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The Georgia Department of Community Health has approved Wellstar Health System’s application to build a $1.1 billion hospital, the Marietta, Ga.-based health system confirmed to Becker’s Oct. 21. The 230-bed Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center at Acworth (Ga.) is expected to open in 2031. Wellstar filed a certificate-of-need application in…

Warwick, R.I., is the safest city in the U.S., according to a new analysis published by WalletHub. The personal finance company released its 2025 “Safest Cities in America” ranking on Oct. 20. The ranking compares 182 cities across three dimensions: home and community safety; natural-disaster risk; and financial safety. WalletHub…

Two in 5 U.S. employees work in a “quality” job — one that allows employees to meet basic financial needs, feel safe and respected, expand their skills, have a voice in decisions affecting them and maintain some control over their work, according to the American Job Quality Study. The study,…

The FDA has approved bioLytical Laboratories’ Insti HIV self test. The company touts it as the fastest home-use HIV test available in the U.S., with results in 60 seconds or less. BioLytical said the test provides a private, portable and highly accurate option for individuals to determine their HIV status…

Boston-based New England Baptist Hospital has the lowest unplanned readmission rate in the nation, according to CMS. CMS’ Unplanned Hospital Visits data is based on provider data for hospital return days, including unplanned readmission and unplanned hospital visit measures after outpatient procedures from July 2023 to June 2024. CMS updated…

Cyberattacks on hospitals are becoming more frequent, more sophisticated and more disruptive. They can paralyze EHRs, delay surgeries and force ambulances to divert. Yet many of the most persistent vulnerabilities aren’t buried deep in code — they sit at the messy intersection of technology and clinical practice. Chief medical information…

Although the CDC projects a moderate influenza season this winter, U.S. hospitals face a plethora of changes, including federal vaccine policy shifts, hospital-at-home disruptions and a growing measles outbreak.  The 2024-25 flu season was among the most severe since 2010, with approximately 47 million illnesses, 21 million healthcare visits, 610,000…

Revenue cycle management tops the list of healthcare providers’ top IT investment strategies, Bain & Co. and KLAS Research reported. Here are the percentages of 228 healthcare providers who listed each of these areas as a top-three investment priority, according to an Oct. 9 article from the management consultant and…

Starting in 2026, The Joint Commission will formally recognize nurse staffing as a national performance goal, meaning hospitals seeking accreditation must meet certain standards related to staffing and oversight.  Under the new element of performance, known as Goal 12, healthcare organizations must have a nurse executive responsible for overseeing staffing…

While the total of breached patient records so far in 2025 pales in comparison to the previous two years, the “number is still far too high and should not be tolerated as the norm,” American Hospital Association leaders wrote. Here are five healthcare cybersecurity-related figures from the Oct. 7 article…

Payer denials are increasing in frequency and complexity, costing healthcare organizations billions. During a recent session at Becker’s Health IT + Digital Health + RCM Meeting in Chicago leaders from CorroHealth explored how GenAI, data analytics and a strategic mindset can help providers fight back more effectively. Jerilyn Morrissey, MD,…

Change management and technological savvy are emerging as essential skills for the next generation of chief nursing officers, nurse leaders told Becker’s. As hospitals and health systems continue to grapple with workforce shortages and rising care demands, CNOs are increasingly expected to navigate a proliferation of new technologies, lead efforts…

Patients of Albany, Ga.-based Phoebe Putney Health System have reportedly been receiving phone calls with scams of fake test results and gift card giveaways. The health system is urging patients who receive suspicious calls to hang up call and call Phoebe Putny directly to verify and report them to law…

Ransomware attacks on U.S. healthcare businesses have increased in 2025, even as incidents targeting hospitals and clinics declined, according to a new report from Comparitech published Oct. 9. Here are five key findings from the report: From January through September, 257 ransomware incidents were recorded across U.S. healthcare providers and…

Section 6001 of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) effectively banned physician-owned hospitals (POH) in the United States. This legislation was nominally motivated by concerns over conflict-of-interest when physicians are stakeholders in the business of medicine, but in reality, was the result of political horse-trading to secure enough votes to…

In our over five decades combined of pediatric nursing care and nursing leadership, we believe one fact to remain true: pediatric nurses are not only a vital role in healthcare, they are irreplaceable. In recognition of Pediatric Nurses Week 2025, we wanted to take the opportunity to recognize the work of…

Hospitals are in a bind. As workforce shortages deepen and pay pressures mount, health systems are increasingly turning to technology to help retain their nurses. Many are piloting virtual nursing initiatives, ambient documentation and other AI-enabled tools designed to ease workloads. But ask chief nursing informatics officers where they are…

Nearly 30% of U.S. employees say their manager is too stressed to help them at work, according to a recent LinkedIn News survey. Responses varied by industry. Hospitals and healthcare ranked fourth-highest, with 31% of respondents indicating their managers were too stressed to be of aid. LinkedIn surveyed 14,680 U.S.…

GoodRx, a platform that tracks prescription drug use and prices across thousands of U.S. pharmacies, has become a popular tool for patients to find discounts and compare cash prices, making its data a useful snapshot of national prescribing trends.  Here are the 20 most commonly prescribed medications from GoodRx: Atorvastatin…

By early December, Florida’s health department could revoke several vaccine requirements for school children.  The state’s surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, MD, PhD, said Sept. 3 the Florida Department of Health plans to scrap all vaccine mandates. The department said mandates on school vaccines for chickenpox, hepatitis B, Hib influenza and…

Routinely leaving late is the strongest predictor of nurse burnout and is linked to a 2% to 6% higher turnover rate compared to teams on which nurses leave on time, according to a new report from the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and Laudio.  The report, “An Early Warning System…

A recently published study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons proposed using the rate of discharge to post-acute care facilities after major surgery as a benchmark for hospital quality. Five healthcare quality leaders weighed in on the proposal for Becker’s and shared more about the unique considerations…

A new model aims to help hospitals and health system leaders better understand how investments in nursing contribute to financial sustainability.  Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in Baltimore and Marquette University College of Nursing in Milwaukee introduced the Nursing Human Capital Value Model Oct. 7, during…

A bipartisan group of former U.S. surgeons general expressed significant concern in HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership in a joint op-ed published Oct. 7 in The Washington Post. The former surgeons general — who collectively served under every president since George H.W. Bush — claim Mr. Kennedy’s actions…