BOARD CERTIFICATION EXAM STUDY GUIDES Lower Extremity Trauma
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DEFINITION: In finance, inflation is a general increase in prices of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reduction in the purchasing power of money.
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DEFINITION: The Producer Price Index PPI is a group of indexes that measure the change, over time, in the prices received by domestic producers of goods and services. It measures price changes from the perspective of the seller rather than the consumer, as with the CPI. The CPI would include imported goods, while the PPI is relevant to U.S. producers, and therefore would not include imports.
The PPI measures over 10,000 products and services. It reports the price changes prior to the retail level. This information is useful to the government in formulating fiscal and monetary policies. The data gathered from the PPI is often used in escalating purchase and sales contracts. That is the dollar amount to be paid at some time in the future.
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Inflation stayed elevated in April but eased off its 40-year high, signaling that a stomach-churning surge in consumer prices since last summer may have peaked.
The consumer price index increased 8.3% annually, down from 8.5% in March, as a drop in gasoline prices offset a continuing run-up in food, rent and other costs, the Labor Department said Wednesday. March’s yearly advance marked the fastest since December 1981.
Outcomes of In-Person and Tele-Health Encounters During COVID-19
• Ambulatory encounters decreased by 1.0% and the number of in-person encounters per enrollee decreased by 17.0% from 2019 to 2020. • For members with an initial telehealth encounter for a new acute condition, the adjusted odds ratio was 1.44 for all follow-ups combined and 1.11 for an emergency department encounter. • For members with an initial telehealth encounter for a new chronic condition, the adjusted odds ratios were 0.94 for all follow-ups combined and 0.94 for in-patient admissions.
A recent study examined the growth in hospital prices paid by commercial health insurance companies compared to Medicare over a seven-year period and found that commercial health plan rates were, on average, 180% higher than Medicare rates as of 2019.
While the national ratio between commercial and Medicare hospital payment growth rates remained relatively stable during the seven-year study period, ratios varied widely on a regional basis. This Health Capital Topics article will discuss this recent study and its implications. (Read more…)
• 108,700 additional physicians became employees of hospitals or other corporate entities – 83,000 of that shift occurred after the onset of COVID-19. • Hospital and other corporate entities acquired 36,200 additional physician practices over the three-year period, resulting in a 38% increase in the percentage of corporate owned practices. • 58,200 additional physicians become hospital employees – 51,000 of that shift occurred after the onset of COVID-19. • 50,500 additional physicians became employees of corporate entities – 32,000 of that shift occurred after the onset of COVID-19.
Biden Administration to Overhaul Vertical Merger Guidelines
The U.S. healthcare industry has seen a rise in vertical integration transactions since the passage of the ACA, especially among physician groups integrating with health systems or insurers, as providers seek to fill gaps in their continuum of care. In response to these trends and resulting market imbalances, the Biden Administration is aggressively pursuing antitrust enforcement by updating and revising U.S. antitrust law guidance.
This Health Capital Topics article will discuss the vertical integration movement and the proposed changes to antitrust laws that may affect the future of healthcare. (Read more…)
Google in healthcare: The search giant has repeatedly successfully transferred its in-depth knowledge of algorithms in the field of medicine, particularly since it acquired DeepMind.
Apple in healthcare: Apple will keep on working on expanding the health features of its devices, Apple Watch and iPhones included.
Microsoft in healthcare: Microsoft’s cloud solutions provide integrated capabilities that make it easier to improve the healthcare experience.
Amazon in healthcare: Amazon will make further use of its vast knowledge of online shopping trends and behavior and will keep on providing what people need, from medicine to wearables.
IBM in healthcare: IBM has a lot to offer in federated learning, blockchain, and quantum computing
Nvidia in healthcare: NVIDIA seems incredibly focused on its approach to healthcare. We can expect NVIDIA to be a leader in the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare
Facebook in healthcare: The Metaverse developed by Facebook/Meta has incredible potential to revolutionize healthcare.
Understanding Vital Balance Sheet and Income Statement Components
By Dr. David Edward Marcinko; MBA, CMP™
By Dr. Gary L. Bode; MSA, CPA, CMP™ [Hon]
Financial ratios are derived from components of the balance sheet and income statement. These short and long-term financial ratio values are “benchmarked” to values obtained in medical practice management surveys that become industry standards. Often they become de facto economic indicators of entity viability, and should be monitored by all financial executives regularly.
Defining Terms
One of the most useful liquidity ratiosrelated to ARs is the current ratio. It is mathematically defined as: current assets/current liabilities. The current ratio is important since it measures short-term solvency, or the daily bill-paying ability of a medical practice, clinic or hospital; etc. Current assets include cash on hand (COH), and cash in checking accounts, money market accounts, money market deposit accounts, US Treasury bills, inventory, pre-paid expenses, and the percentage of ARs that can be reasonably expected to be collected. Current liabilitiesare notes payable within one year. This ratio should be at least 1, or preferably in the range of about 1.2 to 1.8 for medical practices.
Other Ratios
The quick ratiois similar to the current ratio. However, unlike the current ratio, the quick ratio does not include money tied up in inventory, since rapid conversion to cash might not be possible in an economic emergency. A reasonable quick ratio would be 1.0 – 1.3 for a hospital, since this ratio is a more stringent indicator of liquidity than the current ratio.
Assessment
A point of emphasis in the case of both the current ratio and the quick ratio is that higher is not necessarily better. Higher ratios denote a greater capacity to pay bills as they come due, but they also indicate that the entity has more cash tied up in assets that have a relatively low rate of earnings. Hence, there is an optimum range for both ratios: they should be neither too low nor too high.
Conclusion
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17% of Healthcare Execs Said AI Would Affect Financial Outcomes
• 60% of respondents expect AI to impact clinical outcomes. • 17% said AI would affect financial outcomes. • 13% said AI would impact their operation outcomes. • 9% said AI would impact administrative outcomes. • 61% of executives hope to bring about a complete digital transformation in their organizations within three to five years.
During this period, the standard deviation of quarterly real gross domestic product (GDP) declined by half and the standard deviation of inflation declined by two-thirds, according to figures reported by former U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke. The Great Moderation can be summed up as a multi-decade period of low inflation and positive economic growth.
But, what about health economics, writ large? And, the actual practice of medicine by physicians in the trenches. Consider this historical review.
