News

As healthcare systems continue to face challenges around capacity management and discharge planning, one leading regional provider is turning to AI-powered technology to drive efficiency and improve patient outcomes.

West Tennessee Healthcare, a not-for-profit healthcare system, has expanded its partnership with Xsolis, an AI-driven technology company, to pilot the new Dragonfly Navigate workflow solution. Dragonfly Navigate is designed to help hospitals optimize length of stay and streamline discharge planning through predictive analytics and automated tasks.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with Xsolis to pilot the Dragonfly Navigate workflow solution,” said Debbie Ashworth, Executive Director of Care Management at West Tennessee Healthcare. “Dragonfly Navigate provides a seamless workflow that complements clinical expertise and supports more proactive discharge planning, which will give my teams more time to focus on addressing patient needs.”

Building on a proven track record

West Tennessee Healthcare has utilized Xsolis’ proprietary workflow solutions since July 2022 and has six facilities live on Xsolis’ Dragonfly platform, to date. The health system also leverages Xsolis’ Best in KLAS Physician Advisory Services and connects with payer partners on Dragonfly, leveraging Xsolis’ proprietary Care Level Score™ to facilitate Precision Utilization Management (UM). Precision UM is Xsolis’ highest level of collaboration and time savings offered between payers and providers, where appropriate cases are automated based on historically agreed upon thresholds. To optimize length of stay, West Tennessee Healthcare has also had success with Dragonfly Navigate AI, which incorporates Xsolis’ proprietary AI model predictions into the EMR, to help care teams more easily identify discharge priorities and align on discharge plans.

Now, the health system will be the first to pilot the new Dragonfly Navigate offering, the accompanying workflow solution, which builds on Xsolis’ previous products that optimize length of stay – with more performance insights, plus tools that address the root causes of excess days.

Dragonfly Navigate incorporates proprietary AI models that predict discharge date and disposition early in the patient encounter, enabling more proactive discharge planning and improving patient throughput. The solution also includes automated AI-powered tasks that alert users to potential discharge conflicts or opportunities, as well as thoughtful documentation features and standardized data sets designed for efficiency.

Optimizing length of stay for capacity issues, savings

Additionally, Dragonfly Navigate offers bi-directional EMR integration to prevent duplicate documentation and data silos, and facility dashboards with metrics to manage capacity, identify discharge opportunities, and track patients with known barriers. Retrospective dashboards also connect performance trends to the root causes of avoidable delays.

“Length of stay is the next frontier for bringing our customers significant savings,” said Joan Butters, CEO and co-founder of Xsolis. “We have listened to their needs and are excited to deliver a more seamless workflow solution with Dragonfly Navigate, which builds on the success of our previous products to drive length of stay improvements.”

Optimizing length of stay has been identified as a key characteristic of financially high-performing hospitals. According to the latest data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average adjusted expenses per inpatient day at U.S. hospitals is $3,025. That means just one patient staying an unnecessary day at the hospital for each of the 365 days per year totals $1.1 million in additional expenses for the hospital.  

By leveraging AI-powered predictive analytics and automated workflows, Dragonfly Navigate aims to help hospitals like West Tennessee Healthcare identify and address the root causes of discharge barriers and avoidable delays. This can lead to improved capacity management, care coordination and patient throughput, enabling more efficient utilization of hospital resources.

To learn more about Xsolis’ Dragonfly Navigate, a better way to manage length of stay, visit https://www.xsolis.com/solutions/navigate/.

The post Optimizing Length of Stay with AI: West Tennessee Healthcare Pilots Xsolis’ Dragonfly Navigate appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Lubbock, Texas-based Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center received a $1.3 million, four-year grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration, an agency of HSS, to expand telehealth services in Texas and Louisiana.

The TexLa Telehealth Resource Center, housed at the center, will receive $325,000 annually through 2029 to strengthen digital health services in rural and underserved communities, according to the Odessa American. The center is one of 14 federally funded telehealth resource centers nationwide.

Ariel Santos, MD, chair of TTUHSC’s department of surgery and principal investigator for the TexLa Telehealth Resource Center, said the funding will support education and training programs, including certifications and telemedicine skill development.

The grant will also back efforts in remote patient monitoring, wearable health devices and artificial intelligence adoption. The center provides technical assistance, training and outreach to help providers integrate telehealth into practice and improve access to care.

The post Federal grant expands telehealth in Texas, Louisiana appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Mercy Hospital St. Louis (Mo.) became the first facility in the area to offer robotic-assisted surgery with the da Vinci 5 system.

Mercy surgeons have used robotic technology since 2003 and performed more than 16,000 procedures with various versions of the da Vinci system. The latest model, known as DV5, is designed to enhance precision and efficiency for minimally invasive procedures in urology, gynecology, thoracic and general surgery, according to an Aug. 19 news release.

Patients at the hospital have had recovery times reduced by more than a day on average, compared to traditional open surgery, the release said. Since the introduction of robotic surgery in 2003, that reduction has translated to nearly 27,000 fewer days in the hospital for patients.

Hospital leaders said the system’s expansion reflects Mercy’s ongoing commitment to providing technology that improves patient recovery and outcomes.

The post Mercy adds da Vinci 5 robotic system appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

The University of Chicago Medicine has launched a national cancer network, and has selected AdventHealth Cancer Institute Shawnee Mission in Merriam, Kan., as its first affiliate. 

The UChicago Medicine Cancer Network will allow national affiliates to remain independent while aligning with UChicago Medicine’s clinical care, medical education and biomedical research standards, according to an Aug. 20 news release from UChicago Medicine. 

Patients receiving care at a network affiliate will have access to UChicago Medicine-sponsored clinical trials and select industry trials, as well as expert second opinions and advanced treatments, the release said.

The post UChicago Medicine debuts cancer network, AdventHealth hospital tapped as 1st affiliate appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

San Francisco-based Apella launched Apella Horizon on Aug. 20, expanding its real-time AI platform to include surgical scheduling and capacity optimization.

The system integrates predictive algorithms and ambient sensing to improve preoperative planning, real-time OR coordination and retrospective performance analysis. Apella said Horizon unifies real-time OR management, case scheduling forecasts and workflow efficiency data.

Early pilot sites observed 69 fewer delayed minutes per OR on optimized days while maintaining case volume, according to the company. The average share of cases under-scheduled by more than 30 minutes fell from 60 percent to 16 percent. Hospitals using the tool identified enough open time to add two surgical cases per OR per month and recorded a 46-point reduction in late OR days.

