M&A: Study Shows Slower Financial Improvement for Acquired Hospitals

Hospitals and health systems, looking for economies of scale and the potential for reducing the cost of care, have increasingly taken the merger and acquisition (M&A) route. In partnership with the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, HFMA conducted a study of more than 750 merger transactions between 2008 and 2014 to examine how M&A affects […]

Experts Assess Strategies for Boards Leading Through Transition

(A preview of iProtean, now part of Veralon’s upcoming course, The Board’s Role in Leading Through Transition, featuring Karma Bass and Marian Jennings)   Innovative boards are paying attention to their-risk taking appetite. Hospital and health system boards traditionally have been very conservative organizations. It’s a strong history, and it’s a good place from which […]

Potential Challenges to Tax-Exempt Status for NFP Hospitals

“As the Trump administration moves to reform the federal tax code, the country’s tax-exempt hospitals are bracing for potential challenges to their not-for-profit (NFP) status, with billions of dollars in federal taxes at stake,” according to the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) in an article released last week.   NFP hospitals face increased scrutiny from […]

Board Assessment for Hospitals & Systems: A Necessary Tool for Performance Improvement

(Originally published in Nasdaq’s MarketInsite, July 18, 2017, and written on behalf of iProtean, now part of Veralon by Karma Bass, Principal, Via Healthcare Consulting)   “I don’t care about having a high-performing board.” It’s hard to imagine any CEO or board leader uttering these words in today’s rapidly changing healthcare industry. The stakes are just too […]

How to Handle Troublesome Behavior in the Boardroom

Note: iProtean, now part of Veralon editorial staff will be on vacation through Labor Day. Look for the next blog/newsletter September 6.)   (From a recent interview with Karma Bass, Via Healthcare Consulting)   When fellow board members exhibit disruptive or troublesome behavior in the boardroom, they often don’t see it that way; that is, […]

MACRA Made Simple

(The following includes excerpts from our upcoming course, Strategic Issues for Boards, as well as information that didn’t make the cut.)   MACRA creates two different tracks for clinicians to participate in Medicare. One is called the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System, or MIPS. The second is the Advanced Alternative Payment Model (AAPM). Each of these […]

Elements for Defense Against Information Breaches

To protect against cyber attacks, an organization should have an enterprise risk management program that has three layers of defense: information security, internal audit and risk management. These layers complement one another.   The information security group has a large swath of IT related issues to cover. The internal audit group will help the information […]

Moody’s: NFP Hospitals Should Focus on Risk Management

The ability to implement effective strategies to minimize risk will become increasingly important in determining not-for-profit and public hospitals’ credit strength in the changing landscape. These hospitals are focused on risk management to avoid pitfalls and capitalize on new opportunities in anticipation of momentous changes, not the least of which is the fate of the […]

Experts Expect Senate to Significantly Change AHCA

On May 4 the House of Representatives passed a new version of the American Health Care Act (AHC) that made deep cuts to both Medicaid funding and marketplace subsidies. It now moves to the Senate, where experts predict it will undergo substantial changes.   Hospital groups opposed the newer version of the bill primarily because […]

The Board’s Role in Cybersecurity

(Originally published in Nasdaq’s MarketInsite, March 30, 2017, and written by Gordon Clark, President and CEO of iProtean, now part of Veralon)   Cyberattacks. They are perhaps the most vexing security threats facing businesses today. To have a computer connected to the outside world is by definition to be vulnerable. Yet an analysis published in The NTT […]