GOLDEN AGE OF MEDICINE
The ‘golden age of medicine’ – the first half of the 20th century, reaching its zenith with Jonas Salk’s 1955 polio vaccine – was a time of profound advances in surgical techniques, immunization, drug discovery, and the control of infectious disease; however, when the burden of disease shifted to lifestyle-driven, chronic, non-communicable diseases, the golden era slipped away. Although modifiable lifestyle practices now account for some 80% of premature mortality, medicine remains loathe to embrace lifestyle interventions as medicine Here, we argue that a 21st century golden age of medicine can be realized; the path to this era requires a transformation of medical school recruitment and training in ways that prioritize a broad view of lifestyle medicine. Moving beyond the basic principles of modifiable lifestyle practices as therapeutic interventions, each person/community should be viewed as a biological manifestation of accumulated experiences (and choices) made within the dynamic social, political, economic and cultural ecosystems that comprise their total life history. This requires an understanding that powerful forces operate within these ecosystems; marketing and neoliberal forces push an exclusive ‘personal responsibility’ view of health – blaming the individual, and deflecting from the large-scale influences that maintain health inequalities and threaten planetary health. The latter term denotes the interconnections between the sustainable vitality of person and place at all scales. We emphasize that barriers to planetary health and the clinical application of lifestyle medicine – including authoritarianism and social dominance orientation – are maintaining an unhealthy status quo.
To listen to all those desperate to reform health care, you get the impression that physicians are pretty horrible people. We are all sexist, greedy, money grubbing tyrants who will perform unnecessary tests and procedures just to make money. We don’t care about quality or cost. We are killing off 250,000 patients every year with our ignored “errors.”
We purposely keep our patients in pain, or we addict them to narcotics just to shut them up. We are constantly told by lawyers that lawsuits are necessary to protect patients from doctors. We provide unsafe drugs just because the drug reps give us free pens and coffee cups. The government must step in to clean up the mess.
The U.S. government is the largest payor of medical costs, through Medicare and Medicaid, and has a strong influence on reimbursement for home healthcare services. In 2020, Medicare and Medicaid accounted for an estimated $829.5 billion and $671.2 billion in healthcare spending, respectively. The outsized prevalence of these public payors in the healthcare marketplace often results in their acting as a price setter, and being used as a benchmark for private reimbursement rates. This effect may be even stronger in the home health industry.
The third installment of this home health valuation series will discuss the reimbursement environment in which these organizations operate. (Read more…)
Former: CEO and Founder Superior Consultant Company, Inc. [SUPC-NASD]
EDITOR’S NOTE:I first met Rich in B-school, when I was a student, back in the day. He was the Founder and CEO of Superior Consultant Holdings Corp. Rich graciously wrote the Foreword to one of my first textbooks on financial planning for physicians and healthcare professionals. Today, Rich is a successful entrepreneur in the technology, health and finance space.
-Dr. David E. Marcinko MBA CMP®
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By Richard Helppie
Today for your consideration – How to fix the healthcare financing methods in the United States?
I use the term “methods” because calling what we do now a “system” is inaccurate. I also focus on healthcare financing, because in terms of healthcare delivery, there is no better place in the world than the USA in terms of supply and innovation for medical diagnosis and treatment. Similarly, I use the term healthcare financing to differentiate from healthcare insurance – because insurance without supply is an empty promise.
This is a straightforward, 4-part plan. It is uniquely American and will at last extend coverage to every US citizen while not hampering the innovation and robust supply that we have today. As this is about a Common Bridge and not about ideology or dogma, there will no doubt be aspects of this proposal that every individual will have difficulty with. However, on balance, I believe it is the most fair and equitable way to resolve the impasse on healthcare funding . . . .
Let me start in an area sure to raise the ire of a few. And that is, we have to start with eliminating the methods that are in place today. The first is the outdated notion that healthcare insurance is tied to one’s work, and the second is that there are overlapping and competing tax-supported bureaucracies to administer that area of healthcare finance.
Step 1 is to break the link between employment and health insurance. Fastest way to do that is simply tax the cost of benefits for the compensation that it is. This is how company cars, big life insurance policies and other fringe benefits were trimmed. Eliminating the tax-favored treatment of employer-provided healthcare is the single most important change that should be made.
Yes, you will hear arguments that this is an efficient market with satisfied customers. However, upon examination, it is highly risky, unfair, and frankly out of step with today’s job market.
Employer provided health insurance is an artifact from the 1940’s as an answer to wage freezes – an employer could not give a wage increase, but could offer benefits that weren’t taxed. It makes no sense today for a variety of reasons. Here are a few:
1. Its patently unfair. Two people living in the same apartment building, each making the same income and each have employer provided health insurance. Chris in unit 21 has a generous health plan that would be worth $25,000 each year. Pays zero tax on that compensation. Pat, in unit 42 has a skimpy plan with a narrow network, big deductibles and hefty co-pays. The play is worth $9,000 each year. Pat pays zero tax.
3. The insurance pools kick out the aged. Once one becomes too old to work, they are out of the employer plan and on to the retirement plan or over to the taxpayers (Medicare).
4. The structure is a bad fit. Health insurance and healthy living are longitudinal needs over a long period of time. In a time when people change careers and jobs frequently, or are in the gig economy, they are not any one place long enough for the insurance to work like insurance.
5. Creates perverse incentives. The incentives are weighted to have employers not have their work force meet the standards of employees so they don’t have to pay for the health insurance. Witness latest news in California with Uber and Lyft.
6. Incentives to deny claims abound. There is little incentive to serve the subscriber/patient since the likelihood the employer will shop the plan or the employee will change jobs means that stringing out a claim approval is a profitable exercise.
7. Employers have difficulty as purchasers. An employer large enough to supply health insurance has a diverse set of health insurance needs in their work force. They pay a lot of money and their work force is still not 100% happy.
Net of it, health insurance tied to work has outlived its usefulness. Time to end the tax-favored treatment of employer-based insurance. If an employer wants to provide health insurance, they can do it, but the value of that insurance is reflected in the taxable W-2 wages – now Pat and Chris will be treated equally.
Step 2 is to consolidate the multiple tax-supported bureaus that supply healthcare. Relieve the citizens from having to prove they are old enough, disabled enough, impoverished enough, young enough. Combine Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, Tricare and even possibly the VA into a single bureaucracy. Every American Citizen gets this broad coverage at some level. Everyone pays something into the system – start at $20 a year, and then perhaps an income-adjusted escalator that would charge the most wealthy up to $75,000. Collect the money with a line on Form 1040.
I have not done the exact math. However, removing the process to prove eligibility and having one versus many bureaucracies has to generate savings. Are you a US Citizen? Yes, then here is your base insurance. Like every other nationalized system, one can expect longer waits, fewer referrals to a specialist, and less innovation. These centralized systems all squeeze supply of healthcare services to keep their spend down. The reports extolling their efficiencies come from the people whose livelihoods depend on the centralized system. However, at least everyone gets something. And, for life threatening health conditions, by and large the centralized systems do a decent job. With everyone covered, the fear of medical bankruptcy evaporates. The fear of being out of work and losing healthcare when one needs it most is gone.