“When OR schedules rely on manually entered data, it can lead to inaccurate scheduling, which can impact resources and patients,” said Roberta Schwartz, executive vice president and chief innovation officer at Houston Methodist. “Ambient technology captures real-time, contextual insights, which helps us not only keep ORs running efficiently, but also find new capacity that isn’t obvious when you’re just looking at the block schedule.”

Apella Horizon connects with EHR case data and Apella’s existing OR management tools. It uses machine learning to flag likely over- or under-scheduled procedures, surface high-value open time, and recommend optimal case placement based on contextual factors like surgeon availability.

The post Apella launches ambient AI tool for OR scheduling appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

President Donald Trump has expanded the scope of steel and aluminum tariffs, extending the 50% levy to include an additional 407 product categories, according to an Aug. 19 news release from the Commerce Department. 

Here are four things to know: 

1. The expanded tariffs target a range of imports, including auto parts, chemicals, plastics, construction materials, wind turbines and rail cars, CNBC reported Aug. 19. “Basically, if it’s shiny, metallic, or remotely related to steel or aluminum, it’s probably on the list,” Brian Baldwin, vice president of customs at Kuehne and Nagel International AG, wrote on LinkedIn, citing the expansion. “This isn’t just another tariff — it’s a strategic shift in how steel and aluminum derivatives are regulated.”
2. The tariffs officially went into effect Aug. 19; however, the product list is available only via 10-digit customs classification codes, making it difficult for individuals to identify which products are affected.
3. Jason Miller, PhD, a supply chain management professor at East Lansing-based Michigan State University, said in a LinkedIn post the expanded tariffs could now affect at least $320 billion worth of imports based on 2024 trade values. “This will add more inflationary cost-push pressures to already climbing prices that domestic producers are charging as picked up by July’s PPI data,” he said.
4. The move follows President Trump’s announcement in June that he was doubling aluminum and steel tariffs from 25% to 50%. According to the American Hospital Association, tariffs on these imports will affect medical devices including surgical instruments, prosthetics, implants, crutches and wheelchairs, and orthopedic hardware such as plates and screws.

The post Trump expands 50% steel, aluminum tariffs: 4 things to know appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Physicians treating Medicare patients have seen their real income drop by more than 33% since 2016, fueled by stagnant reimbursement, growing Medicare Advantage enrollment and surging operating costs, according to a report published Aug. 18 by Omniscient Health, a data science, research and consulting firm.

As financial pressure mounts, some health systems are pulling out of Medicare Advantage entirely, and more physicians may soon scale back their Medicare panels or exit the program altogether. 

Becker’s spoke with Meade Monger, PhD, CEO of Omniscient Health and coauthor of the report, about what these converging forces could mean for physician sustainability, Medicare access and the broader healthcare system.

Editor’s note: Responses were lightly edited for length and clarity. 

Question: With physicians losing more than a third of their Medicare income since 2016, how close are we to a tipping point where treating Medicare patients becomes financially untenable for most practices?

MM: Doctors are caught between a rock and a hard place. Medicare patients make up a large part of many practices. According to KFF,

• There are roughly 67 million Medicare patients;
• Nearly half of the $1 trillion in gross Medicare benefit spending in 2023 (49% or $493 billion) was spent on Part B services;
• Medicare Part B spending accounts for 25% of all national spending for physician and clinical services make up about 20% of all;
• And 54% of all Medicare members are in MA plans.

This is a double-edged sword for healthcare providers. Opting out completely from Medicare would inevitably inflict serious volume reduction issues, but serving Medicare patients causes financial hardships for physicians. To get on stronger financial footing, doctors could drop the MA plans that are their biggest loss-leaders. 

We’re already seeing health systems reaching a breaking point. The Healthcare Financial Management Association found that 19% of health systems have stopped accepting at least one MA plan while another 61% planning to do so or actively considering it. Of course, these steps affect the doctors who are treating MA patients. 

Nonetheless, if the gap keeps widening between cost and payment, more doctors will be forced to scale back on Medicare patients, shift the practice focus away from seniors and/or reduce their patient panel and cut overhead and other costs accordingly.

Q: If current MA payment and administrative trends persist, could we see a “two-tier” Medicare system emerge, where seniors on Medicare Advantage plans have far fewer provider choices than those on traditional Medicare?

MM: It is unclear how many providers understand how much less they are paid from MA vs traditional Medicare. Naturally, as they develop a better understanding of the cost and payment imbalance and realize the negative impact on their ability to cover their costs by treating MA patients, this could very well lead to more of a two-tier Medicare system. The challenge will be balancing the increasing patient demand for MA vs. the declining physician demand for MA.

Q: Given that commercial insurers often benchmark rates to Medicare, how might this reimbursement decline ripple out to the broader healthcare payment system?

MM: Many commercial payers benchmark to Medicare but set their reimbursements above the Medicare rates. A few years ago, KFF reported that private insurance paid 143% of Medicare rates, on average, ranging from 118% to 179% of Medicare rates across studies, for physician services.

As Medicare payments to physicians drop — and inflation further erodes their value — private insurers, which often base their rates on Medicare’s, also keep their own payments low. Medicare rate cuts often propagate into commercial fee schedules directly via percent-of-Medicare contracts or indirectly via leverage in negotiations. 

As Medicare rates decline and cause profitability challenges, physicians try to make up for this with commercial-based revenue. But success is bound to be  limited: If commercial rates also drift down based on Medicare benchmarks, practices face system-wide margin erosion.

Q: What are the potential downstream effects (e.g., on emergency department overcrowding, patient outcomes, healthcare spending, etc.) if seniors increasingly delay or forgo care due to restricted access?

MM: Seniors may face a grim future. If the inadequate reimbursement rates continue, the trend will lead to less patient access to healthcare providers because of a shrinking population of physicians willing to accept Medicare. In turn, it will increase ER visits because of requirements to treat all patients (EMTALA). Deferred diagnoses, treatments and chronic-disease management drive avoidable complications, with worse outcomes including higher mortality and poorer quality of life due to functional decline. At the same time, deferred care will drive higher costs for treating for sicker patients.

Q: If current trends continue, what will the Medicare physician landscape look like in 10 years?

MM: Extrapolating the last 10 years over the next 10 years would not be even financially sustainable for healthcare providers. There would be different impacts based on the types of physicians. Some physicians  see more elderly patients than others based on specialty. 

Physicians employed by health systems are also directly affected. The American Hospital Association estimates that hospitals have negative 13% margins on Medicare services. Medicare services constitute 25% of hospital care and commercial insurance covers 37%, according to AHA. With payments negatively impacted by declining Medicare rates, a continuation of past trends into the future will essentially wipe out operating margins.

