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Research College of Nursing — a private institution in Kansas City, Mo., that is affiliated with Research Medical Center and part of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare — is launching a new accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing pathway. Approved by the Missouri State Board of Nursing, the 12-month program is…

While U.S. population growth slowed significantly between 2024 and 2025, five states recorded population growth rates of at least 1%, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau released Jan. 27. Here are four things to know: 1. U.S. population growth increased 0.5%, or 1.8 million people, between July 1,…

Many U.S. emergency departments operate “good enough,” and this level of performance is harming patients, margins and morale, according to a Jan. 29 report from Kaufman Hall.  “Average ED performance is not neutral. It is a decision to tolerate risk, leakage, patient dissatisfaction and variable quality of care,” the report…

As rural hospitals face the brunt of workforce shortages, their CEOs are taking a more proactive — and creative — approach to recruitment and retention. Recruitment has become a greater strategic focus for Rozanna Penney, CRNA, president and CEO of Heywood Healthcare in Gardner, Mass., over the past year. While…

In healthcare organizations, office politics are often misunderstood. They’re usually assumed to  be about power, intent, or personal agendas. But in most cases, politics don’t begin that way.  They start as an adaptation.  Hospitals and health systems are complex, high-stakes environments. Decisions are  interconnected, timelines are compressed, and the cost…

Researchers forecast the national prevalence of obesity to rise from 42.5% of the U.S. adult population in 2022 to 46.9% by 2035, according to a study published Jan. 28 in JAMA.  In the U.S., approximately 20% of children and 40% of adults have obesity, according to the CDC. 2035’s The…

Nearly 23 million people have enrolled in ACA marketplace plans for 2026, down from 24.2 million in 2025, according to the latest data from CMS published Jan. 28. For the 30 HealthCare.gov states, the data is through Jan. 15. For the 20 state-based exchanges plus D.C., the data is through…

U.S. life expectancy at birth reached 79 years in 2024, an all-time high, according to data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Four notes: 1. The death rate for the U.S. population declined by nearly 4% in 2024, according to a Jan. 29 news release from the center. …

Over the past year, healthcare supply leaders say their most critical supplier relationships have shifted from transactional purchasing arrangements to deeper, more strategic partnerships — often with new expectations, governance demands and operational complexity. Rather than pointing to a single indispensable vendor, some leaders emphasized the growing need to maintain…

Faced with staffing shortages, administrative strain and geographic barriers, rural hospitals are increasingly adopting AI to expand care access and ease pressure on front-line teams. Rather than pursuing large-scale tech overhauls, many are implementing lightweight, targeted tools that support documentation, scheduling and care coordination. A new American Hospital Association report…

Healthgrades published its annual “America’s Best Hospitals Awards” Jan. 27, recognizing 250 hospitals across the country for strong quality performance. The list recognizes the top 50, 100 and 250 best hospitals, representing the top 1%, 2% and 5% of hospitals in the country for clinical excellence, respectively, the consumer platform…

While healthcare job gains drove overall U.S. employment growth in December, the sector’s momentum has slowed below its 2024 and 2025 averages. Healthcare added an average of 56,000 jobs per month in 2024, but that figure fell to 34,000 in 2025. December saw just 21,100 new jobs in the sector,…

As health systems head into 2026 amid margin pressure, policy uncertainty and rising demand, executives are converging around a shared set of priorities. Across responses from CEOs, CFOs and senior leaders, the message was consistent: growth must be disciplined, operationally grounded and closely tied to mission and access. Becker’s gathered…

Wyoming is the best state to retire in 2026, according to a Jan. 26 ranking from personal finance website WalletHub. To create the list, WalletHub compared each state across 46 indicators in three categories: affordability, quality of life and healthcare. Metrics included adjusted cost of living, share of population aged…

Seven hundred and thirty-four rural hospitals across the U.S., which represent one-third of all rural facilities nationwide, are at risk of closing due to severe financial problems, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform’s most recent analysis. The hospitals now classified as at risk of closure represent…

Hospitals are increasingly seeking out new financial arrangements for energy management, transitioning capital expenditures into operating expenses, according to a report from Moody’s Investor Services. “Hospitals and health systems are embracing [Energy as a Service] models to address aging utility infrastructure, enhance energy efficiency and support sustainability initiatives,” the report…

Readmission penalties for hospitals with greater Medicare Advantage penetration are distorted, possibly due to unobserved severity, according to a University of Michigan of Ann Arbor study published Jan. 22 in JAMA Network Open. CMS’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program is a value-based initiative designed to deter readmissions and promote patient and…

A common acute care discharge order, “follow up in one week with primary care,” is a virtually impossible task amid ever-growing waitlists at primary care clinics across the U.S. So what if healthcare facilities stopped defaulting to this order?  That is a question Craig Cheifetz, MD, president of Inova Health…

A number of hospitals and health systems are reducing their workforces amid ongoing financial strain. Executives have cited a mix of factors — including lower reimbursement, rising labor and supply costs, and the need to realign operations — as drivers of these decisions. For many organizations, the moves are part…

Hospitals and healthcare facilities are rescheduling appointments, stocking up on medical supplies and coordinating with maintenance crews before a brutal winter storm sweeps across two-thirds of the U.S. The National Weather Service expects a “significant, long-duration winter storm” to travel across the country, starting in the Southwest on Jan. 23…

Bainbridge, Ga.-based Memorial Hospital and Manor hopes to leverage the $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation Program to make technology improvements, the Post-Searchlight reported. The organization, which includes an 80-bed hospital and long-term and personal care facilities, is eligible for the $219 million that Georgia received as part of the…

Goshen (Ind.) Hospital made a bold commitment in November: implementing a maximum 1-to-4 nurse-to-patient staffing ratio across all inpatient units. The move reflects a strategic shift to reinvest funds traditionally spent on overtime and incentive pay into sustainable nurse staffing — a decision aimed at strengthening retention, improving care, and…

In 2024, private industry employers in the U.S. reported 2.5 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses, down 3.1% from the previous year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Jan. 22.  Nonfatal recordable workplace injuries and illnesses include cases with days away from work, job restriction or transfer, along with other…