So if you are a free market absolutist, then the reduction of vast bureaucracies should be attractive – no need for eligibility requirements (old enough, etc.) and a single administration which is both more efficient, more equitable (everyone gets the same thing). And there remains a private market (more on this in step 3) For those who detest private insurance companies a portion of that market just went away. There is less incentive to purchase a private plan. And for everyone’s sense of fairness, the national plan is funded on ability to pay. Bearing in mind that everyone has to pay something. Less bureaucracies. Everyone in it together. Funded on ability to pay.
Step 3 is to allow and even encourage a robust market for health insurance above and beyond the national plan – If people want to purchase more health insurance, then they have the ability to do so. Which increases supply, relieves burden on the tax-supported system, aligns the US with other countries, provides an alternative to medical tourism (and the associated health spend in our country) and offers a bit of competition to the otherwise monopolistic government plan.
Its not a new concept, in many respects it is like the widely popular Medigap plans that supplement what Medicare does not cover.
No one is forced to make that purchase. Other counties’ experience shows that those who choose to purchase private coverage over and above a national plan often cite faster access, more choice, innovation, or services outside the universal system, e.g., a woman who chooses to have mammography at an early age or with more frequency than the national plan might allow. If the insurance provider can offer a good value to the price, then they will sell insurance. If they can deliver that value for more than their costs, then they create a profit. Owners of the company, who risk their capital in creating the business may earn a return.
For those of you who favor a free market, the choices are available. There will be necessary regulation to prevent discrimination on genetics, pre-existing conditions, and the like. Buy the type of plan that makes you feel secure – just as one purchases automobile and life insurance.For those who are supremely confident in the absolute performance of a centralized system to support 300+ million Americans in the way each would want, they should like this plan as well – because if the national plan is meeting all needs and no one wants perhaps faster services, then few will purchase the private insurance and the issuers will not have a business. Free choice. More health insurance for those who want it. Competition keeps both national and private plans seeking to better themselves.
Step 4 would be to Permit Access to Medicare Part D to every US Citizen, Immediately
One of the bright spots in the US Healthcare Financing Method is Medicare Part D, which provides prescription drug coverage to seniors. It is running at 95% subscriber satisfaction and about 40% below cost projections.
Subscribers choose from a wide variety of plans offered by private insurance companies. There are differences in formularies, co-pays, deductibles and premiums.
So there you have it, a four part plan that would maintain or increase the supply of healthcare services, universal insurance coverage, market competition, and lower costs. Its not perfect but I believe a vast improvement over what exists today. To recap:
1. Break the link between employment and healthcare insurance coverage, by taxing the benefits as the compensation they are.
2. Establish a single, universal plan that covers all US citizens paid for via personal income taxes on an ability-to-pay basis. Eliminate all the other tax-funded plans in favor of this new one.
3. For those who want it, private, supplemental insurance to the national system, ala major industrialized nations.
4. Open Medicare Part D (prescription drugs) to every US citizen. Today.
Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) delayed or denied payments and services to patients, even when these requests met Medicare coverage rules, according to a report released by federal investigators on Thursday.
According to One Survey, only 4% of People Understand the Basic Insurance Terms of Deductible, Co-Insurance, Copay and Out-of-Pocket Maximum.
In Another Survey by United Healthcare Itself, Only 9% Understood the Terms Premium, Deductible, Co-Insurance and Out-of-Pocket Max.
This Lack of Understanding is Not the Fault of the Employee Benefits Professionals or the Employees… Rather, the Health Insurance Plan Designs Are Just Too Complicated.
Dr. Sachin MD MBA Jain wrote an outstanding article on Value Based Care in the April 12, 2022 issue of Forbes stating that the Patient Must Come First in Value Based Care.
DEFINITION: Direct Medical Specialty Care (DMSC) is an innovative alternative payment model improving access to high functioning healthcare with a simple, flat, affordable membership fee. No fee-for-service payments. No third party billing. The defining element of DPC is an enduring and trusting relationship between a patient and his or her primary care provider. Patients have extraordinary access to a physician of their choice, often for as little as $70 per month, and physicians are accountable first and foremost their patients. DPC is embraced by health policymakers on the left and right and creates happy patients and happy doctors all over the country!
Doug Geinzer, Founder and President of High Performance Providers, specializes in high-cost, steerable surgeries. During the episode, Geinzer and host Chris Habig discuss the direct alignment between the specialty care community and the direct primary care community, as well as Geinzer’s job as a consultant to surgeons.
Navigating a course where sound organizational management is intertwined with financial acumen requires a strategy designed by subject-matter experts. Fortunately, Financial Management Strategies for Hospital and Healthcare Organizations: Tools, Techniques, Checklists and Case Studies provides that blueprint. ―David B. Nash, MD, MBA, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University
It is fitting that Dr. David Edward Marcinko, MBA, CMP™ and his fellow experts have laid out a plan of action in Financial Management Strategies for Hospital and Healthcare Organizations that physicians, nurse-executives, administrators, institutional CEOs, CFOs, MBAs, lawyers, and healthcare accountants can follow to help move healthcare financial fitness forward in these uncharted waters. ―Neil H. Baum, MD, Tulane Medical School
In this episode we are joined by Dr. Brent Jackson, Chief Medical Officer for Mercy General in Sacramento, CA to discuss the physician life-cycle, burnout, and transitioning into leadership within healthcare.
39% of Providers Conduct Covid-19 Screens Via Telehealth
In a recent survey providers were asked what types of patient care they deliver via telehealth. The survey found:
• Conduct primary care visits (75%) • Conduct chronic care visits (72%) • Order prescription refills (64%) • Conduct COVID-19 screenings (39%) • Conduct urgent care visits (38%) • Address mental health concerns (36%) • Conduct follow-up after a procedure or surgery care (28%)
US digital health company investment financing experienced a dip in Q1 of 2022, dropping to $6 billion from the $6.7 billion invested in Q1 2021. In addition, the average size of each investment deal dropped from $46 million last year to just shy of $33 million. These declines come after a boom in investments in recent years. The Rock Health Digital health securities index also reflected this year’s trend, including special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) listings.
According to Phil Taylor of PharmaPhorum, “SPACs have been a popular route to public listing for digital health as well as many other sectors, but the deals have underperformed, with steep declines in share prices after they closed that has “exerted downwards pressure” on the Rock Health Digital Health Index (RHDHI).”
Running a business involves a constant learning curve. And that applies whether you’re a rookie entrepreneur just starting out with a great idea for a new business or a more established small business owner with a quickly growing business that needs to expand. You should always be learning as a business owner, no matter where you are in your career—there’s always a new tool to master, new problems to solve, and new vocabulary to understand.
In order to not get totally overwhelmed, it’s helpful to take things one segment at a time. For instance, feeling confident when discussing the business’s financial needs should be a priority for every small business owner. After all, you represent the heart and soul of your business in the marketplace. So knowing the “language” of business finance is an integral part of your job as the owner.