The post Why a ‘two-tier Medicare system’ may be on the horizon appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Amarillo, Texas-based Northwest Surgical Hospital evacuated around 200 people on Aug. 19 after a broken pipe flooded the facility, Amarillo Globe-News reported Aug. 20. 

Northwest Surgical Hospital is part of Northwest Texas Healthcare System in Amarillo, according to its website. Another medical clinic, owned by BSA Health System and located in the same building as Northwest Surgical, was also impacted. 

At 4:09 p.m., the Amarillo Fire Department was dispatched to the scene. Upon arrival eight minutes later, crews found water coming from Northwest Surgical’s entrance, with six inches of standing water across the facility. The flooding also caused ceiling tiles to sag in the facility. Medical equipment was covered with tarps to prevent damage, the publication said.

The flooding was caused by a two-inch line supplying the facility’s fire riser room that had ruptured under the foundation. Due to the location of the flooding, crews were forced to shut down the water by using a separate valve elsewhere on the property.

Around 200 people, mainly employees, were evacuated safely. No injuries were reported, and one post-surgical patient was transferred to Northwest Texas Hospital. 

Structural and electrical engineers are scheduled to inspect the building on Aug. 20. Hospital reopening and patient services updates are expected once the assessments are finished. 

Becker’s has reached out to Northwest Texas Healthcare System and the Amarillo Fire Department for comment and will update this story should more information become available. 

The post Texas surgical hospital evacuates 200 people after burst pipe floods facility appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

With AI wrapped around all features of Epic, Judy Faulkner introduced “healthcare intelligence” for her company’s EHR.

“We are combining the intelligence and curiosity of the human being with the investigative capabilities of gen AI,” Ms. Faulkner said Aug. 19 at Epic’s annual Users Group Meeting in Verona, Wis. “And instead of calling it artificial intelligence, we’re calling it healthcare intelligence.”

In front of a packed, 11,400-seat auditorium, the Epic CEO and co-founder revealed to her health system customers the new AI features being incorporated into the EHR.

“For the data, there is the EHR, the patient’s medical record, and, integrated with the patient’s MyChart, the patient’s voice and thoughts,” she said. “Then there is the Health Grid [which connects Epic to nonprovider organizations] plus the learnings from the huge amount of high-quality patient data in Cosmos,” Epic’s research platform.

Cosmos, which nearly two-thirds of Epic’s customers have already joined, contains deidentified data from 300 million unique patients, 16 billion encounters and 1.7 trillion medical events. Health Grid includes payers, standalone specialists, care at home, and medical device manufacturers.

Merging all of these sources, Epic will be able to “predict the future” for patients, Ms. Faulkner said.

Ms. Faulkner also unveiled Epic’s new ambient documentation tool. Clinicians will use Epic’s smartphone and tablet apps — Haiku and Canto — to record patient visits, which Microsoft’s Dragon ambient AI technology will transcribe and “diarize,” as she put it.

“We’ll work to create the best final note using a combination of Microsoft note components and Epic note components,” she said. “You’ll be able to license the AI charting capability from Epic. … Customers can use other third parties to do ambient AI, as they do today.”

The tool will be available in early 2026.

Epic also presented its new AI assistants: Art for clinicians, Emmie for patients and Penny for revenue cycle management. The AI will create what Ms. Faulkner deemed an “intelligent visit,” with note generation, real-time prior authorizations and diagnostic advice. The various AI agents have different release dates.

“Art can look through Cosmos and be a diagnostic advisor for the patient you’re seeing. For example, Art could say: [Of] 24,572 patients like this, 97% of them have diagnosis A and only 5.5% have diagnosis B, which is the one you’ve prescribed. So do you think you should rethink it?” she said. “So Art and Cosmos would be able to predict many things: the probability of disease, the onset of symptoms, diagnosis and treatments, and after the visit, Emmie will help patients understand their test results and answer some of their questions.”

With a “large medical model” trained on Cosmos data, Epic plans to use AI to predict patients’ journeys over their lifetimes — say, the likelihood of when they might have a heart attack — so providers can intervene early. Patients would have as many as 25 potential “timelines” each.

The company has 160 to 200 AI projects in the works, Ms. Faulkner said.

Epic’s Executive Package also allows health systems to compare how they stack up against their peers on AI adoption, she said. Epic’s Launch Pad helps organizations roll out the AI features. The pricing options include a pay-as-you-go option and a new all-inclusive approach with predictable pricing.

The theme for this year’s Users Group Meeting was science fiction.

“A lot of sci-fi predicts a future that comes true. Why do we predict the future? We predict the future so we can prepare for it, and so we can change it,” Ms. Faulkner said. “Epic AI — learning from the electronic health record, MyChart, the Health Grid and the stories of billions of patient encounters is Cosmos, and helping you with each of your patients individually — is sci-fi turning into reality.”

The post Judy Faulkner unveils ‘healthcare intelligence’ appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Tampa General Hospital has teamed up with identity verification company CLEAR to bolster its cybersecurity defenses and improve digital access for employees.

The partnership integrates CLEAR’s CLEAR1 platform into Tampa General’s identity access management system, PingOne DaVinci. The hospital said in an Aug. 20 news release that the move automates password resets, cutting down on manual help desk calls and provides stronger protection against identity-related threats such as social engineering and impersonation.

CLEAR1 uses biometric multi-factor authentication to verify identity. Team members set up the system once with a government-issued ID and a selfie, creating a reusable identity credential. Tampa General said the process ensures only the rightful user can regain access to systems while reducing downtime for clinical staff.

The post Tampa General Hospital partners with CLEAR to fight rising cyber threats appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Hospitals nationwide are showing signs of stronger financial footing, though the pace of recovery varies by region, according to a report from Moody’s. 

Rising revenues and moderating expenses are contributing to healthier margins, while liquidity and leverage trends highlight both opportunities and ongoing pressures. At the same time, reliance on government payers continues to shape hospital financial strategies, underscoring the complex environment leaders are navigating in 2024.

Here are 28 statistics based on the Moody’s report on hospital medians released Aug. 14.

