The U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services recently announced a new strategy to reduce the administrative and regulatory burdens of electronic health record and other technology systems. Designed to give clinicians more time to focus on patient care, the strategy may fall well short of its objectives for better patient access and improved...

The U.S. Healthcare industry is finding it cannot rely on traditional methods to solve its most daunting challenges. With pressure mounting from every corner, healthcare providers are making investments in nontraditional business models and smart technologies to accelerate their transition into the consumer-driven healthcare marketplace.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and U.S. Congress among others are calling for improved transparency, better access and an end to aggressive healthcare collection tactics. Physicians are joining the chorus, with a sobering take on the health-related impacts of unaffordable...

Though the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ updated Star Ratings and proposed rules on hospital price and quality transparency may be clumsy, even ineffective, their intentions are clear. The largest source of revenue to hospitals in the U.S. is setting a new, much higher bar for the way hospitals and payers help patients find and...

Healthcare in America is on the threshold of great change, driven by disruptive new technologies, regulatory pressure and increasingly assertive, value-sensitive consumers. Recently published analysis “The top eight predictions that will disrupt healthcare in 2020” presents traditional healthcare providers with a stark choice – adapt or lose...

Several familiar themes emerged at the J.P. Morgan Annual Healthcare Conference in San Francisco last week, affirming the growing influence of patient consumerism and the importance of leveraging technology to reduce costs and improve care. Highlights provide an early glimpse into the early stages of healthcare’s transformation in America.

Making it easy for patients to pay in advance or at point of service leads to a number of well-documented advantages for both hospitals and patients. But most hospitals lack the ability to engage with patients in a meaningful conversation about price, affordability and payment when it matters most.

With higher personal costs for healthcare care driving a dramatic shift in patient behavior, patient loyalty has never been more important - or more at risk. Hospitals and Health Systems are faced with a stark choice - Either improve revenues by delivering financial transparency, accessibility and technology, or watch market share and revenues...

Physicians and other clinicians represent an important and often overlooked constituency in the debate about healthcare price transparency. With rising out-of-pocket costs causing patients to avoid, delay or ration care, doctors need information about price to design treatment plans their patients will actually follow.

Most of us are familiar with the aphorism, “You have to spend money to make money”, but many health systems and hospitals have relied primarily on cost cutting to preserve deteriorating operating margins. As consumerism in healthcare continues to expand, providers must invest to improve efficiencies, engage consumers and drive growth.