The good news is that you don’t have to be an accountant or a financial planner to negotiate in the world of business finance. Here are some business terms and finance terms that will help you find your way to successful small business funding. https://www.youtube.com/embed/0kD4X2fgxGs
Business and Finance Terms to Know
From accounting, to business loans, to general business financial operations, here’s the ultimate list to all the business finance terms and definitions you need to know:
1. Accounts Payable
Accounts payable is a business finance 101 term. This represents your small business’s obligations to pay debts owed to lenders, suppliers, and creditors. Sometimes referred to as A/P or AP for short, accounts payable can be short or long term depending upon the type of credit provided to the business by the lender.
2. Accounts Receivable
Also known as A/R (or AR, good guess), accounts receivables is another business finance 101 term that means the money owed to your small business by others for goods or services rendered. These accounts are labeled as assets because they represent a legal obligation for the customer to pay you cash for their short-term debt.
3. Accrual Basis
The accrual basis of accounting is an accounting method of recording income when it’s actually earned and expenses when they actually occur. Accrual basis accounting is the most common approach used by larger businesses to record and maintain financial transactions.
4. Accruals
A business finance term and definition referring to expenses that have been incurred but haven’t yet been recorded in the business books. Wages and payroll taxes are common examples.
5. Asset
This business finance key term is anything that has value—whether tangible or intangible—and is owned by the business is considered an asset. Typical items listed as business assets are cash on hand, accounts receivable, buildings, equipment, inventory, and anything else that can be turned into cash.
6. Balance Sheet
Along with three other reports relating to the financial health of your small business, the balance sheet is essential information that gives a “snapshot” of the company’s net worth at any given time. The report is a summary of the business assets and liabilities.
7. Bookkeeping
A method of accounting that involves the timely recording of all financial transactions for the business.
8. Capital
Refers to the overall wealth of a business as demonstrated by its cash accounts, assets, and investments. Often called “fixed capital,” it refers to the long-term worth of the business. Capital can be tangible, like durable goods, buildings, and equipment, or intangible such as intellectual property.
9. Working Capital
Not to be confused with fixed capital, working capital is another business finance 101 term. It consists of the financial resources necessary for maintaining the day-to-day operation of the business. Working capital, by definition, is the business’s cash on hand or instruments that you can convert to cash quickly.
10. Cash Flow
Every business needs cash to operate. The business finance term and definition cash flow refers to the amount of operating cash that “flows” through the business and affects the business’s liquidity. Cash flow reports reflect activity for a specified period of time, usually one accounting period or one month. Maintaining tight control of cash flow is especially important if your small business is new, since ready cash can be limited until the business begins to grow and produce more working capital.
11. Cash Flow Projections
Future business decisions will depend on your educated cash flow projections. To plan ahead for upcoming expenditures and working capital, you need to depend on previous cash flow patterns. These patterns will give you a comprehensive look at how and when you receive and spend your cash. This info is the key to unlock informed, accurate cash flow projections.
12. Depreciation
The value of any asset can be said to depreciate when it loses some of that value in increments over time. Depreciation occurs due to wear and tear. Various methods of depreciation are used by businesses to decrease the recorded value of assets.
13. Fixed Asset
A tangible, long-term asset used for the business and not expected to be sold or otherwise converted into cash during the current or upcoming fiscal year is called a fixed asset. Fixed assets are items like furniture, computer equipment, equipment, and real estate.
14. Gross Profit
This business finance term and definition can be calculated as total sales (income) less the costs (expenses) directly related to those sales. Raw materials, manufacturing expenses, labor costs, marketing, and transportation of goods are all included in expenses.
15. Income Statement
Here is one of the four most important reports lenders and investors want to see when evaluating the viability of your small business. It is also called a profit and loss statement, and it addresses the business’s bottom line, reporting how much the business has earned and spent over a given period of time. The result will be either a net gain or a net loss.
16. Intangible Asset
A business asset that is non-physical is considered intangible. These assets can be items like patents, goodwill, and intellectual property.
17. Liability
This business finance key term is a legal obligation to repay or otherwise settle a debt. Liabilities are considered either current (payable within one year or less) or long-term (payable after one year) and are listed on a business’s balance sheet. A business’s accounts payable, wages, taxes, and accrued expenses are all considered liabilities.
18. Liquidity
Liquidity is an indicator of how quickly an asset can be turned into cash for full market value. The more liquid your assets, the more financial flexibility you have.
19. Profit & Loss Statement
See “Income Statement” above.
20. Statement of Cash Flow
One of the important documents required by lenders and investors that shows a summary of the actual collection of revenue and payment of expenses for your business. The statement of cash flow should reflect activity in the areas of operating, investing, and financing and should be an integral part of your financial statement package.
21. Statement of Shareholders’ Equity
If you have chosen to fund your small business with equity financing and you have established shares and shareholders as part of the controlling interests, you are obligated to provide a financial report that shows changes in the equity section of your balance sheet.
22. Annual Percentage Rate
The business finance term and definition APR represents the yearly real cost of a loan including all interest and fees. The total amount of interest to be paid is based on the original amount loaned, or the principal, and is represented in percentage form. When shopping for the right loan for your small business, you should know the APR for the loan in question. This figure can be very helpful in comparing one financial tool with another since it represents the actual cost of borrowing.
23. Appraisal
Just like your real estate appraisal when buying a house, an appraisal is a professional opinion of market value. When closing a loan for your small business, you will probably need one or more of the three types of appraisals: real estate, equipment, and business value.
24. Balloon Loan
A loan that is structured so that the small business owner makes regular repayments on a predetermined schedule and one much larger payment, or balloon payment, at the end. These can be attractive to new businesses because the payments are smaller at the outset when the business is more likely to be facing strict financial constraints. However, be sure that your business will be capable of making that last balloon payment since it will be a large one.
25. Bankruptcy
This federal law is used as a tool for businesses or individuals who are having severe financial challenges. It provides a plan for reduction and repayment of debts over time or an opportunity to completely eliminate the majority of the outstanding debts. Turning to bankruptcy should be given careful thought because it will have a negative effect on the business credit score.
26. Bootstrapping
Using your own money to finance the start-up and growth of your small business. Think of it as being your own investor. Once the business is up and running successfully, the business finance term and definition bootstrapping refers to the use of profits earned to reinvest in the business.
27. Business Credit Report
Just like you have a personal credit report that lenders look at to determine risk factors for making personal loans, businesses also generate credit reports. These are maintained by credit bureaus that record information about a business’s financial history.
Items like how large the company is, how long has it been in business, amount and type of credit issued to the business, how credit has been managed, and any legal filings (i.e., bankruptcy) are all questions addressed by the business credit report. Lenders, investors, and insurance companies use these reports to evaluate risk exposure and financial health of a business.
28. Business Credit Score
A business credit score is calculated based on the information found in the business credit report. Using a specialized algorithm, business credit scoring companies take into account all the information found on your credit report and give your small business a credit score. Also called a commercial credit score, this number is used by various lenders and suppliers to evaluate your creditworthiness.
