Senate Hearing Today Will Spotlight Hospital Debt Collection

By COLLIN BINKLEY (AP Education Writer) WASHINGTON — The last thing standing between Ashnaelle Bijoux and her college dream is the FAFSA form — a financial aid application that’s supposed to help students go to college, but is blocking her instead. She has tried to submit it over and over. Every time, it fails to go through. “I feel overwhelmed and stressed out,” said Bijoux, 19.

A cold front traveling across Colorado this afternoon will bring scattered to numerous showers, isolated thunderstorms with hail and snow in the mountains, according to the National Weather Service. Showers will form late this afternoon and evening in northeast and north central Colorado. Isolated thunderstorms are also expected with small hail up to 1 inch in diameter possible and up to 4 inches of snow in the mountains, NWS forecasters say. Denver will see a high of 70 degrees today with wind gusts up to 31 miles per hour and a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3 p.m.

Colorado state agencies aren’t riding to the rescue of a financially troubled psychiatric hospital on the Western Slope, saying the facility already has received significant help. The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, the Behavioral Health Administration and the Department of Public Health and Environment released a letter to 12 Western Slope lawmakers last week that said they had made “every effort” to assist West Springs Hospital in Grand Junction while also requiring necessary quality improvements. The CEO of West Springs’ owner told The Denver Post in mid-April that the hospital could close in the coming weeks without a cash infusion.

Since launching in 2012, Ibotta has awarded more than 200 million shoppers $1.8 billion in cash rewards. The Denver-based company offers rewards through its app and the Ibotta Performance Network, which allows businesses to offer promotions through a plug-and-play solution. “Today, millions of consumers redeem our offers on Walmart, Dollar General, Kroger, Shell, and other retailer properties without ever creating an Ibotta account or downloading our app,” said Julianna Vorhaus, Ibotta brand marketing director. On April 18, the company raised $328 million for its investors and $198 million for itself in an initial public offering that outstripped expectations. It’s an exciting time for the company. “When you think of Denver’s growing technology scene, you think of Ibotta,” Vorhaus said. “We look forward to continuing to serve as the city’s bellwether, inspiring companies’ future investment plans in the market and influencing top tech talent’s desire to call Colorado home.

How do you judge the quality of a workplace? Ask the experts: The employees. For the 13th year, employee survey firm Energage has partnered with The Denver Post to determine the best places to work in Colorado. It’s not a popularity contest, and not everyone gets a blue ribbon. A select few are honored based on a scientific survey process. Bob Helbig Energage administers an employee survey that covers 24 factors and takes just a few minutes to complete.

What exactly does a high-performing workplace look like? The best workplaces know their strengths and weaknesses, which helps them focus on where they excel and identify opportunities for improvement. Company culture impacts productivity and performance. When a company has a high-performance culture, employees are motivated to go above and beyond, daily operations are more efficient, and customers feel the improvements.