Midwest

1. Median operating cash flow margin: 6.1% (up from 5.2% in 2023)

2. Revenue growth rate: 8.5%

3. Expense growth rate: 6.7%

4. Days cash on hand: 216

5. Debt to cash flow: 3.1x

6. Total Medicare patient revenue sources by gross revenue: 48.3%

7. Total Medicaid patient revenue sources by gross revenue: 14.9%

Northeast

8. Median operating cash flow margin: 5.3% (after 2 years of around 4%)

9. Revenue growth rate: 9.2%

10. Expense growth rate: 7.7%

11. Days cash on hand: 148

12. Debt to cash flow: 3.5x

13. Total Medicare patient revenue sources by gross revenue: 48.1%

14. Total Medicaid patient revenue sources by gross revenue: 16.5%

South

15. Median operating cash flow margin: 7.8% (up from 5.7% in 2023)

16. Revenue growth rate: 10%

17. Expense growth rate: 7.4%

18. Days cash on hand: 196

19. Debt to cash flow: 3.0x

20. Total Medicare patient revenue sources by gross revenue: 48.8%

21. Total Medicaid patient revenue sources by gross revenue: 13.7%

West

22. Median operating cash flow margin: 6.3% (up from 5.2% at its low point during the pandemic)

23. Revenue growth rate: 8.8%

24. Expense growth rate: 7.9%

25. Days cash on hand: 187

26. Debt to cash flow: 3.5x

27. Total Medicare patient revenue sources by gross revenue: 44.9%

28. Total Medicaid patient revenue sources by gross revenue: 18.4%

The post 28 statistics on hospital financials by state: Moody’s appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Bill Bridges, CEO of Texas County Memorial Hospital in Houston, Mo., became a heart patient at work and was saved by the actions of staff.

Mr. Bridges discussed his story in an Aug. 15 hospital news release.

“I had just mowed the grass and was relaxing at home when I started walking down the hallway and noticed that my hands and fingers didn’t feel right,” Mr. Bridges recalled, referring to July 17, when he suffered a heart attack. “I told my wife, Shannon, that I thought something was wrong. Then I passed out and slid down the wall.”

After his wife called 911, Mr. Bridges regained consciousness and collapsed again when trying to get up, but then received care from EMS crew members Travis Mills and Jason Steelman, according to the release. An ECG at his home showed he suffered a severe heart attack, and he was transported to the Texas County Memorial Hospital emergency department.

Once he arrived at the hospital, Jared Emery, DO, the physician on call, ordered a second ECG as well as other testing that confirmed the heart attack, according to the release.

Mr. Bridges received a “clot buster” medication while at Texas County Memorial Hospital and was then transported to Cox Hospital in Springfield, Mo., a level 1 STEMI center.

At Cox Hospital, testing showed Mr. Bridges’ right coronary artery was completely blocked, and he underwent surgery, according to the release. He returned home after a two-night hospital stay and began a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation program at Texas County Memorial Hospital.

“I am proud to share stories about our patient outcomes every chance I get — how we make a difference in people’s lives,” Mr. Bridges said in the release about the hospital he leads. “Now I have my own story. I experienced firsthand the extraordinary care our staff provides. If TCMH hadn’t been here, my outcome could have been very different. I am deeply proud of — and grateful for — every member of our team.”

Texas County Memorial Hospital is a 66-bed, general acute care institution with a main campus in Houston and clinics across Texas and Wright counties in Missouri.

The post Missouri hospital staff provides lifesaving care to CEO after heart attack appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Northwestern Medical Center is temporarily pausing surgeries as it investigates small particulate matter found on sterilized surgical trays. 

In an Aug. 19 post on its website, the St. Albans, Vt.-based hospital said it is working to address “very small particulates” surgical services team members have found during routine safety checks before surgery.

“This isn’t an issue of sterility with the surgical trays or instruments  — our regular testing show that the trays are properly sterilized,” the hospital said. “When particles have been identified, those trays have not been used.” 

Northwestern Medical Center is working with Steris, a company that manufactures and services surgical equipment, to investigate and remediate the issue, which may be related to the hospital’s water source. The hospital said it is “looking at each step in the process to isolate the source.” During the surgery pause, the hospital is replacing surgical trays and installing a reverse osmosis system to remove potential water impurities.

Employees are notifying patients whose procedure may be affected by the delays.

“We will bring surgeries back online when we are confident that the solution has been fully implemented and the problem will not recur,” Northwestern Medical Center said. 

Other hospitals have faced similar sterilization-related disruptions in recent years, where surgery pauses were triggered by malfunctioning machinery. The issues come as some healthcare facilities grapple with aging infrastructure and a shortage of sterile processing staff. 

The post Vermont hospital halts surgeries amid sterilization issues appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Orlando-based University of Central Florida opened a new nurse training facility, made possible in part by financial support from three Florida health systems.

The Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion will enable UCF to graduate an additional 150 licensed nurses each year, according to an Aug. 18 news release from the university. 

The facility was established through $43 million in funding from the state of Florida and more than $29 million from private donors, the release said. 

Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth provided “significant investment toward the new building and student scholarships,” according to an Aug. 18 news release from the health system.

Orlando (Fla.) Health and Jacksonville, Fla.-based Nemours Children’s Health also donated financial support for the new facility, the UCF news release said.

The post 3 Florida health systems invest in nurse training facility appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham recorded an operating income of $74.4 million (1.3% operating margin) in the third quarter of 2025, up from $47.2 million (0.9% margin) during the same period last year, according to its Aug. 15 financial report. 

The system reported total operating revenue of $5.8 billion for the three months ended June 30, a 12% increase year over year. Patient care revenue totaled $3.7 billion, an 8% increase year over year. The system said this reflected a 3% increase in acute care discharges. Premium revenue increased 19% year over year to $671 million. 

Operating expenses totaled $5.8 billion in the quarter, a 12% increase year over year. Wages and benefits increased 8% year over year to $2.8 billion, reflecting patient utilization trends and inflationary pressure on wages. Supplies and other expenses increased 21% year over year, reflecting increased costs and use of pharmaceutical and other clinical supplies. Health Plan medical claims increased 19% year over year to $464 million.   

Mass General Brigham reported a net income of $1 billion in the quarter, up from $277 million during the same period last year. 

In February, Mass General Brigham announced it was eliminating and rescoping a number of management and administrative roles “to better align the rates of expected revenue and expense growth.” The reorganization is expected to save the system $240 million annually.   

“Management continues to focus on initiatives that can drive sustained performance improvement, including patient care throughput and labor management efficiencies, and monitoring emerging federal actions and developing action plans to mitigate potential financial impacts,” the system said in the report. 

The post Mass General Brigham posts 1.3% margin in Q3 appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Most U.S. hospitals had adopted foundational digital tools that enable patients to access their health information electronically by 2024, according to an August 2025 data brief from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy / Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.

Five things to know:

1. Nearly all hospitals support foundational patient engagement tools. In 2024, 99% of hospitals enabled patients to view their health information, 96% allowed downloads, 84% allowed transmission to third parties, and 92% offered secure provider messaging, according to an August 2025 data brief from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy.

