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Flu activity remains low but is increasing nationwide, particularly among children and young adults, new CDC data shows. Outpatient visits and hospitalizations for flu have risen in recent weeks, according to the CDC’s latest FluView update published Dec. 1. In the week ending Nov. 22, the U.S. reported 3,264 flu-related…

Health systems across the U.S. are being confronted by four major forces during a “new era of unprecedented uncertainty,” according to a Nov. 18 McKinsey report. The impact of the forces — which could cause margin pressures of 2 to 13 percentage points for health systems — lies largely on…

The rural family physician workforce shrank 11% from 2017 to 2023, marking an ongoing shortage in primary care access, according to a study published in November in the Annals of Family Medicine. Lead author Colleen Fogarty, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of…

Several health systems are making major bets on new Epic EHR platforms and expect to see substantial returns, with leaders pointing to application consolidation, efficiency gains and reduced administrative burden as key drivers. Minot, N.D.-based Trinity Health expects its Epic implementation to generate nearly $1 billion in return on investment,…

Hospital-at-home treatment could be one way to “solve the rural healthcare crisis,” researchers from Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham say. Here are six findings from their Dec. 1 JAMA Network Open study, which randomly assigned 161 adult patients from Quincy, Ill.-based Blessing Hospital (IL), Hazard (Ky.) Appalachian Regional Healthcare Regional…

The Rockdale County (Ga.) Sheriff’s Office, along with other law enforcement agencies, is searching for an incarcerated patient who allegedly escaped custody after being transported to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta for a medical examination following a reported suicide attempt, according to the sheriff’s office. In a statement, sheriff’s deputies…

While Epic sends staffers to health systems to educate healthcare workers about its EHR, the dynamic goes the other way as well. Health systems around the country routinely dispatch employees to Epic’s massive headquarters in small-town Wisconsin to learn how to implement the company’s software. “We have people now coming…

At 9.7%, Gallup polling has found the highest-ever percentage of U.S. adults who report receiving a cancer diagnosis, the analytics firm said Nov. 24.  The 2024-2025 figure is a significant increase from the 7% Gallup reported in 2008-2009. The percentage of adults reporting a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime has…

On average, oncology accounts for about 70% of hospital drug expenditures, according to IQVIA data covering the U.S. and 11 other countries.  Countries approach drug spending in several different ways, clinical research firm IQVIA said in an Oct. 21 report. For example, voluntary insurance schemes account for a significant portion…

Two years ago news coverage warned of a national nursing shortage. Vacancies surged, burnout dominated conversations, and hospitals stretched themselves to staff essential units. Today the sense of alarm has faded. Inside hospitals, however, the crisis has not passed. Administrators still struggle to fill shifts, and the conditions that pushed…

The financial performance of some of the country’s largest nonprofit and for-profit health systems in the third quarter of 2025 reflects a sector making cautious strides toward stability, but not all players are on equal footing. For-profit systems — including HCA Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare, Community Health Systems and Universal Health…

Artificial intelligence is only as strong as the data behind it. Healthcare leaders are working with their teams to build the infrastructure, governance, and culture necessary to support AI at scale. Healthcare leaders gathered at the AI Summit during the Becker’s CEO+CFO Roundtable in early November to discuss the need…

Hospitals and health systems have consistently focused on recruiting top talent. While this remains a key priority, retention is gaining prominence amid ongoing workforce challenges. In 2025, 2 in 5 healthcare workers reported feeling their role is unsustainable, and 1 in 4 said they are considering leaving the industry entirely,…

Internal medicine represents the largest primary care specialty, with 41.4% of all primary care physicians practicing in the field, according to new data from KFF. In contrast, geriatrics represents just 0.3% of the primary care workforce, underscoring a significant disparity in physician distribution as the U.S. population continues to age,…

As the U.S. works several levers to lower drug pricing, such as Medicare negotiating costs with drugmakers and President Donald Trump launching TrumpRx, a report from the IQVIA Institute quantified how much more the U.S. pays for medications.  IQVIA, a clinical research company, published a report Oct. 21 detailing global…

The workforce is top of mind for hospitals and health systems across the U.S., particularly as they focus on recruitment and retention amid today’s industry pressures. Here are 12 numbers to know about the workforce today, per reports recently covered by Becker’s: 1. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its…

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its September jobs report Nov. 20 — the agency’s first since the 43-day government shutdown from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12. Healthcare added 42,800 jobs for the month, roughly in line with the 12-month average of 42,000, according to the report. Here are four…

Nearly 40% of adults living in rural areas have turned to emergency departments for care that could have been handled in a primary care setting, pointing to persistent issues rural residents face when trying to access routine healthcare services, according to a Commonwealth Fund report published Nov. 17. The report,…

As signs point to a more-severe-than-normal flu season this year, hospitals might see more congestion among patients and in physical capacity. Several variables are intensifying this outlook as a new variant emerges, inoculation rates fall and measles outbreaks grow.  1. A new variant Overall flu activity is low, with influenza-related…

The overall U.S. healthcare system received a “C” grade from a broad survey of U.S. adults, according to the West Health-Gallup Center for Healthcare in America, which released its inaugural report, “State of the States 2025: Insights on Healthcare in America.” Nationwide, the healthcare system received a “D+” for cost,…

Healthcare job postings have declined 8.5% year over year as of Oct. 10, according to a third-quarter report from Indeed’s Hiring Lab. The report analyzed job postings and wage data for U.S. healthcare roles on the employment site. Here are seven things to know: 1. Overall healthcare job postings were…

California has the greatest number of high-performing nursing homes in the U.S., followed by Florida, according to U.S. News & World Report’s “2026 Best Nursing Homes” ratings, published Nov. 13. Hawaii has the highest rate of high-performing nursing homes, followed by the District of Columbia.  Compared to the national average,…

The persistent healthcare talent crisis has evolved from cyclical labor shortages to a structural workforce problem that’s reshaping how hospitals and health systems operate. To deliver quality care, meet safe staffing standards and rein in the cost of agency staff and travelers, a strategic approach to workforce planning is more…

Artificial intelligence has evolved from experimental pilots to a foundational part of healthcare strategy. Across eight sessions at the Becker’s CEO + CFO Roundtable AI Summit, hospital and health system leaders described how they are moving beyond hype to build governance, data discipline, and measurable impact. Ten key themes emerged…