Miami Children’s Health System has achieved recognition as an adopter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association’s (HFMA) Patient Financial Communications Best Practices®. As a Best Practices adopter, Miami Children’s Health System 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 healthcare, the financial conversations we have with patients have never been more important. Our Patient Access and Patient Financial Services teams focus on partnering with our patients to ensure they have coverage and understand the financial part of healthcare every step of the way,” said Tim Birkenstock, Chief Financial Officer, Miami Children’s Health System. “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, FHFMA, CPA, in learning of the award. “Miami Children’s Health System has demonstrated its commitment to ensuring that patients have a good experience when it comes to the financial aspects of their care.”
Miami Children’s Health System 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 healthcare 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 and Sense® initiative. More information is available at hfma.org/dollars.
About Miami Children’s Health System
Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, part of Miami Children’s Health System, is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with more than 740 attending physicians and over 220 pediatric subspecialists. The 289-bed nonprofit hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine and routinely has many programs ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report. The organization has grown and evolved into the Miami Children's Health System (MCHS) which includes Miami Children's Health Foundation, the organization's 501c3 fundraising arm; a network of 10 nonprofit outpatient centers situated in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties; Pediatric Specialists of America, a nonprofit physician practice subsidiary; a management services organization, and an ambulatory surgery center, as well as an e-commerce line of children's wellness and safety products that support the hospital's mission of serving the region’s pediatric population. MCHS is the region’s only healthcare system exclusively for children.
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