Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1013711
46 HEALTHCARE NEWS ADVERTISINGINDEX Note: Ad page number(s) given in parentheses ADVERTISER Ambulatory Surgical Centers of America. development@ascoa.com / ascoa.com / (866) 982-7262 (pg. 7) CareCredit. carecredit.com/beckers / (866) 221-8654 (pg. 3) Cygnus Medical. cygnusmedical.com / (800) 990-7489 (pg. 24) DISC Sports & Spine Center. discmdgroup.com / (949) 988-7800 (pg. 41) Echelon Medical Capital. echelonmedicalcapital.com / (888) 944-7264 (pg. 2) eSutures. info@esutures.com / esutures.com / (844) 788-8737 (pg. 40) gMed. gmed.com / (954) 541-8240 (pgs. 33-37) National Medical Billing Services. nationalascbilling.com / (866) 948-8001 (pg. 48) Nebula Data Intel. nebuladataintel.com/demo / (224) 701-6046 (pg. 25) Paradigm Spine. april.spillane@paradigm.com / coflexsolution.com (pg. 22) PharMEDium. pharmedium.com / (800) 523-7749 (pgs. 28-31) Surgical Notes. sales@surgicalnotes.com / surgicalnotes.com / (800) 459-5616 (pgs. 16-19) Zimmer Biomet. zimmerbiomet.com / (800) 377-5804 (pg. 47) Vanderbilt University Medical Center points to Epic rollout for 60% drop in operating income By Ayla Ellison N ashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt Uni- versity Medical Center saw revenues increase in the first nine months of fiscal year 2018, but the hospital ended the period with lower operating income. Here are four things to know about the hos- pital's most recent financial results: 1. VUMC reported revenues of $3.04 billion in the nine months ended March 31, up from revenues of $2.85 billion in the same period of the year prior, according to recently re- leased bond holder documents. e hospital said the financial boost was primarily attrib- utable to higher net patient service revenue, which climbed 5 percent year over year. 2. e hospital's operating expenses in- creased 9 percent year over year to nearly $3 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year. e hospital's expenses related to salaries, wages and benefits, as well as drug and supply costs, increased year over year. 3. "e increase in salaries, wages and benefits is primarily due to increased staffing to meet additional demand associated with higher net patient service revenue, research contracts, and training costs for staff related to our EMR system implementation," VUMC said. Higher consulting and management fees related to the Epic EMR implementation also caused the hospital's expenses to rise. 4. VUMC ended the first nine months of fiscal year 2018 with operating income of $44.4 million, down 60 percent from $110 million in the same period a year earlier. e decline was largely attributable to higher expenses related to the rollout of the new EMR system. e hos- pital said it had planned for future operating income reductions due to the implementation. "We successfully completed our EMR imple- mentation in November and we anticipate the new system will yield future efficiencies," VUMC said. "However, in the year of imple- mentation, increased operating expenses related to implementation caused a reduction in operating income. e EMR implementation put pressure on clinical volumes in the post-live period. Although we have achieved net patient services revenue in excess of our budget, the implementation has muted volumes." n Nurse accused of stealing more than $550k from New York hospital By Ayla Ellison A nurse in New York City faces felony charges for allegedly stealing more than $550,000 from Interfaith Medical Center, a nonprofit hospital in Brooklyn, and defrauding Medicaid of more than $30,000, according to Acting New York Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood. According to the attorney general's office, Keisha Demas, RN, collected more than $550,000 from 2013 through 2016 through a "no-show" job at Interfaith. Interfaith contracted with Ms. Demas through an outside nurs- ing agency, and she allegedly conspired with a former hospital employee to falsify timesheets to make it appear she was working when she was not. Ms. Demas allegedly paid kickbacks to the hospital employee who assisted her in the scheme. Although Ms. Demas' income was more than $100,000 in each year of the scheme, she did not file personal income taxes in New York, resulting in a nearly $40,000 underpayment in taxes. Ms. Demas also allegedly claimed she had no income in 2014 and 2015 to obtain more than $30,000 in Med- icaid benefits. Ms. Demas faces several felony charges, including grand larceny, forgery and tax fraud. If convicted, she faces five to 15 years in prison. n