According to Robert James Cimasi, MHA, of Health Capital Consultants, LLC in St. Louis, and many others, the managed care revolution and changes in reimbursement for Medicare services through the introduction of prospective payment systems and payment cuts have forced healthcare providers to look for more efficient ways to provide services, as well as additional sources of revenue and margin-producing business.

With the rise of corporate healthcare provider networks and health systems, together with rising healthcare costs, competition among providers has become prevalent in the healthcare industry. Strict control of reimbursement costs from payers; reduction in traditional hospital inpatient use; closer regulation from both the state and federal governments; and higher costs of capital have all contributed to the trend for hospitals to form large centralized corporate enterprises.

These competitive topics, and more, are discussed in the print-journal.
http://www.HealthcareFinancials.com

And, MSA/HSAs and other consumer directed health plan initiatives are the modern results. More will be forthcoming in the future.

Rachel Pentin-Maki; RN, MHA
Ft. Worth, FLA