Resources by BHM Healthcare Solutions

5 Medical Cost Pressures Shaping 2018

July 11, 2017

The era of volatile swings and double-digit growth in employer medical costs appears to be ending. With medical cost trend hovering in the single digits for several years, the industry has been waiting for the inflection point when spending will take off. But that spike appears unlikely to happen. The New Health Economy is settling into a “new normal,” typically characterized by more attenuated fluctuations and a single-digit trend.For four years, medical cost trend has hung between 6 and 7 percent, seeming to settle into a “new normal.” PwC’s Health Research Institute (HRI) anticipates a 6.5 percent growth rate for calendar year 2018, half a percentage point higher than in 2017.

5 Ways Revenue Cycle Management Reduced Error & Generates Revenue

Margin Defense & Revenue Cycle Management: 8 Challenges

July 4, 2017

Payers and providers connect, both formally and informally, through the reimbursement process. In past times, the relationships were stormy. Today, market forces push the need for better understanding of margin defense and revenue cycle performance. Streamlining internal operations addresses many of these new market demands. For example, patients demand higher value for care pushing more review of claims which push greater need for consistent documentation.

Health Trends Highlights: Health, United States Annual Report

June 29, 2017

Over the past 40 years Health, United States provided an annual picture of the health of the United States, identified variations in health status, modifiable risk factors, and health care utilization among people by age, race and ethnicity, gender, income level, and geographic location. Examining long-term health trends inform the development and implementation of effective health policies and programs.

Behavioral Health Documentation: Tips And Trends

June 27, 2017

Behavioral health documentation is often the communication tool used by and between professionals. Records not properly documented with all relevant and important facts can prevent the next practitioner from furnishing sufficient services. The outcome can cause unintended complications.

BCRA, AHCA, and ACA: Winners and Losers

June 27, 2017

The Senate released its version (a.k.a. Better Care Reconciliation Act BCRA) of the House’s AHCA. Payers and providers adjust as needed because healthcare reforms, like BCRA, AHCA, and ACA, continuously move through state and federal legislatures. Today’s blog, pulls together summaries from numerous resources allowing you a quick glimpse or a deep dive into what waits around the corner.

Here are 10 instances which can help you better identify when its time to look for a partner.

Survey Results Define CMO Responsibilities

Significant Risks Beyond Recruitment: Medical Directors and CMOs

June 20, 2017

Recruiting and retaining qualified Medical Directors and Chief Medical Officers challenge healthcare organizations of all types. Whether you employ or contract these medical professionals, consider two recent cases as reminders of potential issues far different than recruitment and retention and considerably more financially damaging. Significant risks beyond recruitment exist and staying informed about new Stark Law rulings pays.

Reducing Behavioral Health Readmissions: Strategies and Lessons Learned

June 20, 2017

Behavioral healthcare cuts both ways for payers and providers. Shortages of qualified expertise makes filling positions difficult to impossible, while the need for services grows on many fronts and in many populations. The Daily Briefing How 2 health systems are rethinking mental health care for a value-based world, from the Advisory Board, reinforces the connections between behavioral and physical health. This identifies tangible targets, like reducing behavioral health readmissions, for improving patient care and institutional financial health.

Growing Turnover Rates Wreck Healthcare Budgets

June 13, 2017

Healthcare is a labor-driven service that depends on the talent and skills of every staff member, from the C-suite to nurses. Finding and keeping this talent is paramount to running a cost-effective organization that provides exceptional care was an observation from an article by Mackenzie Bean by Becker Hospital Review. Growing turnover rates significantly impact profitability.

Behavioral Health Documentation, bipolar disorder

Shoveling Money Down Growing Behavioral Health Gaps?

June 13, 2017

Calculating future expenses stresses all managers and directors. In the ever-changing world of healthcare, making the time to accurately budget costs can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, and palpitations. (Please do not operation heavy machinery while thinking about budgets.) Estimating the financial impact of the growing behavioral health gaps may be the final straw.

Today’s blog gathers data points from recent studies, reports, and presentations from around the healthcare industry and offers a starting point for your various budget models. Make the time to verify your models are sporting the most current data. Challenge your assumptions, because margins are thin and getting thinner.

Lacking Mental Health Expertise, Alzheimer's Disease

Lacking Mental Health Expertise Lands 2nd On Scarcity List Two Years Running

June 6, 2017

Payers and providers spend significant energy recruiting and retaining all levels of behavioral health professionals. The access to psychiatrists acts as the ‘canary in a coal mine’ signalling the impending challenges. Lacking mental health expertise hits organizations at a time of increasing use spurred on by value-based care.

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