Paige Twenter

Discontinuing GLP-1 treatment does not always cause significant weight gain, as many patients transition to other obesity or diabetes treatments, according to a Cleveland Clinic study published March 12 in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.  One year after discontinuation, 19.6% reinstated the same GLP-1 and 35.2% received an alternative obesity treatment,…

Hospitals and health systems had a rocky start to 2026. Patient demand and revenue growth slowed while expenses intensified, leading to an operating margins dip, according to Strata’s Monthly Healthcare Industry Financial Benchmarks report. The firm gathered data from more than 1,900 hospitals across the U.S. and identified financial and…

A decline in employment among occupations most exposed to artificial intelligence is hitting younger workers hardest, according to a study from three Stanford (Calif.) University researchers. However, in roles such as nursing, psychiatric and home health aides — occupations considered less exposed to AI — employment among younger workers has…

One in 3 Americans have made trade-offs  —such as prolonging a prescription or skipping a meal —to afford healthcare, according to a March 12 article from Gallup. The insights come from surveys of 19,535 U.S. adults conducted by the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare between June 9 and Aug. 25.…

The Georgia Senate has passed a bill that would ban AI tools from being used independently to make coverage decisions. The bill, which passed the chamber unanimously in February, would require a clinician to make the final decision on coverage denials. Insurers could still use AI to automate administrative tasks…

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission estimated Medicare Advantage payments will be 14% greater than fee-for-service Medicare in 2026, according to a March 12 report from the congressional agency. That 14% equates to an extra $76 billion for MA, with the increase attributable to favorable selection and coding intensity. MedPAC has…

Access to affordable healthcare has become the defining concern of leaders in rural America. Sixty-three percent of rural physicians identify it as the top issue policymakers should address, according to athenahealth’s 2026 Physician Sentiment Survey; that’s 12 points higher than their urban and suburban counterparts, and a figure that has…

Hospice nurses in Wyoming and California spent the longest time with patients during weekend visits between Jan. 1, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2024, according to CMS data published Feb. 18. CMS collects skilled nursing visit data, submitted directly by hospice providers, from Medicare hospice claims, and from the Hospice Consumer…

Savannah, Ga.-based St. Joseph’s/Candler plans to launch a residency program with 103 positions across four specialties, hospital leaders confirmed to Becker’s March 10. The two-hospital system received nearly $17 million in state funding to support the program, which legislators approved as part of an amended state budget for 2026, according…

American hospitals saw expenses grow 7.5% in 2025, more than twice the rate of growth in hospital prices that year, according to the American Hospital Association’s annual “Costs of Caring” report. The findings, which were drawn from industry benchmark data compiled by Strata Decision Technology, point to a system under…

McKinsey’s “State of Organizations 2026” report highlights several disruptions affecting organizations globally, including challenges hospital and health system leaders are grappling with. The report is based on survey responses collected from June to September from more than 10,000 senior executives across 15 countries and 17 industries. More than 3,000 respondents…

Private equity firms have become a major force in healthcare, investing more than $1 trillion over the last ten years, according to a recent report from New York University’s Stern Center for Business and Human Rights. The report, published March 10 and authored by Michael Goldhaber, examines how private equity’s…

Fremont, Calif., topped WalletHub’s 2026 ranking of happiest cities in the U.S. for another year, while Detroit ranked at the bottom. For the ranking, the personal finance website compared 182 of the largest U.S. cities — including the 150 most populous nationwide, plus at least two of the most populous…

Healthgrades has recognized 442 hospitals in 40 states for being the top 10% in the nation for patient safety. Texas had the most recognized facilities at 77. The 2025 Patient Safety Excellence Award recognizes hospitals that excel in quality care while preventing serious safety events during hospital stays. The award…

A federal judge ruled March 6 in favor of five Florida hospitals that filed a lawsuit against The Leapfrog Group nearly a year ago, which claimed the organization’s “D” and “F” safety scores unfairly damaged the hospitals’ reputations.  Leapfrog has faced these allegations in two separate cases — one in…

Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro is projected to be the best-selling drug in the world in 2030, according to Statista data shared March 9 with Becker’s.  Statista is a global data company that provides market insights for 170 industries, including pharmaceuticals.  The company projects these 10 drugs will be the best-selling pharmaceutical…

The newly launched Health Care Affordability Lab within New Haven, Conn.-based Yale University’s Tobin Center for Economic Policy released a tool March 9 that allows users to explore hospital mergers, closures, ownership changes and market concentration across all 50 states. Using the dataset behind the lab’s new Hospital Markets data…

The use of artificial intelligence in diagnosis, rural healthcare access and federal funding cuts are among the most pressing patient safety concerns facing healthcare organizations in 2026, according to a new report from ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Topping the list of patient safety threats this year…

By 2036, the U.S. is projected to have 39,600 cardiology physicians available to meet a demand of 46,600, leaving a shortfall of about 7,000 physicians nationwide, according to projections from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration. Most states are projected to fall below full…

Massachusetts is the best U.S. state for women for the second consecutive year, according to a March 2 WalletHub ranking. The personal finance website’s 2026 list of the “Best & Worst States for Women” was compiled by comparing the 50 states and Washington, D.C., across 25 key metrics. Each metric…

Across the country, health systems are showing that staffing stability is achievable even in a constrained physician market. While workforce pressures are now a daily reality, leading organizations are responding differently: aligning service lines, redesigning care delivery, and building stability into their operating models rather than relying on reactive fixes.…

Long wait times, crowded waiting rooms, and frustrated staff are often symptoms of inefficient workflows driven by physical space constraints. Poorly designed layouts can create bottlenecks, limit privacy, and negatively impact both staff and patient experience. Yet for many hospitals, clinics, and outpatient settings, expanding or relocating simply isn’t feasible.…

According to data gathered by Becker’s, Parkland Health and Hospital System saw the highest number of emergency department visits in 2025.  The figures below represent the number of ED visits at individual hospital facilities, rather than the total visits across entire health systems. These self-reported totals were provided directly by…

Two-thirds of workplace leaders cite meetings as the No. 1 thing they spend too much time on, according to a Feb. 10 Korn Ferry article. The figure stems from surveys of executives from Fortune and Korn Ferry’s 28th annual list of the World’s Most Admired Companies — on which six…