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Why Healthcare Transformation Keeps Stalling—And How to Fix It Fast
Every healthcare executive in America knows the numbers by heart. Costs are climbing faster than reimbursements. Labor shortages drag on. Inflation keeps pushing the price of everything from surgical gloves to software. Meanwhile, the expectation never changes: improve patient outcomes and make life better for the people delivering the care.…
FDA approves prostate cancer drug
The FDA has granted full approval to rucaparib (Rubraca) for adults with BRCA-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The decision is based on a confirmatory analysis of a randomized trial of 405 patients who had progressed on prior androgen receptor pathway inhibitors, according to a Dec. 17 news release from the…
Meet the Gen Z CEO leading a Montana critical access hospital
At just 26, Billy Rogers has stepped into his first hospital CEO role. He is leading Mountainview Medical Center, a critical access hospital in White Sulphur Springs, Mont., effective Dec. 8. Billy Rogers studied finance in college and initially planned to work on the financial side of hospitals, with a…
How to lead health system staff through transformation and uncertainty from 5 Strategic Leaders
As staff members from health systems across the country continue to tackle government regulations, emerging technology, and evolving patient expectations, Becker’s asked five strategic leaders in healthcare how they lead their teams in times of transformation and uncertainty. If you are a COO or strategic leader in healthcare and are…
79% of nurses lose time to unproductive charting: KLAS
Nearly 8 in 10 acute care nurses say they lose time each week to unproductive charting, and those facing the heaviest documentation burdens are significantly more likely to experience burnout and consider leaving their jobs, according to a Dec. 16 report from KLAS Research. The report, Reducing Nursing Documentation Burden…
HCA chief nursing executive dies at 50
Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare is mourning the death of its senior vice president and chief nurse executive Sammie Mosier, BSN, RN, whose nearly three-decade career at the system highlighted her commitment to supporting caregivers and advancing nursing. “Her impact on HCA Healthcare and the nursing profession will endure,” the system…
A payer-provider view on ultra high-cost drugs
Ultra high-cost drugs, or medications that cost more than $1 million per patient, can be life-altering treatments. They are also covered in an obsolete payment system, according to Mike Evans, RPh, chief pharmacy officer for Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger. “Every year, a higher and higher percentage of our total spend, from…
10 ‘neediest’ US cities
Detroit remains the neediest city in the U.S., largely because it has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 9.1%, according to a Dec. 15 analysis from personal finance website WalletHub. The city also ranked No. 1 in WalletHub’s 2025 list. To develop its “Neediest Cities in America (2026)”…
Fee-based primary care on the rise: 4 notes
Concierge and direct primary care models are rapidly reshaping the U.S. primary care landscape. These membership-based practices, which charge monthly or annual fees for enhanced access and longer visits, have increased in recent years — often operating outside the traditional insurance system. A research article published in December in Health…
Healthcare groups urge lawmakers to pass bill to grow nurse faculty
The American Hospital Association, American Nurses Association and dozens of other groups representing healthcare professionals are urging federal lawmakers to pass newly reintroduced legislation that would expand the nation’s nursing faculty workforce and modernize nursing education. The Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act, reintroduced Dec. 11 by Sen. Jeff Merkley,…
Nearly 1 in 4 Americans believe US healthcare is in ‘crisis’: Gallup
More Americans than ever believe the U.S. healthcare system is in crisis, according to a Dec. 15 article from Gallup. The West Health-Gallup Health and Healthcare Survey was conducted Nov. 3-25 and included responses from 1,321 U.S. adults. Here are five things to know: 1. Twenty-three percent of respondents said…
Leapfrog’s 151 top hospitals in 2025
The Leapfrog Group has published its annual list of top-performing hospitals, recognizing 151 hospitals in the U.S. for excellence in quality and safety in 2025. Top hospitals are identified using data from the watchdog organization’s annual hospital survey, with selection based on excellence in various quality and patient safety measures,…
University Hospitals scales virtual nursing model to full-hospital deployment
