• Healthcare - QuickRead Top Story

    Healthcare Spending Projected to Exceed $8.5 Trillion by 2033: Healthcare Cost Drivers

    July 9, 2025

    CMS found that overall healthcare spending growth has decreased slightly but is still elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels and is expected to continue to moderately grow. This article examines the factors underlying the forecasts. On June 25, 2025, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its forecast on U.S. healthcare spending through 2033. The analysis, published in Health Affairs, estimated healthcare spending growth in 2024 and projected the growth into 2033. CMS found that overall healthcare spending growth has decreased slightly but is still elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels, and is expected to continue to moderately grow. This…

  • Expert Witness - QuickRead Top Story

    The Evolving and Expanding Role of Expert Witnesses

    October 2, 2024

    Frequently, the competing attorneys are inadequately equipped to educate the mediators and arbitrators about the salient facts and the governing legal issues in dispute. Consequently, trial courts increasingly have encouraged attorneys to involve their experts in the ADR process. The author describes the expanding role the expert witnesses may and should have in ADR. Civil litigation has become increasingly complex and civil dockets have become far more congested because of the COVID-19 pandemic. To avoid the expense and delay of litigation in civil cases, trial courts and litigators have turned to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in the forms of mediation…

  • Healthcare - QuickRead Top Story

    Public Health Emergency Will End in May 2023

    April 5, 2023

    COVID-19 Pandemic Deemed Over and Waivers Ending On January 30, 2023, President Joseph Biden announced that the public health emergency (PHE) and national emergency declaration related to the COVID-19 pandemic will finally end on May 11, 2023, after being in place for over three years. This article will discuss the changes that will take place after both declarations cease, and the implications for stakeholders. On January 30, 2023, President Joseph Biden announced that the public health emergency (PHE) and national emergency declaration related to the COVID-19 pandemic will finally end on May 11, 2023, after being in place for over…

  • QuickRead Top Story - Valuation/Appraisal

    Key Insights into Valuing Companies in the Real Estate Sector

    December 7, 2022

    The Consistency of Data and Trends The real estate sector encompasses a variety of activities, limited only by the imagination, including: selling, leasing, management, development, appraisal, title services, and investment. When valuing businesses linked to the real estate market, whether directly or indirectly, it is essential to examine both the risk and the cash flow generating ability of each company. The co-authors of this article share essential aspects appraisers must consider in these valuation engagements. The real estate sector encompasses a variety of activities, limited only by the imagination, including: selling, leasing, management, development, appraisal, title services, and investment. When…

  • Mergers and Acquisitions/Exit Planning - QuickRead Top Story

    Updates in the Exit Planning Market

    September 21, 2022

    Third Quarter 2022 2021 was a significant year for business owners who chose to exit via a sale of their privately held businesses. The government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic pumped billions of dollars into the economy, helping to drive a robust mergers and acquisitions market led by aging baby boomers preparing to retire and concerned about the prospect that the Biden administration was potentially eliminating the favorable capital gains tax. This article is written to provide an exit planning market update following this historic M&A cycle against some economic headwinds and challenges in today’s market. The article focuses on…

  • QuickRead Top Story - Valuation/Appraisal

    Best Practices for Bankruptcy-Related Property Appraisals

    September 21, 2022

    Part I of IV This is the first article of a four-part series. This initial article summarizes the generally accepted property appraisal approaches and methods that appraisers typically consider in a bankruptcy-related assignment. This discussion also describes the property appraisal synthesis and conclusion process. Due to the litigious nature of a bankruptcy proceeding, bankruptcy-related property appraisals are often subject to a rigorous contrarian review. Therefore, this discussion summarizes what the parties-in-interest (and their legal counsel) and the appraiser should know about an effective (i.e., persuasive) bankruptcy-related property appraisal report. Introduction After adjusting to the initial pandemic-related disequilibrium, many industry segments…

