If the 2017 healthcare environment could be summed up in one word, it would be “uncertainty.” With the largely unexpected election of Donald Trump as President, the multiple, unsuccessful attempts by the Republican controlled Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), and the recent Executive Orders by President Trump that could destabilize the health insurance markets, payers, providers and patients are trying to plan for an uncertain future. In addition, Alabama healthcare providers of all sorts and sizes face increased cyber security threats, a new Medicare Administrative Contractor beginning the first quarter of 2018, and changes to Medicare payment and performance initiatives. In these uncertain times, I present to you my top ten healthcare developments of 2017 for Alabama healthcare providers.

Originally Published in the Birmingham Medical News - December 2017.