29. Collateral
Any asset that you pledge as security for a loan instrument is called collateral. Lenders often require collateral as a way to make sure they won’t lose money if your business defaults on the loan. When you pledge an asset for collateral, it becomes subject to seizure by the lender if you fail to meet the requirements of the loan documents.
30. Credit Limit
When a lender offers a business line of credit it usually comes with a credit limit, or a maximum amount that you can use at any given time. It is said that you reach your credit limit or “max out” your credit when you borrow up to or exceed that number. A business line of credit can be especially useful if your business is seasonal or if the income is extremely unpredictable. It is one of the fastest ways to access cash for emergencies.
31. Debt Consolidation
If your small business has several loans with various payments, you might want to consider a business debt consolidation loan. It is a process that lets you combine multiple loans into a single loan. The advantages are possibly reducing the interest rates on the borrowed funds as well as lowering the total amount you repay each month. Businesses use this tool to help improve cash flow.
32. Debt Service Coverage Ratio
The business finance term and definition debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) is the ratio of cash your small business has available for paying or servicing its debt. Debt payments include making principal and interest payments on the loan you are requesting. Generally speaking, if your DSCR is above 1, your business has enough income to meet its debt requirements.
33. Debt Financing
When you borrow money from a lender and agree to repay the principal with interest in regular payments for a specified period of time, you’re using debt financing. Traditionally, it has been the most common form of funding for small businesses.
Debt financing can include borrowing from banks, business credit cards, lines of credit, personal loans, merchant cash advances, and invoice financing. This method creates a debt that must be repaid but lets you maintain sole control of your business.
34. Equity Financing
The act of using investor funds in exchange for a piece or ”share” of your business is another way to raise capital. These funds can come from friends, family, angel investors, or venture capitalists.
Before deciding to use equity financing to raise the cash necessary for your business, decide how much control you are willing to share when it comes to decision-making and philosophy. Some investors will also want voting rights.
35. FICO Score
A FICO score is another type of credit score used by potential lenders for evaluating the wisdom of entering a contract with you and your business. FICO scores comprise a substantial part of the credit report that lenders use to assess credit risk. It was created by the Fair Isaac Corporation, hence the name FICO.
36. Financial Statements
An integral part of the loan application process is furnishing information that shows your business is a good credit risk. The standard financial statement packet includes four main reports: the income statement, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flow, and the statement of shareholders’ equity, if you have shareholders.
Lenders and investors want to see that your business is well-balanced with assets and liabilities, has positive cash flow, and will have capital to make expected repayments.
37. Fixed Interest Rate
The interest rate on a loan that is established in the beginning and does not change for the lifetime of the loan is said to be fixed. Loans with fixed interest rates are appealing to small business owners because the repayment amounts are consistent and easier to budget for in the future.
38. Floating Interest Rate
In contrast to the business finance term and definition fixed rate, the floating interest rate will change with market fluctuations. Also referred to as variable rates or adjustable rates, these amounts may often start out lower than the fixed rate percentages. This makes them more appealing in the short term if the market is trending down.
39. Guarantor
When starting a new small business, lenders might want you to provide a guarantor. This is an individual who guarantees to cover the balance owed on a debt if you or your business cannot meet the repayment obligation.
40. Interest Rate
All loans and other lending instruments are assigned the business finance key term interest rates. This is a percentage of the principal amount charged by the lender for the use of its money. Interest rates represent the current cost of borrowing.
41. Invoice Factoring or Financing
If your business has a significant amount of open invoices outstanding, you may contact a factoring company and have them purchase the invoices at a discount. By raising capital this way, there is no debt, and the factoring company assumes the financial responsibility for collecting the invoice debts.
42. Lien
This business finance term and definition is a creditor’s legal claim to the collateral pledged as security for a loan is called a lien.
43. Line of Credit
A lender may offer you an unsecured amount of funds available for your business to draw on when capital is needed. This line of credit is considered a short-term funding option, with a maximum amount available. This pre-approved pool of money is appealing because it gives you quick access to the cash.
44. Loan-to-Value
The LTV comparison is a ratio of the fair-market value of an asset compared to the amount of the loan that will fund it. This is another important number for lenders who need to know if the value of the asset will cover the loan repayment if your business defaults and fails to pay.
45. Long-Term Debt
Any loan product with a total repayment schedule lasting longer than one year is considered a long-term debt.
46. Merchant Cash Advance
A merchant may offer a funding method through a loan based on the business’s monthly sales volume. Repayment is made with a percentage of the daily or weekly sales. These tend to be short-term loans and are one of the costliest ways to fund your small business.
47. Microloan
Microloans are loans made through nonprofit, community-based organizations and they are most often for amounts under $50,000.
48. Personal Guarantee
If you’re seeking financing for a very new business and don’t have a high value asset to offer as collateral, you may be asked by the lender to sign a statement of personal guarantee. In effect, this statement affirms that you as an individual will act as guarantor for the business’s debt, making you personally liable for the balance of the loan even in the event that your business fails.
49. Principal
Any loan instrument is made of three parts—the principal, the interest, and the fees. The principal is a business finance key term and is the original amount that is borrowed or the outstanding balance to be repaid less interest. It is used to calculate the total interest and fees charged.
50. Revolving Line of Credit
This business finance term and definition is a funding option is similar to a standard line of credit. However, the agreement is to lend a specific amount of money, and once that sum is repaid, it can be borrowed again.
51. Secured Loan
Many lenders will require some form of security when loaning money. When this happens, this business finance term and definition is a secured loan. The asset being used as collateral for the loan is said to be “securing” the loan. In the event that your small business defaults on the loan, the lender can then claim the collateral and use its fair-market value to offset the unpaid balance.
52. Term Loan
These are debt financing tools used to raise needed funds for your small business. Term loans provide the business with a lump sum of cash up front in exchange for a promise to repay the principal and interest at specified intervals over a set period of time. These are typically longer term, one-time loans for start-up expenses or costs for established business expansion.
53. Unsecured Loans
Loans that are not backed by collateral are called unsecured loans. These types of loans represent a higher risk for the lender, so you can expect to pay higher interest rates and have shorter repayment time frames. Credit cards are an excellent example of unsecured loans that are a good option for small business funding when combined with other financing options.
54. Articles of Incorporation
This is legal documentation of the business’s creation, including name, type of business, and type of business structure or incorporation. This paperwork is one of the first tasks you will complete when you officially start your business. Once submitted, your articles of incorporation are kept on file with the appropriate governmental agencies.
55. Business Plan
Here is your tool for demonstrating how you want to establish your small business and how you plan to grow it into good financial health. When writing a business plan, it should include financial, operational, and marketing goals as well as how you plan to get there. The more specific you are with your business plan, the better prepared you will be in the long run.
