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.

The transition to value-based care has led to consolidation and increased physician employment, but smaller practices may find a different option in pursuing alignments with other organizations which don’t involve giving up their independent status.

Among hundreds of healthcare finance professionals at a Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) conference presentation, no one could say their systems were taking on downside risk above 5 percent of their total revenue. Francois de Brantes, MS, MBA, vice president and director of the Altarum Institute’s Center for Payment Innovation, said that needs to change.

Nearly halfway through the first year of Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act’s (MACRA) new payment tracks and hospital, a majority of hospital finance executives and professionals say understand the requirements of the new Quality Payment Program (QPP) but, in reality, still seem to be confused.

Healthcare finance leaders are most focused on technological improvements in revenue cycle management (RCM) over the next year, while almost all are concerned about how the increasing number of self-paying patients will affect their organizations.

68 percent of patients with hospital bills under $500 didn’t pay off the full balance by the end of 2016, according a TransUnion Health study released at the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) conference in Orlando.

Addressing social determinants of health has been labeled a priority by many studies and healthcare organizations, but that data can also be used by health plans to assess a member’s future risk.

An ever-changing world of reimbursement can be frustrating for those involved in revenue cycle management (RCM). Being too set in your ways to change, however, is one of the most common strategic mistakes seen by Nicole Rogas, MBA, senior vice president of sales at Experian Health.