  • Litigation Consulting - QuickRead Top Story

    Looking Back to Go Forward

    August 24, 2022

    A Review of the Basics for Lost Profits (Part I) Those who have worked in the forensic field for many years begin to take for granted how we approach and handle certain situations. We have a level of knowledge and experience that lets us move forward without much research. But, with this level of experience and understanding comes a level of forgetfulness. Not that we forget how to perform the analysis, but we forget why we need to perform an analysis a certain way. I believe it is good from time to time to stop and ask, “Why do we…

  • Practice Management - QuickRead Top Story

    Working While “Mom-ing”

    July 27, 2022

    Has Work-Life Balance Changed After COVID-19? In this article, the author shares a personal story regarding how the COVID-19 outbreak affected her role as a professional and mother. The story shared is about perseverance and focus, and emerging emotionally stronger as a mother and valuation professional. Like many valuation analysts, I began my career at a CPA firm. Several years into my career, I became a mother. I was passionate about my work and wanted to continue my career but did not want to outsource motherhood. I gained valuable experience from some of the professionals I worked for but ultimately…

  • Litigation Consulting - QuickRead Top Story

    Valuing Business Interruption Claims in a Post-Pandemic World

    June 8, 2022

    Two Major Approaches Adopted by Courts Assessing Claims This article discusses the challenges that COVID-19 and other recent catastrophes present when calculating business interruption claims. It surveys the two common approaches adopted by courts, examines their outsized impact on an insured’s recovery, and discusses how the influx of new decisions will change the business interruption landscape. It also analyzes how the underwriting process is evolving to account for the economic impact of these recent disasters. Courts across the globe are flooded with business interruption insurance claims arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic, extreme weather events, cyberattacks, and other catastrophes. COVID-19…

  • Healthcare - QuickRead Top Story

    2021 Healthcare M&A in Review

    April 6, 2022

    Indications for 2022 After an understandable slowdown in 2020, due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the healthcare industry accelerated in 2021, and the industry is expected to continue the high number of deals and high deal volume in 2022. This article will review the U.S. healthcare industry’s M&A activity in 2021 and discuss what these trends may mean for 2022. After an understandable slowdown in 2020, due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,[1] merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the healthcare industry accelerated in 2021, and the industry is expected to…

  • Practice Management - QuickRead Top Story

    Cybersecurity Trends

    January 26, 2022

    What You Should Know About Them The world as we know it is rapidly changing and the COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the pace of that change. Some experts estimate the pandemic advanced the digital transformation timeline by seven years. These changes have opened many new opportunities for cybercriminals who have adeptly exploited these vulnerabilities. This article will summarize the trends that have created these opportunities as well as the ways in which cybersecurity experts are fighting back. The world as we know it is rapidly changing and the COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the pace of that change. Some experts estimate…

  • QuickRead Top Story - Valuation/Appraisal

    Could Missing Non-GAAP Adjustments Adversely Affect Your Concluded Value?

    October 20, 2021

    Why it Matters This article examines the major nonconformance issues the average valuator may face, where to find the information necessary to investigate, and how to make the adjustments to conform with GAAP. The adjustments discussed are not exhaustive but do cover the more common adjustments valuators should consider. While a valuation is not an audit, the valuation analyst must recognize material deviations from GAAP and understand how to make the necessary adjustments. Valuation principles require the financial statements used be prepared based on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) unless there is a different agreement by the parties to the…

  • Litigation Consulting - QuickRead Top Story

    Business Interruption Claims in a ‘Pandemic Economy’

    October 6, 2021

    Natural Disasters and Claims Submission Best Practices This article’s purpose is to alert practitioners to potential issues that may arise during the claims process as it relates to damages suffered from a catastrophic event, other than COVID-19, during the ‘pandemic economy. Readers need to be aware of and distinguish the two events when filing a claim. Because the influence of the ‘pandemic economy’ on businesses is ongoing, and in many instances specific to industries and geographic locations, practitioners need to be able to isolate the financial components of each and be prepared to articulate if and how the coronavirus impact…