2. Most hospitals also offered access to clinical notes and apps. The share of hospitals that let patients view clinical notes reached 95%. App-based access was available in 81% of hospitals via APIs, and 70% offered FHIR-enabled app access.

3. Advanced capabilities remain less common. Just 62% of hospitals enabled patients to submit their own health data, and only 56% allowed record imports from external organizations.

4. Adoption has steadily grown since 2021. Hospitals with all foundational capabilities rose from 72% in 2021 to 80% in 2024. Those offering both emerging capabilities (notes and app access) grew from 65% to 85%, and advanced tools (import and patient-generated data) increased from 37% to 45%.

5. Lower-resourced hospitals lag in app-based access. In 2024, FHIR app access was available at 84% of large hospitals but only 66% of small hospitals. Hospitals using the market-leading EHR vendor had higher adoption of app access (92%) than those using other vendors (70%).

The post Hospitals made EHR engagement gains but key gaps remain: 5 notes appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Becker’s has recently reported on the following hospital and health system CEO moves, including appointments and exits.

Note: This page was created March 19 and updated Aug. 20.

Aug. 13-19

1. Patrick Swindle was named CEO of Longview (Texas) Regional Medical Center, effective Sept. 30.

2. Megan Gillespie, DNP, RN, was appointed CEO of Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Medical Center.

3. Nick Arledge was named CEO of Merit Health River Region in Vicksburg, Miss.

4. Scott Avery was appointed CEO of Canyon Vista Medical Center in Sierra Vista, Ariz.

5. Kevin Zachary was named CEO of Jerseyville, Ill.-based JCH Healthcare.

6. Monte Wilson, CEO of Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria, La., will also serve as CEO of Ochsner Southwestern Louisiana, which includes two hospitals in Lake Charles.

Aug. 7-13

1. Bernard Leger plans to step down Sept. 5 as CEO of Victoria, Texas-based DeTar Healthcare System.

2. Mark Gregson was appointed interim CEO of Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles, Wash.

3. Kelly Morgan was named interim president and CEO of Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay, Ore.

4. Travis Battagler, BSN, was named CEO of Girard (Kan.) Medical Center.

5. Ruth Duling retired as CEO of Girard (Kan.) Medical Center.

6. Kenny Shafer was named CEO of UAB St. Vincent’s Birmingham (Ala.), effective Sept. 2.

7. Jeff Graham plans to retire Sept. 30 as president and CEO of Chillicothe, Ohio-based Adena Health.

8. Katherine Edrington, DNP, was named president and  CEO of Chillicothe, Ohio-based Adena Health.

July 30-Aug. 6

1. Jennifer Opsut was named CEO of Carondelet St. Mary’s Hospital in Tucson, Ariz., part of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare.

2. Tiffany Means, DNP, RN, was appointed CEO of Eureka Springs (Ark.) Hospital.

3. Eric Neal was named CEO of Morton, Wash.-based Arbor Health, effective Aug. 25.

4. Darryl Wolfe stepped down as CEO of Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles, Wash.

5. David Was was appointed CEO of HCA Florida Highlands Hospital in Sebring.

6. Chase Tikker was named CEO of AdventHealth Lake Nona (Fla.), effective Aug. 10.

July 23-29

1. Jason Barrett was named CEO of The George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C., effective Aug. 18.

2. Guy Hudson, MD, was appointed president and CEO of Brewer, Maine-based Northern Light Health, effective in mid-October.

3. Andy Dreesen, CEO of St. Vincent Health in Leadville, Colo, plans to step down in mid-September.

4. Paul Gaden was appointed CEO of Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Fla.

5. Barbara “Barb” Martin stepped down as CEO of St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Ill.

6. Brian Barta resigned July 15 as CEO of William Newton Hospital in Winfield, Kan.

7. Parker Pridgen, CEO of AdventHealth Apopka (Fla.), plans to step down in August.

8. Tim Hingtgen plans to retire as CEO of Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems, effective Sept. 30.

9. Kevin Hammons, president and CFO of Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems, will become interim CEO.

10. David Butler, CEO of McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center in Springfield, Ore., was dismissed from his role.

11. Michael Clark was appointed CEO of Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) General Hospital.

July 17-22

1. Tom Keller was named president and CEO of Bay City, Mich.-based McLaren Bay Region, effective Aug. 11.

2. Nathaniel Beers, MD, was named president and CEO of Blythedale Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, N.Y.

3. Brian Moore resigned as CEO of Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay, Ore., on July 16.

4. Austin Manning was appointed president and CEO of Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Sacramento, Calif.

5. Kevin Flanigan, MD, CEO of Warm Springs-based Montana State Hospital, is stepping down after about a year in the role.

6. Daniel Bemporad, DO, was named interim CEO of Warm Springs-based Montana State Hospital, effective July 26.

7. Wendy Horton, PharmD, CEO of UVA Health University Medical Center in Charlottesville, Va., will leave the organization in September for a new role.

8. Tom Patrias was named CEO of University Medical Center New Orleans, effective Aug. 1.

July 9-16

1. Andrew Bedi exited his role as CEO of The Medical Center at Russellville (Ky.), and was named COO of HCA Healthcare’s Doctors Hospital of Augusta (Ga.).

2. Callen Weispfennig was appointed CEO of Audubon (Iowa) County Memorial Hospital and Clinics.

3. Jeff Comer, PsyD, stepped down from his role as CEO of Show Low, Ariz.-based Summit Healthcare due to personal health reasons.

4. Billy Gardner, MSN, RN, chief clinical officer of Show Low, Ariz.-based Summit Healthcare, was named interim CEO.

5. Mark Roberts was named CEO of HCA Healthcare’s Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage. He stepped into the role in June.

6. Emily Chapman, MD, was appointed president and CEO of Minneapolis-based Children’s Minnesota, effective Aug. 2.

7. Pete Long-Innes was named CEO of TriStar NorthCrest Medical Center, a HCA Healthcare facility in Springfield, Tenn.

8. Craig Moore was appointed CEO of AdventHealth Kissimmee (Fla.), effective July 27.

9. Paari Gopalakrishnan, MD, was named president and CEO of Towson, Md.-based GBMC HealthCare, effective in September.

10. Williams Giles was appointed CEO of Magnolia (Ark.) Regional Medical Center.

11. Sony Sidhu, DNP, RN, was named CEO of Madera (Calif.) Community Hospital.

12. Paul Minardi, MD, executive vice president and CEO of the KP Medical Foundation since 2022, was appointed executive vice president of enterprise clinical integration and growth at Oakland, Calif-based Kaiser Permanente.

