Whether Republicans’ version of an Affordable Care Act repeal-and-replace bill looks like the House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA) or the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), it would have a negative impact on the credit ratings of nonprofit hospitals, according to Fitch Ratings.

Transitioning to value-based care and taking on risk is often cited as one of the drivers of the consolidation trend throughout healthcare. Some systems, however, are beginning to look at partnerships more “holistically,” according to Kaufman Hall managing director Anu Singh, MBA, by pursuing creative affiliations to enhance their capabilities rather than a merger or acquisition.

In a year with new payment tracks for Medicare, additional bumps in the road on the path to value-based care and—potentially—an overhaul of health insurance coverage coming through Congress, what are healthcare finance leaders going to be focused on at this year’s conference?

Providers and payors want to work together on transitioning to value-based care. What gets in the way is poor communication and time wasted on redundant administrative tasks, according to a Availity survey released at the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) conference in Orlando.

Predictive modeling has been shown to help providers assess patient risk for a variety of conditions—which is how the vast majority of hospitals and health systems have been utilizing it.

The annual Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) conference includes the induction of the organization’s new board chair, its chief elected officer. For 2017-18, the position belongs to Carol Friesen, MPH, vice president of health system services at Bryan Health in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Patients are increasingly basing decisions about their care on concerns about high deductibles and rising out of pocket costs. This in turn affects how satisfied they are with their care, which means revenue cycle management (RCM) shouldn’t ignore a patient’s difficulties in paying their bills.

The “internet of things” (IoT) is the bright future of connected technology, yet remains underutilized by healthcare organizations. In a preview presentation by Paul Perry, director of Warren Averett security services, IoT is highlighted for is benefits with connected health.