Hospitals nationwide are facing intensifying staffing pressures, rising patient acuity and growing demands for more sustainable care delivery. At Cleveland-based University Hospitals, a new virtual nursing initiative is offering an effective, systemwide solution. During an October webinar hosted by Becker’s Healthcare and Vitalchat, Brian Nelson, RN, program lead and Lauren…
5 predictions on hospital financial performance in 2026
Fitch Ratings has issued a ‘neutral’ outlook for the U.S. healthcare provider sector in 2026, pointing to stable credit trends, modest revenue growth, and potential margin pressure from rising labor costs and policy shifts. Here are five key takeaways from the report. 1. Hospital ratings stabilizing: Fitch Ratings assigned a…
Half of US hospitals to adopt generative AI by end of 2025, study finds
Nearly one in three nonfederal acute care hospitals in the U.S. reported using generative artificial intelligence integrated into their electronic health record in 2024, according to a national survey analysis published Dec. 12 in JAMA Network Open. The findings are based on a survey of 2,174 nonfederal U.S. acute care…
15 top cities for early-career physicians
Medscape has published a report on the best cities for young physicians to start their career, based on an analysis of factors ranging from compensation to local cultural life. The ranking, published Dec. 12, also took into account job opportunities, malpractice rates, professional development and outdoor recreation. Austin, Texas, topped…
FDA weighs black box warning for COVID-19 vaccines: 7 notes
The FDA is considering adding a black box warning to COVID-19 vaccines — the latest development in a broader shift in how the agency approaches vaccine oversight and safety communication, according to a Dec. 12 CNN report. Here are seven things to know: 1. The proposal signals a more aggressive…
Preparing for the storm: How 3 health systems are making capacity work harder
In the One Big Beautiful Bill era, capacity is more than a scheduling concern for hospitals and health systems — it’s a financial imperative. During a recent Becker’s Healthcare webinar hosted by LeanTaaS, executives from University Hospitals (Cleveland), Sutter Health (Sacramento, Calif.) and Scripps Health (San Diego) shared how their…
From -1.6% to 16.8%: 20 health systems ranked by operating margins
As policy uncertainties, reimbursement pressures and continued cuts and closures weigh on hospitals and health systems heading into 2026, third-quarter operating margins showed wide variation. Several systems, such as UnityPoint, Montefiore Health System and Providence, saw operating losses or near-break-even results, while others like Allegheny Health Network, UPMC and Northwell…
The financial impact of healthcare ransomware attacks: 4 notes
Healthcare continues to pay a significant financial toll for ransomware attacks, the U.S. Treasury Department found. Here are four things to know from the December report, where the U.S. Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network analyzed Bank Secrecy Act data involving cyberattacks: 1. From January 2022 through December 2024, U.S. companies…
Medical school enrollment surpasses 100,000 in 2025: AAMC
More than 100,000 students were enrolled in U.S. medical schools in 2025 — a record high, according to data released Dec. 9 by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Total enrollment reached 100,723 students in 2025, with the largest-ever incoming class of 23,440 first-year students. Here are three other key…
10 health systems named among America’s best companies: Forbes
Ten hospitals and health systems were included on Forbes’ “America’s Best Companies 2026″ list, published Nov. 19. The list features 500 public and private companies, all evaluated on more than 100 metrics across 11 categories, including employee ratings, financial performance and sustainability. To be eligible, companies had to be headquartered…
US News’ 147 maternity care access hospitals
U.S. News & World Report released its 2026 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care ratings Dec. 9, which also recognize hospitals providing services to underserved communities. The media company used self-reported maternity care data to identify 147 hospitals as Maternity Care Access Hospitals for providing maternity services in areas that would…
Best hospitals for maternity care: US News
U.S. News & World Report released its 2026 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care ratings Dec. 9. To compile the list, U.S. News evaluated a record-breaking 901 hospitals providing labor and delivery services. Hospitals submitted detailed data, which were examined based on quality measures, such as C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies;…