56. Employer Identification Number (EIN) Certificate
In order to be more easily identified by the Internal Revenue Service, every business entity is assigned a unique number called an EIN. When you start your small business, an EIN will be assigned and mailed to the business address. This number never changes, and you will be asked to furnish it for many reasons.
57. Franchise Agreement
For a small business entrepreneur, entering into a franchise agreement with a larger company can be a way to enter the marketplace. The agreement made between you and the larger company gives you the right to operate as a satellite of the larger company in a certain territory for a given period of time. This lets you, the business owner, take advantage of a brand name that’s already familiar in the marketplace and a process or operation that has already been tested.
58. Net Worth
This business finance term and definition is an expression of your business’s total value, as determined by your total current assets less the total liabilities currently owed by the business. With your business’s most recent balance sheet in hand, you can calculate the net worth using a simple formula: Assets – Liabilities = Net Worth.
59. Retained Earnings
Just like it sounds, this term represents any profits earned that are retained in the business. This can also be referred to as bootstrapping.
60. Tax Lien
If your business fails to pay taxes owed to the designated government entity, namely the IRS, you may find your assets seized by the claim of a tax lien. The government can not only seize your assets for liquidation to resolve the tax debt, but they can also charge you penalties on the amount you owe.
Don’t Be Overwhelmed by Health Economics, Business and Finance Terms
As a small business owner, physicians are required to wear many different hats—often including that of chief financial officer or bookkeeper. Before you let yourself get intimidated by all the business terms and definitions, just remember that knowledge is power.
You can serve your small practice business, clinic, out-patient center or hospital most effectively by becoming familiar with terms used in business and finance and how they will affect your financial health. Armed with a basic understanding of business finance key terms, you will be prepared to face the financial challenges that go along with being a modern doctor, today!
MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES, TOOLS TEMPLATES AND CASE STUDIES
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Reviews:
Hospitals and Health Care Organizationsis a must-read for any physician and other health care provider to understand the multiple, and increasingly complex, interlocking components of the U.S. health care delivery system, whether they are employed by a hospital system, or manage their own private practices.
The operational principles, methods, and examples in this book provide a framework applicable on both the large organizational and smaller private practice levels and will result in better patient care. Physicians today know they need to better understand business principles and this book by Dr. David E. Marcinko and Professor Hope Rachel Hetico provides an excellent framework and foundation to learn important principles all doctors need to know. ―Richard Berning, MD, Pediatric Cardiology
… Dr. David Edward Marcinko and Professor Hope Rachel Hetico bring their vast health care experience along with additional national experts to provide a health care model-based framework to allow health care professionals to utilize the checklists and templates to evaluate their own systems, recognize where the weak links in the system are, and, by applying the well-illustrated principles, improve the efficiency of the system without sacrificing quality patient care. … The health care delivery system is not an assembly line, but with persistence and time following the guidelines offered in this book, quality patient care can be delivered efficiently and affordably while maintaining the financial viability of institutions and practices. ―James Winston Phillips, MD, MBA, JD, LLM
Wolfram Alpha is an online mathematical search engine launched in March 2009 and developed by Stephen Wolfram. It seeks to answer factual queries directly by computing the answer from structured data, rather than providing a list of web pages that might contain the answer.
In this way, WA differs from traditional semantic search engines, which index a large number of answers and then try to match the question to one. Wolfram Alpha has many parallels with Cyc, a project aimed since the 1980s at developing a common-sense inference engine. Wolfram Alpha is built on Wolfram’s earlier flagship product, Mathematica, which encompasses computer algebra, symbolic and numerical computation, visualization, and statistics capabilities.
With Mathematica running in the background, WA is suited to answer mathematical questions. The answer usually presents a human-readable solution.
Wolfram Alpha is written in about 5 million lines of Mathematica (using webMathematica and gridMathematica) code and runs on 10,000 CPUs. As well as being a web site, Wolfram Alpha provides an API (for a fee) that delivers computational answers to other applications. One such application is the Bing search engine.
Capabilities
As an example, one can input the name of a website, and it will return relevant information about the site, including its location, site rank, number of visitors and more. The database currently includes hundreds of datasets, including current and historical weather, drug data, star charts, currency conversion, and many others. The datasets have been accumulated over approximately two years, and are expected to continue to grow. The range of questions that can be answered is also expected to grow with the expansion of the datasets.
Wolfram Alpha is ideal for use by all readers and subscribers of the ME-P. It may be used by doctors, nurses, financial advisors and insurance agents, economists, mathematicians, editors, and publishers, teachers and students of all academic levels. The graphical nature of output is particularly helpful.
Assessment
Wolfram Alpha has received mixed reviews, to date. Advocates point to its potential, some even stating that how it determines output result is more important than current usefulness.
And so, your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Give Wolfram Alpha a click, listen to the audio-cast, and tell us what you think. Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.
Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com
OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:
Public health is now part of the political conversation but everyone doesn’t understand it in the same way. Hence the idea of interviewing Governor John Kasich, former governor of Ohio, who has been promoting a greater attention to public health, about what is public health for him.
A survey was recently conducted by Centivo of 805 US adults ages 18-64 with employer-sponsored private health insurance. The survey found that respondents were willing to accept the following conditions in exchange for significant cost savings:
• 50% would accept referrals for specialists as a requirement. • 47% would select a primary care physician (PCP) from a defined list. • 30% would give up their current PCP. • 28% would stop seeing a current specialist.
1) Traditional Medicare: Health Insurance for Seniors 65 and older. Medicare Part A is coverage for hospital services. Medicare Part B is coverage for doctor, physical therapist and other provider services and for outpatient services such as labs and imaging.
2) Medicare Advantage: Health Insurance for Seniors 65 and older administered through a private health insurance company. It is sometimes referred to as Medicare Part C. It can be chosen instead of Traditional Medicare and often includes Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Hearing Aid Insurance and Prescription Drug Coverage.
3) Medicare Part D Prescription Coverage: Additional insurance for people on Traditional Medicare to cover their prescription medications as well. Medicare Part D is administered by private insurance companies.
4) Medicare Supplement Plans: Insurance that can be purchased in addition to Traditional Medicare to cover the expenses that Traditional Medicare does not cover, such as hospitalization deductibles and Medicare Part B co-insurance.
5) Medicaid: The health insurance program administered by each state for it’s economically disadvantaged residents. It is funded in part by the Federal Government and in part by each state. It is administered by private health insurance companies.
6) Affordable Care Act (ACA) Exchange Plans: Health insurance for people under 65 who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but do not received health insurance through their employer. ACA Exchange Plans are subsidized by the Federal Government and administered by private insurance companies.