13. Mary Beckerle, PhD, plans to step down as CEO of Huntsman Cancer Institute, part of Salt Lake City-based University of Utah Health, effective Sept. 1.

July 3-8

1. John Nickens was named president and CEO of Phoenix Children’s effective no later than Oct. 1.

2. Liz Dunne, president and CEO of Vancouver, Wash.-based PeaceHealth, will retire after a decade at the organization.

3. Sarah Ness, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of PeaceHealth, was appointed president and CEO, effective Jan. 3.

4. Ketul Patel, CEO of Tacoma, Wash.-based Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, will exit his role to become president and CEO of Marietta, Ga.-based Wellstar Health System.

5. Aimee Keller-Pickford was appointed CEO of AdventHealth Winter Garden (Fla.).

6. Sheila Rankin was named CEO of AdventHealth Winter Park (Fla.).

7. Cliff Wilson was appointed market president and CEO of Albuquerque, N.M.-based Lovelace Health System, effective Aug. 11. 

8. Brian Roland was named CEO of Elkview General Hospital in Hobart, Okla.

9. Wyatt Chocklett was named CEO of Dickson, Tenn.-based TriStar Horizon Medical Center.

10. Anne Gunther, DNP, RN, was appointed CEO of Pomerene Hospital in Millersburg, Ohio.

11. Wyatt Brieser was named CEO of Hammond-Henry Hospital in Geneseo, Ill.

12. Jeff St. Clair, president and CEO of Springhill Medical Center in Mobile, Ala., will retire in August.

13. Dave Ressler, CEO of Aspen (Colo.) Valley Health, plans to retire in 2026.

June 25-July 1

1. Bryan Mills, president and CEO of Indianapolis-based Community Health Network, plans to retire at the end of 2025 after 16 years in the role.

2. Cliff Wilson will step down July 23 as CEO of Georgetown (Ky.) Community Hospital and president of Brentwood, Tenn.-based Lifepoint Health’s Central Kentucky market.

3. Abel Biri was appointed CEO of AdventHealth Orlando (Fla.), the flagship facility of Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth.

4. Ella Goss, MSN, RN, plans to retire Aug. 1 as chief executive of Anchorage-based Providence Alaska.

5. Jita Pandya Buño was named CEO of University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, effective Sept. 1.

6. Jason Smith, MD, PhD, chief medical officer of Louisville, Ky.-based UofL Health, was appointed interim CEO.

7. Rick Allen retired as CEO of Warren (Pa.) General Hospital after more than a decade.

8. Tom Miller, the inaugural CEO of Louisville, Ky.-based UofL Health, stepped down June 25.

9. Rich Liekweg, CEO of St. Louis-based BJC Health System, plans to retire Oct. 1.

10. Garrett Colglazier, COO of Sabetha (Kan.) Community Hospital, was named CEO.

June 24-25

1. William “Bill” Alley, BSN, RN, was named CEO of Twin County Regional Healthcare, a Duke LifePoint facility in Galax, Va. He stepped into the role June 23.

2. John Herman, CEO of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, part of Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania Health System, was tapped as president of Tufts Medical Center in Boston, effective in early September.

3. Joseph Impicciche, CEO of St. Louis-based Ascension, will retire at the end of 2025 after leading the health system since 2019.

4. Eduardo Conrado, president of St. Louis-based Ascension, was appointed CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2026.

5. Jeff Johnston was named president and CEO of Tulsa, Okla.-based Hillcrest HealthCare System, effective July 14.

6. Kevin Gross is retiring as president and CEO of Tulsa, Okla.-based Hillcrest HealthCare System.

7. David Theroux was appointed CEO of Hendry Regional Medical Center in Clewiston, Fla. He assumed the role June 16. 

8. Jane Russell, PharmD, was named president and CEO of Bath Community Hospital in Hot Springs, Va., effective Aug. 25.

9. Troy Greer resigned as president and CEO of Albuquerque, N.M.-based Lovelace Health System after two years in the role.

10. Michael Kueker, CEO of Lovelace Medical Group, was named interim CEO of Albuquerque, N.M.-based Lovelace Health System.

June 11-19

1. Cyndee McGuire, president and CEO of Monadnock Community Hospital in Peterborough, N.H., plans to retire in early 2026.

2. Nicole Tucker, RN, was named CEO of LewisGale Hospital Alleghany in Low Moor, Va.; it is part of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare.

3. Lori Mazanec, CEO of Box Butte General Hospital in Alliance, Neb., has taken a medical leave of absence. 

4. Brian Shelmadine, DO, PhD, chief medical officer of Box Butte General Hospital in Alliance, Neb., was named interim CEO.

5. Chris Pizzi, chief executive of Providence Oregon’s South Division, was appointed COO and CFO of Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, Ore.

6. Gary Herbst, CEO of Visalia, Calif.-based Kaweah Health, plans to retire June 30, 2026.

7. Mick Brant, CEO of Gothenburg (Neb.) Health, was placed on administrative leave by the hospital board.

8. Andrew Knust, CFO of Gothenburg (Neb.) Health, was named interim CEO.

9. Cam Patterson, MD, chancellor of Little Rock-based University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and CEO of UAMS Health, plans to step down due to medical and personal reasons.

June 4-11

1. Megan Ryan, president and CEO of Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, N.Y., was placed on administrative leave.

2. Richard Becker, MD, was named interim president and CEO of Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, N.Y.

3. Joseph Gleason was named CEO of HCA Florida University Hospital in Davie.

4. Jason Paret will step down as CEO of Avalon, Calif.-based Catalina Island Health on Sept. 30. 

5. Justin Birmele was appointed president and CEO of AdventHealth Gordon in Calhoun, Ga., and AdventHealth Murray in Chatsworth, Ga., effective June 15.

6. Abdul Khan, MD, was named CEO of Ochsner River Region, part of New Orleans-based Ochsner Health.

7. Saad Ehtisham was appointed president and CEO of Morristown, N.J.-based Atlantic Health System, effective July 30.

8. Blair Kent has retired as CEO of MemorialCare’s Long Beach (Calif.) Medical Center and Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital Long Beach.

9. Jennifer Liter, DNP, RN, was named CEO of Carroll County Memorial Hospital in Carrollton, Ky.

May 28-June 3

1. Christy Jordan, BSN, RN, chief legal officer at Brunswick, Ga.-based Southeast Georgia Health System, was appointed president and CEO.

2. Dipen Parekh, MD, was named CEO of the University of Miami Health System and executive vice president for health affairs at the University of Miami.

