One of the most frequently discussed topics from the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) conference was the need to increase patient engagement when it comes to payment as out-of-pocket costs and deductibles continue to rise.

CMS has proposed requiring private accrediting organizations (AOs), like the Joint Commission, to publicly release what have been confidential survey reports of hospitals. Dozens of AOs and the facilities they inspect asked the agency to take that change out of the final Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) rule for 2018, arguing the reports shouldn’t be treated like healthcare quality data.

At the core of both the House and Senate Republicans’ proposals to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been rolling back the law’s expansion of Medicaid. Whether or not the expanded eligibility stays in place, enrollment rules are likely to be changed by states with encouragement from HHS and CMS.

As a part of a deal to split up consulting and research firm The Advisory Board Company, its healthcare business could be purchased by UnitedHealth, the nation’s largest health insurer.

Brenda Fitzgerald, MD, the public health commissioner of Georgia, an obstetrician-gynecologist and a former candidate for Congress, has been named as the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Two weeks after being named interim president and CEO of Houston’s Memorial Hermann Health System, Charles Stokes, MHA, has been appointed to the role on a permanent basis by the hospital’s board.

NantWorks, the company run by billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, MD, will take over operations at six California hospitals after acquiring controlling interest in Integrity Healthcare, the management company of Verity Health System.

Democrats in Congress are facing increasing pressure to support plans for a government-funded, single-payer healthcare system—and Republicans have noticed.