The devil is in the details. A year after the merger of Independent Hospital (IHX) and Regional Health System (RHS), the work of integrating these facilities is still underway. Some aspects of integration, such as reviewing group purchasing contracts, food services agreements, opportunities to consolidate back-office functions and more, have been relatively easy to complete. […]
Client Profile: A regional health system in the mid-Atlantic that employs several hundred providers including over 100 primary care physicians.
It’s time to stop playing “kick the can” when it comes to physician compensation in hospitals and health systems. When the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) sought to restructure physician reimbursement by increasing payment to cognitive care specialists such as primary care physicians and reducing reimbursement for procedure-based specialists, it was a move designed […]
Once the matchmaking aspect of a healthcare M&A is complete and the parties involved agree on what partnership might look like, the next step is due diligence. Performing due diligence can seem like a “check the boxes” exercise—but it’s much more than that. It’s an opportunity to explore the strategic implications of a proposed merger […]
Shifting a $1 trillion dollar industry from confidential contracts to publicly published pricing is a massive transformation. In the middle of recovering from the COVID-19 crisis, hospitals are responding to this transformation. Background: The hospital price transparency rules require consumer-friendly tools to help individuals shop for hospital services based on price. They also require hospitals […]
By recategorizing procedures previously designated inpatient only, CMS is actively redirecting a significant number of cases to Hospital Outpatient Department (“HOPD”) and community-based ambulatory surgery center (“ASC”) settings. We have discussed the impact this will have on outpatient surgery, and strategies to prepare. This outpatient shift will also affect cardiac services, creating both risks and […]
The changes in Work RVU (WRVU) values contained in the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule have the potential for wholesale disruption to productivity-based physician compensation models. To date, the response has varied among health systems, but for the most part, due to pandemic distractions and the sheer complexity of the impact, organizations have kicked the […]
Rapid evolution in diagnostics and treatment for cancer care, innovation through genomics and predictive analytics, the continuing shift toward value-based care are hastening the migration of oncology from hospital settings to community-based centers. This raises the question: Is now the right time to invest in a community oncology center? The experiences of multiple health systems […]
So you’ve made it through the request for proposals (RFP) process, an ordeal that can amount to a great deal of (usually digital) paperwork and a series of check-the-box demands, with little, if any, one-to-one discussion with the issuer. Now comes the interesting part: discussions between the healthcare organization that is seeking a partner, and […]
Surgery has long been a key driver of hospital profitability. Effectively handling the new Medicare outpatient surgery rule[1] and subsequent care shift to outpatient settings is critical to long term financial success. This rule includes several important policy changes, most notably the elimination of the Inpatient Only List on a phased schedule through CY2024 when […]