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10 things you need to know now: How to respond to the new privacy and security provisions of the stimulus bill
Hospitals throughout the U.S. have been forced to reduce their IT budget due to the current economic climate. However, with new mandates from the federal government and new privacy and security issues, hospitals are challenged to do more with less.  Organizations that simply address the new HITECH provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), without consideration of the many new privacy and security rules and regulations, risk creating a patchwork of privacy and security processes and controls that will be less effective and unnecessarily expensive to build and maintain.
A look at the redesigned Form 990 and new schedule H
"The IRS's Version of Community Benefit: A Look at the Redesigned Form 990 and new schedule H" was a feature story in the February 2009 issue of Healthcare Financial Management magazine. PricewaterhouseCoopers, Travis L. Patton, CPA, Tax Director for the Washington National Tax Service office provides an insightful review of the redesigned Form 990, new schedule H, and the implications for hospitals.
Acts of charity: Charity care strategies for hospitals in a changing landscape
Hospital charity care provides millions of the uninsured with free care but courts, government regulators, and community leaders are now questioning the value that society derives from this community benefit. This comprehensive report by PwC's Health Research Institute examines the developing charity care issue, discusses key findings and recommendations and provides strategies for succeeding in this evolving environment.
Closing the seams: Developing an integrated approach to health system disaster preparedness
A disaster occurs every week in the US, and the numbers are increasing. Yet despite increased federal and state funding since 2001 and lessons learned following 9/11 and natural disasters like large-scale hurricanes and floods, disaster planning in the healthcare arena remains sporadic, disconnected and under-funded. PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute's (HRI's) "Closing the Seams" analyzes preparedness throughout every key element of our healthcare system, identifies gaps, and highlights emerging solutions and innovative best practices that can be leveraged to make the most of our resources and help those in the emergency response and healthcare communities deliver the best healthcare possible in the face of unknown disasters.
Developing a defensible pricing strategy
Through careful modeling, prices and markups on the chargemaster can be set so that there is a clear rationale that makes sense to all stakeholders.
Doing more with less: How can healthcare providers cut IT costs in today's economic climate?
Many healthcare providers have responded to the economic downturn by cutting expenses. However, the Obama administration is pushing healthcare providers to invest more resources to implement electronic health records (EHRs). This situation presents a unique opportunity born out of necessity to simplify and standardize the massive patchwork of IT functions. Organizations that focus on the long-term transformation of their IT infrastructure will likely thrive after the current economic downturn passes. Providers that meet the stimulus bill's directive for EHR adoption will be better positioned in an industry targeted for massive IT growth. These organizations will not only be rewarded with significant short-term benefits, but also will possess the foundation for long-term, sustainable IT cost reduction.
Emerging issues: Summary of emerging accounting, tax and regulatory issues in 2009
PricewaterhouseCoopers is pleased to share this year’s edition of our Summary of Emerging Issues. The accounting, financial reporting, tax and regulatory compliance issues described in this summary have been specifically tailored to concentrate on areas of interest for not-for-profit organizations and governmental business-type activities (BTAs). The publications summary has been divided into six areas: FASB, AICPA, GASB, Other Accounting Issues, Regulatory, and Tax.
Fair value option considerations: A guide for not-for-profit organizations
PricewaterhouseCoopers is pleased to bring you Fair value option considerations: A guide for not-for-profit organizations. Issued in February 2007, FASB Statement No. 159 (FAS 159), The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, expands the ability to select fair value as the basis of measurement for certain financial assets and liabilities, referred to as the fair value option (FVO). This guide looks at accounts typically found in the financial statements of not-for-profits organizations (including healthcare, higher education and other not-for-profits) and discusses some of the pros and cons of making FVO elections under FAS 159.See more
Final revisions to HIPAA privacy rule
HHS published in the Federal Register on August 14, 2002 the final revisions to the HIPAA privacy rule. (67 Fed. Reg. 53182). The final revisions largely track the proposed revisions released by HHS on March 27, 2002. This brief summary largely focuses on group health plan sponsors.
Healthcare policy in an Obama administration: Delivering on the promise of universal coverage
President Barack Obama has pledged to implement multiple changes in our health care system with the goal to increase access and affordability of health care in the United States. This report recognizes the difficulty in developing such reforms in light of current market conditions, the implications reforms could have and provides five suggestions to make health care more affordable. To find out more about how the President proposes to implement changes to the existing health care system and the possible impact of such reforms read, Healthcare policy in an Obama administration: Delivering on the promise of universal coverage.
HealthCast 2010: Smaller world, bigger expectations
Our survey group included a mix of policy makers, health system executives, employers, physicians, insurers and medical supply vendors. In addition, PwC practice leaders interviewed more than 50 thought leaders from seven countries at length about future trends and their implications for the industry's stakeholders.
HealthCast 2020: Creating a sustainable future
In this groundbreaking report, HealthCast 2020, PricewaterhouseCoopers looks at solutions and responses from around the world to the globalization and industrywide convergence of healthcare. What insights, best practices and policy lessons can be learned from experiences in various countries to create a globally sustainable health system? Who, or what, is driving the solutions?
HealthCast tactics: A blueprint for the future
This report suggests tactics for the healthcare industry to employ over the next three to five years. According to HealthCast Tactics, there are significant gaps between what healthcare executives, policy makers and employers rate as important and what is being implemented performance-based reimbursement, privacy, and clinical excellence. The report draws on a survey of more than 650 top executives of hospital systems, payers, governments, medical supply vendors, physician groups and employers.
