Stormont Vail Hospital Receives National Recognition for Excellence in Financial Interactions with Patients
As a best practices adopter, Stormont Vail Hospital demonstrated that it follows nearly 100 best practices covering all aspects of financial interactions that take place in a variety of care settings.
“In a time when patients are paying more out-of-pocket for their health care, the financial conversations we have with patients have never been more important,” said Kevin Han, Stormont Vail Health vice president & Chief Financial Officer. “We have taken steps to ensure that patients are treated with compassion and respect in financial matters, and this recognition confirms that.”
“When people are dealing with health issues, they should be focusing on their health, not trying to decipher confusing financial information,” said HFMA president and CEO Joseph J. Fifer. “Stormont Vail Hospital has demonstrated its commitment to ensuring that patients have a good experience when it comes to the financial aspects of their care.”
Stormont Vail Hospital joins a select group of hospitals, health systems and physician practices that have received this first-of-its-kind, national recognition. A blue-ribbon task force developed these best practices to help improve communication between health care providers and consumers about financial matters. The task force included representatives from major industry groups, including the American Hospital Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the National Patient Advocate Foundation, among others. The best practices are part of HFMA’s Healthcare Dollars & Sense® initiative. More information is available at hfma.org/dollars.
About HFMA With more than 40,000 members, the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) is the nation's premier membership organization for healthcare finance leaders. HFMA builds and supports coalitions with other healthcare associations and industry groups to achieve consensus on solutions for the challenges the U.S. healthcare system faces today. Working with a broad cross-section of stakeholders, HFMA identifies gaps throughout the healthcare delivery system and bridges them through the establishment and sharing of knowledge and best practices. HFMA helps healthcare stakeholders achieve optimal results by creating and providing education, analysis, and practical tools and solutions. Its mission is to lead the financial management of health care. hfma.org
About Stormont Vail Health:Stormont Vail Health is a nonprofit integrated health care system that has been serving the health care needs of northeast Kansas for more than 130 years. It is comprised of Stormont Vail Hospital, a 586-bed acute care hospital, and Cotton O’Neil Clinic, a multi-specialty physician group with more than 250physicians. More than 4,800 employees provide care and support services for patients in the hospital and 27 other locations, including the Cotton O’Neil Heart Center, Cancer Center, Diabetes & Endocrinology Center, Digestive Health Center, Pediatrics clinics and multiple regional primary care clinics. Stormont Vail Health is committed to its mission of improving the health of the community by providing high quality, compassionate care with state-of-the-art equipment in convenient, comfortable facilities for patients and families.
