory Services

Healthcare today is marked by nearly unprecedented levels of change. From healthcare reform to reimbursement reductions to new payment models, there seem to be fewer and fewer constants in healthcare delivery. Click to continue »

Moody’s: Supreme Court Ruling “Credit Neutral” for Hospitals

A report from Moody's Investors Service determined that the Supreme Court's ruling to uphold most of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a "credit neutral" for non-profit and for-profit acute-care hospitals. Click to continue »

Feds Propose Rules to Control Collection Practices at Non-Profit Hospitals

The U.S. Department of Treasury has proposed rules to protect patients from abusive collection practices at charitable hospitals. Click to continue »

Adding Value to Healthcare by Eliminating Waste: Q&A With Virginia Mason Medical Center CEO Dr. Gary Kaplan

Gary Kaplan, MD, has been chairman and CEO of Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle since 2000. Dr. Kaplan is also a practicing internal medicine specialist at Virginia Mason's clinic in Kirkland, a Seattle suburb. Click to continue »

5 Cornerstones of a Culture of Compliance for Hospitals

The fight against healthcare fraud is a top priority for the government today, as evidenced by harsher federal sentencing guidelines for healthcare fraud, an increase in the number of Medicare Fraud Strike Force teams and federal fraud prevention programs such as the Medicare and Medicaid Recovery Audit Contractor programs. Click to continue »

Congress Asks GAO: Are Medicare Audit Contractors Duplicative

In a letter to the Government Accountability Office, a bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives asked for a study on the effectiveness and coordination among the different Medicare contractors within CMS. Click to continue »

HCA: U.S. Attorney’s Office Requested Information on Medical Necessity of Interventional Cardiology Services

HCA Holdings reported that in July, the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney's office in Miami requested information on reviews assessing the medical necessity of interventional cardiology services at HCA facilities. Click to continue »

Healthcare Reform After the Supreme Court: Where Do We Go Now

This June, following much anticipation from those in the healthcare industry and consumers alike, the Supreme Court announced its decision to uphold nearly all of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including the individual mandate. Click to continue »

5 Responses to Healthcare Reform That Can Ensure Perioperative Success

The majority of the news on the Supreme Court's upholding of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has focused on the law's large-scale impact on patients and healthcare organizations in terms of health insurance and cost. Click to continue »

Chuck Lauer: 10 Observations on the Affordable Care Act and Our Future

The Supreme Court has rescued the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act, at least for now. But is it worth saving? And regardless of what happens to the PPACA, what will be the future for U.S. healthcare? Click to continue »

Hospital & Health System Transactions

Abington (Pa.) Health and Huntingdon Valley, Pa.-based Holy Redeemer Health System decided to end discussions regarding a potential partnership to create a larger health system. Click to continue »

Hospital & Health System Executive

Steven P. Boyle, CEO of Albany, N.Y.-based St. Peter’s Health Partners, will retire Oct. 1 after 24 years of executive leadership within the system. Click to continue »

6 Trends in an Era of Consumer-Driven Healthcare

Beginning with high-deductible health plans and cost sharing models, which started springing up around a decade ago, and continuing to the creation of health insurance exchanges — written into the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — consumerism has been on a steady rise in the healthcare industry. Click to continue »