  • Financial Forensics - QuickRead Top Story

    Food v. Fraud

    August 18, 2021

    Fraud Issues in the Hospitality Industry Post-COVID-19 Pandemic The hospitality industry is already experiencing an increase in fraud, and everyone associated with the business—including operators, owners, managers, employees, and even guests—is at risk of being affected. In this article, the author identifies areas of fraud and provides recommendations to mitigate risk.  As a self-proclaimed foodie, I am excited that we will once again be able to go to restaurants and hotels. However, as a forensic accountant I am concerned for the hospitality establishments that, of necessity, focused on sustaining business and staff over back-office matters such as internal financial controls.…

  • Mergers and Acquisitions/Exit Planning - QuickRead Top Story - Valuation/Appraisal

    Financial Advisory Services

    August 4, 2021

    And S Corporation Acquisitions Analysts should be aware that one transaction tax structure that is particularly popular regarding private equity firm acquisitions is an Internal Revenue Code Section 368(a)(1)(F) reorganization of the private S corporation. The article discusses several of the reasons why owners may want to sell—and why private equity firms may want to buy—an S corporation target company. The article describes what analysts need to know about the benefits to the S corporation sellers of a Section 368(a)(1)(F) reorganization as one step in the private company sale transaction. In addition, it also describes what analysts need to know…

  • Financial Forensics - QuickRead Top Story

    Elder Fraud

    July 14, 2021

    Risks in a Post Pandemic Environment The pandemic placed many individuals into an environment where they had to rely on technology to conduct daily life and the financial transactions associated with it. This was a major change; especially for a generation that was accustomed to handling their banking and financial transactions face to face. Forcing a generation to begin to conduct banking and purchasing online while utilizing sensitive information has increased the risk of fraud as it relates to “elder” individuals. This article discusses some of the trends emerging leading to elder abuse. The pandemic placed many individuals into an…

  • Healthcare - QuickRead Top Story

    Are Disappointing Healthcare PE Deals a Sign to Come?

    July 7, 2021

    Analysis of Deal Stats Pre- and Post-COVID-19 This article will review PE activity generally, and in the healthcare industry, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and discuss what is expected for the remainder of 2021, as the economy evolves in response to a post-pandemic America. The involvement of private equity (PE) in the healthcare industry in the first quarter of 2021 disappointed investors after the number of deals closed was only half the number of deals in the same quarter of 2020.[1] Just over a year ago, when the COVID-19 pandemic was hitting the U.S. full force, the volume of transactions increased…

  • Litigation Consulting - QuickRead Top Story - Valuation/Appraisal

    Assessing Lost Profits

    May 26, 2021

    After the COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic put a strain on the U.S. and global economies as well as individual lives throughout the world. As much as most people would like to put 2020 behind us, experts will have to continue to review financial returns from 2020 in the historical data for businesses claiming to have been injured by wrongful acts in 2021 and the future. As much as an expert would like to disregard the 2020 results, questions need to be asked as to how the injured business’ market and customers were affected by the pandemic and what level…

  • Litigation Consulting - QuickRead Top Story

    Is There An Ability to Recover for Business Losses

    May 19, 2021

    Related to Property Contaminated by COVID-19? Insurance policies for business interruption generally require the interruption of business operations to be the result of a “direct physical loss of or direct physical damage to property.” The crucial issue that business owners will face when making a claim for the losses that they will undoubtedly incur will be whether COVID-19 can constitute a “direct physical loss” or “direct physical damage” to property. This article discusses the different theories plaintiffs can advance to make their claims. Not only has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the health of hundreds of thousands of people globally, but…

  • Healthcare - QuickRead Top Story

    What is Behind the Soaring Popularity of Healthcare SPACs?

    May 5, 2021

    An Alternative to the IPO The popularity of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) has been soaring in recent years. There are 35 times as many SPACs operating in 2020 as in 2010, and these companies seem poised for greater exponential growth in the future. While many experts are predicting a continued, rapid increase in SPACs, this article will also examine the factors that could possibly slow SPAC growth and diminish their future prospects. The popularity of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) has been soaring in recent years. There are 35 times as many SPACs operating in 2020 as in 2010,…