Advertise on podcast: FastFinance with Rich Daly

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. A proposed rule to implement provider tax provisions of the 2025 Medicaid overhaul would be far more strictive than that law required, according to hospital advocates. Also, this week’s Weird Number: $1 billion. That was how much Medicare WOULD save on 2027 payment rates under the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) based on an INITIAL methodology used to set the rates. One More Thing: CMS has canceled roughly 315,000 enrollments encompassing 760,000 people in Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans, citing suspected fraud and the numbers soon could grow. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more and sign up ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Physician union activity is picking up this year, including at an unexpected health system. What's driving it? Also, this week’s Weird Number: $2.5 million. That’s the average annual cost per hospital of denied claims stemming from inaccurate patient identification or information, according to a Black Book survey. One More Thing: Rural hospitals have struggled in some instances to meet the paperwork requirements of the new federal rural health transformation program. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more and sign up ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. A seven-state health system has garnered federal rural funding under the 2025 federal healthcare overhaul, even as it prepares for adverse impacts next year. Also, this week’s Weird Number: $1.8 trillion. That’s the amount that Medicare and Medicaid cost the federal government in FY24, and was more than 26% of total federal spending that year, according to CMS actuaries.   One More Thing: Hospitals obtained a victory in a recent ruling over Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments. It could mean big money for hospitals in certain states. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more and sign up ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Hospital and health system capital expenditures in fiscal 2025 reached their highest since the start of the financial crisis in 2008, according to Fitch Ratings Also, this week’s Weird Number: $137 billion. That’s the estimated annual spending on state-directed payments, of which 84% goes to hospitals One More Thing: Learn details of a new bipartisan bill that would overhaul the 340B program. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more and sign up ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. A recent legal ruling underscored that federal officials have the right to approve 340B rebates, which could increase the likelihood of a federal pilot. Also, this week’s Weird Number: $10 million. That’s the maximum annual penalty for health plans that fail to meet pricing disclosure rules in the advancing Patients Deserve Price Tags Act. Other advancing legislation also would increase fines for hospitals that fail to meet pricing disclosure requirements. One More Thing: Learn details of a new rule implementing reductions in allowed Medicaid provider taxes. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. AI resistance by nurses is spreading nationwide but there are ways hospitals can use it to boost their productivity while minimizing opposition. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 66%. That’s the share of respondents to HFMA’s “Hospital of the Future” survey who said healthcare’s affordability challenge is a driving force for transformation. One More Thing: Learn the key changes in the OPPS proposed rule that could have the biggest financial impacts. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. An AI tool helped cut emergency department lengths of stay, a recent study found. That improvement demonstrates the technology’s potential to drive operational efficiency, says one of its authors. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 11%. That’s the amount of decrease in Medicare Part A payments to providers in 2033 when the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is depleted, according to the latest projections by the Medicare trustees. One More Thing: Increasing financial vulnerability for ACA marketplace plans could hit providers through greater administrative restrictions. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Hospitals and health systems have launched an increasing number of health plans in recent years and now they need major re-assessments amid pressure facing all payers. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 2.3 million. That’s the number of Medicaid enrollees CMS projected will leave the program in FY27 due to requirements that able-bodied adult beneficiaries ages complete at least 80 hours per month of work, volunteering, job training, or education. One More Thing: One health system is pioneering digital triage to reduce unnecessary visits of low-acuity patients to the over-crowded emergency departments. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Hospitals and health systems have improved their front-end patient collections over the last year. But back-end collections are faltering. Also, this week’s Weird Number: $1.3 billion. That’s the amount of Medicaid funding CMS announced it was withholding from California as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing healthcare fraud crackdown. One More Thing: A new rule implementing cuts to Medicaid state-directed payments will cut much more than previously projected under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Hospitals and health systems may have some opportunities ahead to improve their results in Medicare Advantage. Also, this week’s Weird Number: $3.8 billion. That's the total drop in Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule Medicare payments from 2018 to 2020, according to estimates from the American Clinical Lab Association. One More Thing: One driver of the proliferation of hospital price cap laws in states is research on existing laws. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Hospitals and health systems are facing Medicaid administrative burdens as states scramble to upgrade their programs ahead of OBBBA. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 49.5%. That’s the combined percentage of top automation concerns among revenue cycle leaders, according to HFMA's new "Revenue Cycle of the Future" report. Those concerns included 25% citing concerns of errors scaling faster than humans can catch and more than 24% raising concerns over increased dependency on outside partners. For more insights, go to hfma.org and click on new "Revenue Cycle of the Future" report. One More Thing: Hospitals plan to prioritize cost cutting this year as expenses outpaced revenue growth over the last 12 months. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Hospitals and health systems are dialing back their capex in 2026 and changing where those dollars flow. Learn the details and what they mean. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 34.9% is the share of rural hospitals that operated in the red in 2025, according to financial tracking by Chartis Center for Rural Health. One More Thing: Hospitals will face a range of financial impacts under the IPPS proposed rule from CMS. Hear the key numbers. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Most hospital revenue is from non-patient-care sources, according to a new analysis. The shares of patient-care revenue vary widely by hospital type. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 40%. That’s the increase in bad debt and charity per calendar day when comparing year-to-date 2023 to year-to-date 2026. One More Thing: Hospital advocates raised a range of concerns about proposed changes to ACA marketplace plan rules for 2027, including allowing more to purchase catastrophic plans. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Health systems will spend a record amount this year building new hospitals, with hospital and clinic construction budgets far outpacing outpatient facilities, like ASCs. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 39%. That's the projected growth in the demand for long-term care workers between 2022 and 2037, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration. One More Thing: A hospital finance expert pushed back on BCBSA research alleging AI-assisted coding was driving an increase in healthcare spending. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.

HFMA's FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Health systems face a growing physician unionization push this year, amid heightened overall strike activity. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 20. That's the number of states that have enacted mandatory minimum income limits for free or discounted care. One More Thing: CMS has issued two rules that aim to bar “sex-rejecting procedures” on children, which some warned will cost hospitals more than regulators estimate. Not a FastFinance subscriber? Learn more ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.