3. Shaun Phillips, PharmD, resigned as CEO of Canyon Vista Medical Center in Sierra Vista, Ariz.

4. Megan Ryan, president and CEO of Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, N.Y., plans to resign July 20 following a state-approved restructuring of the board that oversees the hospital.

5. Rosenda “Rosey” Barrera, MSN, RN, was named interim CEO of Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, Ill., in addition to her role as chief nursing officer.

6. Lori Morgan, MD, president and CEO of Pasadena, Calif.-based Huntington Health, plans to step down before the end of 2025 to focus on her family.

7. James Leonard, DO, is leaving his position as CEO of Northwest Health-Porter in Valparaiso, Ind.

8. Jon Dingledine, COO and CFO of Coldwater, Ohio-based Mercer Health, was named CEO, effective July 1.

9. Michael Kupferman, MD, was appointed CEO of Hershey, Pa.-based Penn State Health, effective June 23.

May 21-28

1. Hollie Seeley was appointed CEO of Sutter Health’s California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, effective June 9.

2. Sudandra Ratnasamy, BSN, was named CEO of Rutherford Regional Health System, a Duke LifePoint facility in Rutherfordton, N.C., effective June 23.

3. Joy Coulston stepped down as CEO of Powell (Wyo.) Valley Healthcare after having served in the role since June 2023.

4. David Brash was appointed CEO of Raleigh General Hospital in Beckley, W.Va., effective July 7.

5. Dave Ramsey plans to retire as president and CEO of Charleston, W.Va.-based Vandalia Health in July 2026.

6. Bart Carter, MD, chief medical officer of Mount Graham Regional Medical Center in Safford, Ariz., was named interim CEO and administrator in charge.

7. Roland Knox, CEO of Mount Graham Regional Medical Center in Safford, Ariz., is taking an extended absence due to a health issue.

8. Rob Deininger, market CEO for the AdventHealth Central Florida Division’s quaternary hub, was named president and CEO of the AdventHealth’s East Florida Division.

9. Kari Vargas, CEO of AdventHealth Winter Garden (Fla.), was appointed CEO of AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division North Market.

10. Doug Harcombe, CEO of AdventHealth Celebration (Fla.), was named CEO of AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division South Market.

May 14-19

1. Jamie Youssef was named CEO of Ascension Texas, effective June 1.

2. Scott Robertson, MD, was named CEO of Dignity Health Foundation and system senior vice president of the Physician Enterprise, California Region, for Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health.

3. Linda Walker was appointed CEO of Llano (Texas) Regional Hospital.

4. Michele Morrison, RN, was named president and chief hospital executive of Hackensack Meridian’s JFK University Medical Center in Edison, N.J.

5. Tamar Kutz was appointed interim president and CEO of Decatur (Ill.) Memorial Hospital, effective May 25.

6. Christian Wallis was named interim CEO of Northern Inyo Healthcare District, which operates a 25-bed critical access hospital in Bishop, Calif.

7. Paula Bell, PharmD, was appointed CEO of West Tennessee Healthcare’s Henry County Hospital in Paris, Tenn.

8. Seleem Choudhury, DNP, RN, was named president and CEO of UChicago Medicine AdventHealth GlenOaks in Glendale Heights, Ill., effective June 15.

9. Carolyn Jackson was named CEO of Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Braintree (Mass.).

10. John Whitlock resigned as CEO of MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham, Mass., part of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare.

11. Sean Lally, executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Bayside, N.Y.-based St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children, has been appointed president and CEO.

12. Edwin Simpser, MD, will retire at the end of June as president and CEO of Bayside, N.Y.-based St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children.

May 7-14

1. Owen Bailey, CEO of Mobile, Ala.-based USA Health, will retire Aug. 1.

2. Michael Dowling will transition from president and CEO of New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health to become CEO emeritus, effective Oct. 1.

3. Audrey Gregory, PhD, MSN, RN, was named senior executive vice president and CEO of Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth’s multi-division delivery network.

4. Dan Barbee, BSN, was named CEO of University of Toledo Medical Center in Ohio after serving in the role on an interim basis.

5. Sandra Scott, MD, was appointed CEO of New York City-based One Brooklyn Health after serving in the role on an interim basis since January 2024.

6. Misty Robertson, DNP, RN, was named CEO of Blue Mountain Hospital District, which includes a 25-bed hospital in John Day, Ore., and a 40-bed care center in Prairie City, Ore.

7. Ken Stevens was appointed CEO of Medical City Frisco (Texas).

8. Cheryl Cioffi, DNP, RN, was named president and CEO of Frederick (Md.) Health, effective July 1.

April 30-May 7

1. Rachael Prather, BSN, RN, was named CEO of Ferrell Hospital in Eldorado, Ill.

2. Tanner White was appointed CEO of the future Altru Hospital in Devils Lake, N.D., which Altru Health System is in the process of acquiring from Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health.

3. Brian Brennan was named president and CEO of Hospital Sisters Health System’s central Illinois market and HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Ill., effective May 27.

4. Wesley (Wes) Taylor was appointed CEO of Memorial Health Meadows Hospital in Vidalia, Ga., part of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare.

5. Cindy Bergmeier was named CEO of TriStar Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tenn., part of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare.

6. Steven Webb was named president and CEO of Batesville, Ark.-based White River Health.

7. Jeff Cook was appointed president and CEO of Hattiesburg, Miss.-based Forrest Health after serving in the role on an interim basis.

8. Tony Esposito, former CEO of Crozer Health, was named CEO of Temple Physicians, Philadelphia-based Temple Health’s network of community-based providers. He was also named CFO of Temple Faculty Physicians.

9. Collier Douglas “Doug” Long was named CEO of CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles.

10. Dale Neely was appointed CEO of HCA Florida Capital Hospital in Tallahassee, Fla.

11. Amber Deardorff, BSN, RN, was named president and CEO of Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames, Iowa, effective Aug. 1.

April 23-30

1. Mike Ditoro, PharmD, was named CEO of Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, Calif.

2. Justin Harris was appointed CEO of Daviess Community Hospital in Washington, Ind., effective July 1.

3. Patrick Conway, MD, was named CEO of Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Optum, effective May 6.

4. Bruce Eady, MSN, RN, was named CEO of Milwaukee Rehabilitation Hospital at Greenfield (Wis.).

5. Julie Covault, COO of Sidney, Ohio-based Wilson Health, was appointed acting CEO.

6. Derek Drake, DNP, RN, CEO of Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, Calif, will become president of Mercy Hospital of Buffalo (N.Y.) in July.

7. Julie Lacy was appointed CEO of Crete (Neb.) Area Medical Center after serving in the role on an interim basis for six months.

