Breaking News

The fall mortality rate among older adults in the U.S. has more than tripled over the last 30 years, despite steadily decreasing in other high-income countries, according to an opinion paper published Aug. 8 in JAMA Health Forum.  One possible explanation for the discrepancy could be the higher level of…

Cliff Megerian, MD, has served as CEO of Cleveland-based University Hospitals for nearly five years, overseeing a $6.4 billion health system that spans 21 hospitals across 22 counties in Northeast Ohio. Under his leadership, the system has prioritized growth, culture and a redefined patient experience rooted in hospitality — a…

Officials with the Florida Department of Health anticipate new rules to end school-based vaccine requirements to take effect in 90 days, beginning with chickenpox and immunizations for other diseases.  On Sept. 3, the state’s surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, MD, PhD, said Florida would move to scrap all vaccine mandates in…

Hospital finances continued to show signs of strain in July, with national operating margins slipping from recent highs and profitability pressures mounting. Nationally, average margins are still up year over year for nonprofit hospitals, but digging deeper into operating revenue and expenses shows challenges. “While performance has generally been strong…

Hawaii is the happiest state while West Virginia comes in at the bottom of the list, according to a Sept. 8 report from WalletHub.  The personal finance website determined a state’s happiness level using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the CDC and other publicly…

Health systems gauge financial strength on a variety of metrics, with one of the key indicators being days cash on hand. While the average days cash on hand has improved in the last year, according to Strata’s “Performance Trends Report: Market Insights from Q2 2025,” eminent changes to the Medicaid…

During a Sept. 4 Senate Finance Committee hearing with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said that impending healthcare cuts from the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill are already having a lasting impact on communities, such as pushing hospitals to scale back critical services like…

As merger and acquisition activity picks up post-pandemic, dozens of large health systems are expanding their footprints — adding hospitals, building regional dominance and solidifying national reach. Here are 27 large health systems that have grown in quarters or are planning strategic mergers or acquisitions this year: Editor’s note: This…

One-third of companies across industries have reduced their planned salary budgets for 2025 due to economic uncertainty, according to a survey from Korn Ferry. While dozens of hospitals and health systems have announced pay raises for employees in 2025, some workers remain pessimistic about the likelihood of seeing a raise…

To increase patient safety, Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare takes staff on “field trips” to learn from other high-risk industries, such as chemical manufacturing, according to an American Hospital Association podcast published Sept. 3.  Randy Fagin, MD, chief quality officer of HCA, said the system is on par and above healthcare…

Executives across U.S. industries remain more optimistic about economic conditions than employees, according to a Sept. 4 LinkedIn News post. The findings are based on surveys of 1,903 U.S. employees conducted on LinkedIn between June 14 and 27, and 2,881 LinkedIn users at the vice president level or higher surveyed…

Here are five of the latest recalls and corrections reported to the FDA:  Ambu recalls SPUR II resuscitators due to blocked manometer port  Ambu is recalling specific lots of its SPUR II manual resuscitators because a blocked manometer port renders the manometer nonfunctional. The defect can prevent clinicians from monitoring…

A bipartisan bill in the U.S. House would permanently extend Medicare telehealth flexibilities that are set to expire Sept. 30. The Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies for Health Act of 2025, also called H.R. 4206, was introduced by Reps. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., David Schweikert, R-Ariz., Doris…

Healthcare added 31,000 jobs in August, below the monthly average of 42,000 over the past 12 months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics latest report on U.S. employment trends.  The report pointed to a broader labor market slowdown. Overall, the U.S. economy added just 22,000 jobs — one of…

Cybercriminals are weaponizing AI agents to attack industries including healthcare, AI company Anthropic found. Hackers are using agentic AI to carry out sophisticated cyberattacks that would have previously required years of training, according to the Aug. 27 report. For instance, a cybercriminal employed Claude, Anthropic’s large language model, to extract…

Becker’s compiled a list of hospitals that were rated 5 stars for nurse communication in each state, according to CMS’ Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems data. CMS shares 10 HCAHPS star ratings based on publicly reported HCAHPS measures. For nurse communication, data from HCAHPS survey questions are…

The Change Healthcare cyberattack delayed testing for a new Oracle EHR at an Illinois hospital jointly operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, the VA’s Office of Inspector General found. The Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago went live in…

Nurse scientists are a rare but growing role in hospitals that address not just research, but operational and patient care pain points. Nurse scientists, also referred to as nurse researchers, are nurses who have pursued a PhD and conduct research. Most commonly found in academia, nurse scientists often apply for…

From insurance “misalignment” to patient hostility, spine surgeons discuss the surprising aspects that came up in their work since 2020. Editor’s note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity. Question: What’s something in your practice that has surprised you the most in the last five years? Jeffrey Carlson MD. Coastal Virginia…

Alejandro Badia, MD, orthopedic surgeon and founder of Miami-based OrthoNOW, partnered with Redwood Growth Partners, according to a Sept. 3 news release. The partnership with the investment and advisory firm will accelerate OrthoNOW’s growth toward a network of more than 10 clinics. OrthoNOW was founded 14 years ago and is one of…

Endoscopic spine’s growth will depend on a forward-thinking mindset among surgeons and pushing new boundaries, Xiaofei (Sophie) Zhou, MD, said. Dr. Zhou, associate program director of the neurosurgical residency at Cleveland-based University Hospitals, discussed what’s ahead for an upcoming episode of the “Becker’s Spine and Orthopedic Podcast.”  Note: This is…

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Sept. 4 to explain his ‘Make America Healthy Again’ agenda and defend sweeping changes to the CDC, vaccine policy and other federal health programs.  Here are three of the central takeaways from the nearly three-hour hearing.  1.…

Whenever Annette Walker, president of Irvine, Calif.-based City of Hope Orange County, has entered a hospital’s spiritual care center, typically she sees one of two things. “Either they look like a white conference room and they’re so neutral that they don’t offend anybody, but they also don’t inspire anybody,” she…

Novo Nordisk’s popular weight loss drug, Wegovy, is the first and only GLP-1 medication approved to treat metabolic associated steatohepatitis, a serious condition marked by liver scarring.  The FDA granted the approval Aug. 15.  Injectable GLP-1 drugs primarily treat obesity and Type 2 diabetes, and some have additional indications including…