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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…

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…

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)”…

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…

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,…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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;…

Workers with a strong sense of purpose in their roles are more likely to be engaged at work and less likely to feel burned out or search for a new job. Yet only 30% of hiring managers consider purpose to be a key predictor of success, according to Gallup survey…

Virginia Beach, Va., is the most caring U.S. city in 2025, based on its high shares of residents who volunteer or fundraise and its low violent crime rate, according to a Dec. 8 ranking from personal finance website WalletHub. To develop the ranking, WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities…

The FDA has recalled multiple lots of a blood pressure medication sold under the brand name Ziac, according to a Dec. 6 report from USA Today.  The medication — bisoprolol fumarate and hydrochlorothiazide tablets — is manufactured by Glenmark Pharmaceuticals and may have been cross-contaminated with cholesterol drug ezetimibe, the…

More than 2 in 5 primary care physicians in the U.S. are experiencing burnout, according to survey results published Nov. 20 by the Commonwealth Fund. The 2025 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of Primary Care Physicians drew responses from 10,985 physicians. The survey was conducted between March 12 and…

Many bedside nurses say virtual nursing programs have not eased their workload, though a slight majority have seen benefits to patient care when working alongside virtual nurses, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in Philadelphia.  Researchers at Penn Nursing’s Center for…