Mobile Integrated Healthcare is a broad and somewhat confusing term as it often operates differently from place to place in order to meet a community’s unique needs.  In 2016, the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (“NAEMT”) and other partnering organizations updated their vision statement that defines and clarifies MIH: “Mobile Integrated Healthcare – Community… Read More

Healthcare leaders sometimes say they don’t see the value in health system planning because no one can predict exactly what the future healthcare delivery environment will look like.  They reason that, without a crystal ball, there is little point in planning any differently than they have in the past.  We believe this viewpoint is misguided… Read More

A healthcare revolution is on the horizon. We know that change in healthcare is driven by change in payment. Though payment today still is largely based on volume—especially volume of high-tech procedures, we’re seeing a shift to payment that incentivizes the least costly, most effective care. As a result of payment shifts, healthcare delivery is… Read More

All too often these days, another rural hospital announces its closure. Even more disheartening than losing the blue “H” sign is that many of these communities lose access to healthcare. According to data from the Sheps Center, more than 100 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, and 60% of these communities have no rural healthcare… Read More

As we begin to emerge from the country’s initial response to COVID-19, from every sector comes the question, “What is the new normal”? For healthcare organizations who are at the frontline of this pandemic, it is a pivotal moment to re-examine strategies that will need to adapt for “The New Normal.” Despite the pause in… Read More

TRANSCRIPTION: This is Brian Ackerman. I want to talk to you today about the devastation of site-neutral payment. Site-neutral payment is nothing new. We’ve worked with hospital clients for a number of years to discuss how from a competitive standpoint, they may look to push certain services into a freestanding setting and the associated implications… Read More

Announcements by CMS and recent changes in the healthcare industry demonstrate that Ascendient’s forward-looking approach, aided by the HealthytownTM model we developed, has accurately predicted the road signs now visible on the path to healthcare transformation. We have known for some time that the U.S. healthcare system as it exists is not sustainable. Costs continue… Read More

A recent federal report indicates Medicare Part A is on shakier ground than was previously anticipated. Growing enrollment and use coupled with rising healthcare costs and lower payroll taxes will likely increase financial pressures in coming years. Congress has already enacted payment reductions to providers, and one can only expect there will be more to… Read More

A growing shortage of physicians coupled with rising costs and stronger patient demand are pressuring the U.S. healthcare industry in ways we’ve never seen before. Transforming care delivery starts with specialists, hospitals and emergency rooms being reserved for those patients that need it the most while moving more services to primary physicians. Yet for primary… Read More

Dawn Carter, Ascendient After decades of unabated growth in healthcare costs, payors, consumers and the government alike are finally taking action to eliminate cost-shifting and to force providers to assume more risk. From MACRA and the lower reimbursement rates of Medicare Advantage to the growing use of freestanding sites, hospitals are facing a transformational shift… Read More