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To remain competitive in 2026 and beyond, healthcare leaders must improve performance, embrace technology and rethink traditional care models, according to a Jan. 12 report from McKinsey. Here are five key takeaways for hospital leaders: 1. Healthcare EBITDA as a percentage of national health expenditures fell from 11.2% in 2019…

The typical working family in the U.S. spent $3,960 on healthcare-related costs in 2024, including premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, according to a Jan. 13 report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research. The report analyzed 2024 data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey and found a high cost…

As states finalize plans to administer billions of dollars through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, rural hospital leaders are beginning to articulate what they hope the funds will enable, from shoring up fragile service lines to building long-term infrastructure that could determine whether their organizations remain viable. CMS awarded…

U.S. healthcare spending reached $5.3 trillion in 2024, a 7.2% increase from $4.9 trillion the previous year, and similar to 7.4% growth in 2023, according to a CMS analysis published Jan. 14 by Health Affairs. Eight things to know, per the analysis: 1. Healthcare spending accounted for 18% of GDP…

For the first time in the 21st century, the U.S. recorded an isolated decrease in deceased kidney donations, according to a Jan. 14 report from the Kidney Transplant Collaborative.  The report, “Losing Transplants for All the Wrong Reasons: A Statistical Analysis of the Reduction in Kidney Transplants in Response to…

As health systems continue to navigate prolonged financial strain, workforce fatigue and growing regulatory pressure, Airica Powell-Steed, EdD, RN, says sustainable turnarounds depend less on quick fixes and more on values-driven leadership and long-term value creation. But there are some mistakes executive teams often make. Dr. Powell-Steed, interim executive vice…

Several healthcare roles landed on U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 rankings of the best jobs without a bachelor’s degree. The list is part of the publication’s annual best jobs rankings series, released Jan. 13, which evaluates jobs across 17 categories, including healthcare.  To develop the rankings, U.S. News analyzed…

Skilled nursing facility operating capacity dropped by 5% in the U.S. between 2019 and 2024, according to a study published Jan. 12 in JAMA Internal Medicine.  Researchers analyzed CMS data from 2018 to 2024 to identify capacity changes at skilled nursing facilities after the COVID-19 pandemic, and assessed whether capacity…

For the third consecutive year, nurse practitioner earned the No. 1 spot in U.S. News & World Report‘s annual best jobs rankings. The media company released the rankings Jan. 13, highlighting the best jobs across 17 categories, including healthcare. To determine the best jobs, U.S. News examined data from the…

Cybersecurity risks facing healthcare organizations in 2026 are increasingly tied to prolonged technology outages that directly disrupt patient care, according to John Riggi, national adviser for cybersecurity and risk at the American Hospital Association. “I believe there needs to be an increased understanding that our increased dependency on network and…

Hospitals and health systems nationwide are preparing for significant access and operational challenges after enhanced ACA premium tax credits expired Dec. 31 and congressional negotiations to revive them remain uncertain. The House voted Jan. 8 to extend the subsidies for three years, but the measure is not expected to pass…

In recent years, a swell of states has adopted laws to lessen the requirements for foreign-trained physicians to join the U.S. workforce.   The laws aim to combat the nation’s growing physician shortage, which is becoming more urgent as patient acuity rises, more physicians approach retirement age and a plethora of…

Nearly 15,000 nurses at hospitals in New York City went on strike Jan. 12 after months of negotiations, marking the largest nurses strike in the city’s history. Six things to know: 1. The New York State Nurses Association has been negotiating contracts that would guarantee safe staffing, healthcare benefits and…

Rural hospital leaders are raising concerns that some of the new federal rural health transformation funding could flow through state governments without ever reaching the hospitals the program was designed to support. CMS awarded $50 billion across all 50 states through the Rural Health Transformation Program, a five-year initiative running…

The majority of primary care physicians report that drug shortages affect the quality of patient care and increase administrative burdens, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open. The cross-sectional survey, conducted by researchers from the American Medical Association, collected responses from 902 U.S. primary care physicians between July…

AI scribes most help physicians who document more to begin with, according to research in the American Journal of Managed Care. Here are five takeaways from the Jan. 8 study by researchers affiliated with University of California San Francisco and UCSF Health: 1. Most physicians (86.5%) felt that using an…

Flu activity remained elevated nationwide during the week ending Jan. 3, with pediatric deaths and overall hospitalizations continuing to climb, according to recent data from the CDC.  The latest flu report comes as some hospitals have begun postponing procedures and pharmacies face spot shortages of Tamiflu — developments that reflect…

Hospital and health systems are reimagining paid time off not simply as a benefit, but as a proactive tool for combatting burnout, retaining talent and fostering a healthier workplace culture. While PTO is typically positioned as offering employees flexibility, some organizations have found traditional models may have the opposite effect…

Since December 2025, the following hospitals and health systems have said they plan to raise their workers’ pay.  Editor note: This webpage was created Jan. 9, and will continue to be updated regularly. January 1. Members of the Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee at Portland-based Maine Medical Center…

Healthcare employment continued to grow in December, with the industry adding 21,100 jobs, according to the latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS released the December jobs report Jan. 9. Here are three more takeaways: 1. December’s healthcare job growth fell below the industry’s average monthly gain…

States are beginning to sketch out plans to deploy billions of dollars in new federal funding aimed at stabilizing and transforming rural healthcare, but early signals point to wide variation in approach and persistent uncertainty for rural hospitals waiting to understand when, how and whether funds will reach local providers.…

The United Health Foundation released its 2025 “America’s Health Rankings Annual Report,” Jan. 8, presenting a wave of optimistic health signals, but disparities persist. The organization analyzed 99 measures from 31 sources, relying on the most recent data, as of Oct. 17, 2025, except for data from the National Survey…

Women account for 50.2% of all U.S. medical residents, achieving a majority share for the first time, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges’ 2025 “Report on Residents.” Women make up the majority of residents in obstetrics and gynecology at 88.8%, pediatrics at 75.8%, family medicine at 56.3% and…

The healthcare sector is facing a decisive moment. While nursing shortages continue to dominate national conversations and pressure patient care teams, an equally destabilizing challenge sits upstream: instability within the clinical faculty model responsible for preparing the next generation of nurses. As clinical complexity accelerates and instructional capacity is strained,…