Written by doctors and healthcare professionals, this textbook should be mandatory reading for all medical school students—highly recommended for both young and veteran physicians—and an eliminating factor for any financial advisor who has not read it. The book uses jargon like ‘innovative,’ ‘transformational,’ and ‘disruptive’—all rightly so! It is the type of definitive financial lifestyle planning book we often seek, but seldom find. —LeRoy Howard MA CMPTM,Candidate and Financial Advisor, Fayetteville, North Carolina I taught diagnostic radiology for over a decade. The physician-focused niche information, balanced perspectives, and insider industry transparency in this book may help save your financial life. —Dr. William P. Scherer MS, Barry University, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida This book was crafted in response to the frustration felt by doctors who dealt with top financial, brokerage, and accounting firms. These non-fiduciary behemoths often prescribed costly wholesale solutions that were applicable to all, but customized for few, despite ever-changing needs. It is a must-read to learn why brokerage sales pitches or Internet resources will never replace the knowledge and deep advice of a physician-focused financial advisor, medical consultant, or collegial Certified Medical Planner™ financial professional. —Parin Khotari MBA,Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University, New York In today’s healthcare environment, in order for providers to survive, they need to understand their current and future market trends, finances, operations, and impact of federal and state regulations. As a healthcare consulting professional for over 30 years supporting both the private and public sector, I recommend that providers understand and utilize the wealth of knowledge that is being conveyed in these chapters. Without this guidance providers will have a hard time navigating the supporting system which may impact their future revenue stream. I strongly endorse the contents of this book.—Carol S. Miller BSN MBA PMP,President, Miller Consulting Group, ACT IAC Executive Committee Vice-Chair at-Large, HIMSS NCA Board Member This is an excellent book on financial planning for physicians and health professionals. It is all inclusive yet very easy to read with much valuable information. And, I have been expanding my business knowledge with all of Dr. Marcinko’s prior books. I highly recommend this one, too. It is a fine educational tool for all doctors.—Dr. David B. Lumsden MD MS MA,Orthopedic Surgeon, Baltimore, Maryland There is no other comprehensive book like it to help doctors, nurses, and other medical providers accumulate and preserve the wealth that their years of education and hard work have earned them. —Dr. Jason Dyken MD MBA,Dyken Wealth Strategies, Gulf Shores, Alabama I plan to give a copy of this book written ‘by doctors and for doctors’ to all my prospects, physician, and nurse clients. It may be the definitive text on this important topic. —Alexander Naruska CPA,Orlando, Florida
Health professionals are small business owners who need to apply their self-discipline tactics in establishing and operating successful practices. Talented trainees are leaving the medical profession because they fail to balance the cost of attendance against a realistic business and financial plan. Principles like budgeting, saving, and living below one’s means, in order to make future investments for future growth, asset protection, and retirement possible are often lacking. This textbook guides the medical professional in his/her financial planning life journey from start to finish. It ranks a place in all medical school libraries and on each of our bookshelves. —Dr. Thomas M. DeLauro DPM,Professor and Chairman – Division of Medical Sciences, New York College of Podiatric Medicine
Physicians are notoriously excellent at diagnosing and treating medical conditions. However, they are also notoriously deficient in managing the business aspects of their medical practices. Most will earn $20-30 million in their medical lifetime, but few know how to create wealth for themselves and their families. This book will help fill the void in physicians’ financial education. I have two recommendations: 1) every physician, young and old, should read this book; and 2) read it a second time! —Dr. Neil Baum MD,Clinical Associate Professor of Urology, Tulane Medical School, New Orleans, Louisiana
I worked with a Certified Medical Planner™ on several occasions in the past, and will do so again in the future. This book codified the vast body of knowledge that helped in all facets of my financial life and professional medical practice. —Dr. James E. Williams DABPS, Foot and Ankle Surgeon, Conyers, Georgia
This is a constantly changing field for rules, regulations, taxes, insurance, compliance, and investments. This book assists readers, and their financial advisors, in keeping up with what’s going on in the healthcare field that all doctors need to know. —Patricia Raskob CFP® EA ATA, Raskob Kambourian Financial Advisors, Tucson, Arizona I particularly enjoyed reading the specific examples in this book which pointed out the perils of risk … something with which I am too familiar and have learned (the hard way) to avoid like the Black Death. It is a pleasure to come across this kind of wisdom, in print, that other colleagues may learn before it’s too late— many, many years down the road. —Dr. Robert S. Park MD, Robert Park and Associates Insurance, Seattle, Washington
Although this book targets physicians, I was pleased to see that it also addressed the financial planning and employment benefit needs of nurses; physical, respiratory, and occupational therapists; CRNAs, hospitalists, and other members of the health care team….highly readable, practical, and understandable. —Nurse Cecelia T. Perez RN, Hospital Operating Room Manager, Ellicott City, Maryland
Personal financial success in the PP-ACA era will be more difficult to achieve than ever before. It requires the next generation of doctors to rethink frugality, delay gratification, and redefine the very definition of success and work–life balance. And, they will surely need the subject matter medical specificity and new-wave professional guidance offered in this book. This book is a ‘must-read’ for all health care professionals, and their financial advisors, who wish to take an active role in creating a new subset of informed and pioneering professionals known as Certified Medical Planners™. —Dr. Mark D. Dollard FACFAS, Private Practice, Tyson Corner, Virginia As healthcare professionals, it is our Hippocratic duty to avoid preventable harm by paying attention. On the other hand, some of us are guilty of being reckless with our own financial health—delaying serious consideration of investments, taxation, retirement income, estate planning, and inheritances until the worry keeps one awake at night. So, if you have avoided planning for the future for far too long, perhaps it is time to take that first step toward preparedness. This in-depth textbook is an excellent starting point—not only because of its readability, but because of his team’s expertise and thoroughness in addressing the intricacies of modern investments—and from the point of view of not only gifted financial experts, but as healthcare providers, as well … a rare combination. —Dr. Darrell K. Pruitt DDS, Private Practice Dentist, Fort Worth, Texas This text should be on the bookshelf of all contemporary physicians. The book is physician-focused with unique topics applicable to all medical professionals. But, it also offers helpful insights into the new tax and estate laws, fiduciary accountability for advisors and insurance agents, with investing, asset protection and risk management, and retirement planning strategies with updates for the brave new world of global payments of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Starting out by encouraging readers to examine their personal ‘money blueprint’ beliefs and habits, the book is divided into four sections offering holistic life cycle financial information and economic education directed to new, mid-career, and mature physicians.