HIPAA's myths, practical realities and opportunities the work providers need to perform for standard transaction and code sets
PricewaterhouseCoopers HIPAA Practice leaders dispel some of the popular myths circulating about HIPAA and shed light on the scope and magnitude of the effort providers will need to undertake to achieve even basic compliance with HIPAA's TCS Requirements.
Hospitals under fire: How to respond to criticism of tax-exempt status
Straight Talk: New approaches in Healthcare.
Impact of FAS 157 on contribution accounting: A guide for not-for-profit organizations
PricewaterhouseCoopers is pleased to bring you Impact of FAS 157 on contribution accounting: A guide for not-for-profit organizations. FASB Statement No. 157 (FAS 157), Fair Value Measurements, is a broad principle-based standard that provides a consistent model for determining fair value measures. Using a case study format, this guide provides a high-level overview of the FAS 157 framework and then explores how FAS 157 could be applied by not-for-profit organizations (including healthcare, higher education and other not-for-profits) to contribution-related fair value measurements. See more
Implications of the Medicare Modernization Act: Health plans
New white papers from PricewaterhouseCoopers explain the implications and opportunities of the new Medicare reform law for each of the largest sectors of the healthcare industry.
Managing the privacy of employee health information
The privacy of employee information has joined the privacy of consumer data as a focus of privacy programs for companies both in the US and abroad. In the US, that issue is being driven for health information primarily by HIPAA's privacy rules.
Medical identity theft and data mismanagement
The PricewaterhouseCoopers' brochure includes key drivers and facts regarding the protection of sensitive information to avoid medical identity theft and data mismanagement. Data losses can be devastating - besides potential fines and lawsuits, security breaches can have long-term impact on your organization's brand and reputation.
My brother's keeper: Growing expectations confront hospitals on community benefits and charity care
PwC interviewed healthcare executives across the country and convened a roundtable of hospital leaders to get behind the headlines of these issues in order to reveal solutions and leading practices around reporting, pricing, and business relationships.
Not-for-profit healthcare, higher education, and other not-for-profit and government organizations.Emerging issues: Summary of emerging accounting, tax and regulatory issues in 2008
This year's edition of Emerging issues* describes the accounting, financial reporting, tax and regulatory compliance issues that are specifically tailored to concentrate on areas of interest to not-for-profit organizations and governmental business-type activities. This summary will help you identify the issues you will face and guide you on how to overcome them. The summary is divided into six areas of relevance: FASB, GASB, AICPA, Other Issues, Regulatory and Tax.
PricewaterhouseCoopers' guide to the HIPAA privacy regulations
PricewaterhouseCoopers is pleased to provide this Guide to the HIPAA Privacy Regulations to its clients and the healthcare industry. Developed by the HIPAA privacy specialists in its Healthcare Advisory practice, The Guide provides significantly greater detail and usefulness than "highlights" documents that began appearing shortly after release of the final regulations. We anticipate that the document will serve you as a reference resource during assessment, planning and implementation work relating to the HIPAA privacy regulations. In preparing The Guide, we have kept the document concise by summarizing the significant elements of the new regulations and the implications for healthcare organizations, rather than creating an annotated version of the entire regulation.
Proposals to policy: A national conversation on healthcare reform
Susan Dentzer, editor-in-chief of Health Affairs and health correspondent of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, moderated a panel of healthcare experts, economists and lawmakers as they discussed President Obama's health care reform proposals. This broadcast was recorded from the National Press Club, Washington, D.C. on November 20, 2008.
PwC's consolidated and redlined HIPAA administrative simplification rules guide to the complete HIPAA administrative simplification regulations (as of 8/14/02)
PwC created the Guide as a reference source for those who must interpret the HIPAA Administrative Simplification regulations. It covers Parts 160 through 164 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Rock and a hard place: An analysis of the $36 billion impact from health IT stimulus funding
By injecting $36 billion in health IT through the stimulus fund, the federal government hopes to create a digital healthcare infrastructure that reduces costs and improves quality. Hospitals and physicians that want the stimulus money will find they have little choice but to comply with the new requirements or suffer future shortfalls in Medicare reimbursement.
Straight Talk: Looking at health system disaster preparedness
When — not if — a large-scale disaster hits, Americans expect a carefully orchestrated and sequenced response from hospitals, emergency workers and public health officials. In their greatest time of need, the system may fail them unless disaster preparedness becomes a greater priority. In this StraightTalk roundtable, health industry leaders discuss the steps health executives should take to ensure an effective response to a disaster.
The Risks of non-compliance – PricewaterhouseCoopers HIPAA Services Group Identifies the Significant Costs Associated with a Failure to Comply with the HIPAA Regulations.
Cost estimates for HIPAA remediation are so significant that a few industry players are raising the question of whether it might be less costly to choose not to comply and simply incur the penalties for non-compliance as a cost of doing business. A fair comparison of the costs of compliance versus non-compliance requires that all of the potential costs and ramifications of non-compliance be considered.
Top eight health industry issues in 2008
Health organizations face a pivotal year in 2008 as they anticipate the wildcard outcome of the presidential election. Meanwhile, they must prepare for impending changes — pharmaceutical and life sciences companies are adapting to a new safety agenda from the FDA including the agency's expanded authority over post-market drug safety. See more
Top nine health industry issues in 2009
In 2009, external forces will compel health industry organizations to react to new financial realities, regulations, and technology. Chief among those forces will be the effects of the economic crisis, a new president and Congress, and financial and technology companies looking to extend their reach into the health industry.  PricewaterhouseCoopers' report from the Health Research Institute (HRI) identifies nine significant issues that will shape the health industry in 2009.  To find out more about these nine issues and their implications read, Top nine health industry issues in 2009.