This structure permits one to dip into the book based on personal need to find relief, rather than to overwhelm. Given the complexity of modern domestic healthcare, and the daunting challenges faced by physicians who try to stay abreast of clinical medicine and the ever-evolving laws of personal finance, this textbook could not have come at a better time. —Dr. Philippa Kennealy MD MPH, The Entrepreneurial MD, Los Angeles, California Physicians have economic concerns unmatched by any other profession, arriving ten years late to the start of their earning years. This textbook goes to the core of how to level the playing field quickly, and efficaciously, by a new breed of dedicated Certified Medical Planners™. With physician-focused financial advice, each chapter is a building block to your financial fortress. —Thomas McKeon, MBA, Pharmaceutical Representative, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania An excellent resource … this textbook is written in a manner that provides physician practice owners with a comprehensive guide to financial planning and related topics for their professional practice in a way that is easily comprehended. The style in which it breaks down the intricacies of the current physician practice landscape makes it a ‘must-read’ for those physicians (and their advisors) practicing in the volatile era of healthcare reform. —Robert James Cimasi, MHA ASA FRICS MCBA CVA CM&AA CMP™, CEO-Health Capital Consultants, LLC, St. Louis, Missouri Rarely can one find a full compendium of information within a single source or text, but this book communicates the new financial realities we are forced to confront; it is full of opportunities for minimizing tax liability and maximizing income potential. We’re recommending it to all our medical practice management clients across the entire healthcare spectrum. —Alan Guinn, The Guinn Consultancy Group, Inc., Cookeville, Tennessee Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA CMP™ and his team take a seemingly endless stream of disparate concepts and integrate them into a simple, straightforward, and understandable path to success. And, he codifies them all into a step-by-step algorithm to more efficient investing, risk management, taxation, and enhanced retirement planning for doctors and nurses. His text is a vital read—and must execute—book for all healthcare professionals and physician-focused financial advisors. —Dr. O. Kent Mercado, JD, Private Practitioner and Attorney, Naperville, Illinois
Kudos. The editors and contributing authors have compiled the most comprehensive reference book for the medical community that has ever been attempted. As you review the chapters of interest and hone in on the most important concerns you may have, realize that the best minds have been harvested for you to plan well… Live well. —Martha J. Schilling; AAMS® CRPC® ETSC CSA, Shilling Group Advisors, LLC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania I recommend this book to any physician or medical professional that desires an honest no-sales approach to understanding the financial planning and investing world. It is worthwhile to any financial advisor interested in this space, as well. —David K. Luke, MIM MS-PFP CMP™, Net Worth Advisory Group, Sandy, Utah Although not a substitute for a formal business education, this book will help physicians navigate effectively through the hurdles of day-to-day financial decisions with the help of an accountant, financial and legal advisor. I highly recommend it and commend Dr. Marcinko and the Institute of Medical Business Advisors, Inc. on a job well done. —Ken Yeung MBA CMP™, Tseung Kwan O Hospital, Hong Kong I’ve seen many ghost-written handbooks, paperbacks, and vanity-published manuals on this topic throughout my career in mental healthcare. Most were poorly written, opinionated, and cheaply produced self-aggrandizing marketing drivel for those agents selling commission-based financial products and expensive advisory services. So, I was pleasantly surprised with this comprehensive peer-reviewed academic textbook, complete with citations, case examples, and real-life integrated strategies by and for medical professionals. Although a bit late for my career, I recommend it highly to all my younger colleagues … It’s credibility and specificity stand alone. —Dr. Clarice Montgomery PhD MA,Retired Clinical Psychologist In an industry known for one-size-fits-all templates and massively customized books, products, advice, and services, the extreme healthcare specificity of this text is both refreshing and comprehensive. —Dr. James Joseph Bartley, Columbus, Georgia
My brother was my office administrator and accountant. We both feel this is the most comprehensive textbook available on financial planning for healthcare providers. —Dr. Anthony Robert Naruska DC,Winter Park, Florida
A basic understanding of hospital finance is crucial as leaders continue to create policy that shapes healthcare financing. This updated 30,000-foot view of hospital finance is intended to shed some light on the complex system.
DEFINITION: The False Claims Act, also called the “Lincoln Law”, is an American federal law that imposes liability on persons and companies who defraud governmental programs. It is the federal Government’s primary litigation tool in combating fraud against the Government. The law includes a provision that allows people who are not affiliated with the government, called “relators” under the law, to file actions on behalf of the government. Persons filing under the Act stand to receive a portion of any recovered damages.
On February 1, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced their recovery of $5.6 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud and false claims for fiscal year (FY) 2021. Over $5 billion was recouped from the healthcare industry for federal losses alone, and included recoveries from drug and medical device manufacturers, managed care providers, hospitals, pharmacies, hospice organizations, laboratories, and physicians.
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This figure is more than double the amount of healthcare-related recoveries secured in FY 2020, which totaled $1.8 billion. (Read more…)
There are a zillion digital health companies on the market, each praising their own solution/product as they can. It is up to the market to decide if these are any good. But how would patients, hospital systems, clinics or even investors decide on their added value? With the help of experts.
It is the 4th time we collect The TOP100 Digital Health Companies. A curated list of the best companies of the thousands we encounter while doing our work at The Medical Futurist. Of them, we chose a hundred that represent the following key values: mindset for innovation, truly disruptive technology, viable business model and a clear dedication to digital health.
Take care, Berci Bertalan Meskó, MD The Medical Futurist
Their 8 Point Strategy Included: 1) CDHP, 2) Centers-of-Excellence, 3) Narrow Network, 4) Rx Formulary Changes, 5) Spousal Surcharge, 6) COBRA Members to the Exchange, 7) 2nd Opinion Program … AND 8) Moved Health Plan Control from HR to a Chief Medical Officer AND Kept a Short Leash on their ASO Carrier.
A recent poll of 2,510 American adults by Ipsos found:
• 87% of Americans feel politicians have lost touch with what the public needs from their health care. • 86% of Americans agree that Congress should focus on cracking down on abusive health insurance practices that make it harder for people to get the care they need. • 71% of Americans would rather see Congress focus more on reducing the overall costs of health care coverage such as premiums, deductibles, and co-pays.
DEFINITION: An accountable care organization (ACO) is a group of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers that work together on your care. Their goal is to give you — and other people on Medicare — better, more coordinated treatment. The largest effort in payment innovation in Medicare is a portfolio of accountable care organization (ACO) programs that include the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), the Next Generation model, and Comprehensive End Stage Renal Disease model. But drawbacks include limited choice as some patients will have trouble finding doctors outside of a specific group. The shortage of options could lead to higher patient costs. And, referral restrictions as ACOs provide doctors incentives to refer to specialists within the group.
In a recent survey from AKASA healthcare finance leaders ranked the biggest challenges in recruiting and retention within the revenue cycle as healthcare organizations navigate significant staffing gaps across the board.
• Among patients aged 19-35, mental health conditions were the most common diagnosis associated with emergency ground ambulance in the period 2016-2020. • Throughout the period 2016-2020, advanced-life-support (ALS) accounted for a larger percentage of emergency ground ambulance claim lines than basic-life-support (BLS) services. For example, in 2020, 51.5% of emergency ground ambulance claim lines were associated with ALS compared to 48.5% associated with BLS. • Individuals 65 years and older were consistently the largest age group associated with emergency ground ambulance services, though their share of the distribution decreased from 37.7% in 2016 to 34% in 2020.
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