8. Garett May was named president and CEO of West Jefferson Medical Center in Marrero, La.

9. Sue Shugart was appointed CEO of Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde, N.C., and market president of two other Duke LifePoint hospitals in the state, effective May 26.

10. Victoria Woodrow will step down July 24 as CEO of Hamilton Memorial Hospital District in McLeansboro, Ill.

11. Justin Epperson, CFO of Hamilton Memorial Hospital District in McLeansboro, Ill., was named interim CEO.

12. Brian Dieter will retire in early August as president and CEO of Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames, Iowa.

13. John Hennelly stepped down as CEO of Sonoma (Calif.) Valley Hospital on April 22.

14. Ben Armfield, CFO of Sonoma (Calif.) Valley Hospital, was named interim CEO.

April 16-22

1. Wesley Burks, MD, CEO of UNC Health and dean of UNC School of Medicine, will step down from his roles Sept. 1.

2. Kaitlan Baston, MD, was appointed interim CEO of University Hospital in Newark, N.J., effective May 3.

3. Rob Anderson was named CEO of Lakewood Ranch (Fla.) Medical Center.

4. Jodi Coombs, BSN, RN, was appointed interim president and CEO of St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia.

5. Robert Brooks will exit his role as interim CEO of St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, supporting the leadership transition before leaving the organization.

6. Andy Munce, MSN, RN, was appointed president and CEO of Sanford Health’s Sioux Falls, S.D., region after serving in the role on an interim basis.

7. Robert Parker, who was appointed CEO of Columbus, Ga.-based St. Francis Emory Healthcare in March, stepped down from his role later that month for personal reasons.

8. Bill Little was named CEO of Columbus, Ga.-based St. Francis Emory Healthcare, effective April 21.

9. Brian Canfield stepped down as CEO of Quincy, Ill.-based Blessing Health System.

10. Tim Tranor, DNP, RN, BSN, was named COO and interim CEO of Quincy, Ill.-based Blessing Health System.

11. Misty Jones, MSN, RN, was named president and CEO of Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley, effective June 9.

12. Hatch Smith Jr. resigned as CEO of Llano (Texas) Regional Hospital on April 15 for a new role.

April 10-15

1. Brett Kinman will resign as CEO of Magnolia (Ark.) Regional Medical Center, effective July 9.

2. Kerry Ashment was named CEO of Memorial Hospital of Carbon County in Rawlins, Wyo.

3. Gabe Bullaro was appointed CEO of HCA Florida North Florida Hospital in Gainesville, effective April 14.

4. Tony Esposito will step down as CEO of Upland, Pa.-based Crozer Health, effective April 18.

5. Gerald Cayer will retire as CEO of Lowville, N.Y.-based Lewis County Health System, effective Aug. 3, 2026.

6. Julie Freischlag, MD, will retire at the end of 2025 as CEO and chief academic officer of Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, chief academic officer of Charlotte, N.C.-based Advocate Health, and as executive vice president of health affairs at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem.

7. Cameron Howard was named CEO of Oviedo (Fla.) Medical Center, part of HCA Florida Healthcare.

8. Kim Needham was appointed CEO of Waukegan, Ill.-based Vista Health System.

9. Kent LaCroix was named interim CEO of Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital in Manistique, Mich.

April 2-9

1. John McDonald was appointed president and CEO of Kerrville, Texas-based Peterson Health, effective in June.

2. Victoria Hanson, PhD, was named regional president and CEO of Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton, S.D., effective May 3.

3. Mitch Leckelt will retire June 1 after more than 11 years as CEO of UP Health System-Bell in Ishpeming, Mich.

4. Tonya Darner, CEO of UP Health System-Marquette (Mich.), will assume an expanded role as market CEO for UP Health System-Marquette and UP Health System-Bell in Ishpeming, Mich., effective June 1.

5. Timothy Dentry, president and CEO of Brewer, Maine-based Northern Light Health, plans to retire in 2025.

6. Richard Allen will retire June 30 as CEO of Erie, Pa.-based Warren General Hospital.

7. Dan Grolemund was named CEO of Erie, Pa.-based Warren General Hospital, effective July 1.

8. Hannah McRae, CFO of Cody (Wyo.) Regional Health, was appointed CEO.

9. Harry Wiggins was named CEO of Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital in Peterburg, Va.

10. Mallik Chowdary Yenigella was named CEO of Scenic Mountain Medical Center, a 146-bed acute care hospital in Big Spring, Texas.

11. Karen Pinsky was appointed permanent CEO of Penn Medicine’s Chester County Hospital in West Chester, Pa.

12. Charles Briscoe submitted his resignation as president and CEO of Warner Robins, Ga.-based Houston Healthcare.

13. Pierre Monice was appointed president and CEO of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Holy Cross Health, effective May 11.

14. Gina Melby was named CEO of Alan B. Miller Medical Center, a 156-bed acute care hospital slated to open in spring 2026 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

15. Brad Griffin was named CEO of HCA Healthcare’s Fairview Park Hospital in Dublin, Ga.

16. Thomas Klemond, MD, was appointed interim CEO of Minneapolis-based Hennepin Healthcare, effective April 11.

17. David Banks was named president and CEO of Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth.

18. Michelle Waller, MSN, RN, was named CEO of Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City, Ill.

March 26-April 2

1. Benjamin Hughes was named CEO of Moberly (Mo.) Regional Medical Center, part of Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems, effective June 2.

2. Sean Patterson was appointed CEO of Portsmouth (N.H.) Regional Hospital, part of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare.

3. James Longabaugh, DO, will step down in mid-summer as CEO of Sabetha (Kan.) Community Hospital.

4. Alec Kimmelman, MD, PhD, was selected as the next CEO of New York City-based NYU Langone Health and dean of NYU Grossman School of Medicine, effective Sept. 1.

5. Kathy Vancampen was named CEO and market president of Fleming County Hospital in Flemingsburg, Ky., and Meadowview Regional Medical Center in Maysville, Ky., effective April 7.

6. Cecil Miller III was appointed president and CEO of UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital in Norwich, N.Y.

7. Drake Lamen, MD, will retire in mid-April after 18 years as president and CEO of UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital in Norwich, N.Y.

8. Bill Waechter was named market CEO of San Antonio-based Baptist Health System, part of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare.

9. Tina Eden, RN, was appointed CEO of Virginia Gay Hospital in Vinton, Iowa.

10. Marissa Kiefer, senior vice president and CEO of Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, was named president of UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s and UH MacDonald Women’s hospitals, both in Cleveland, effective June 1.

11. Jennifer DeCubellis will step down May 10 as CEO of Minneapolis-based Hennepin Healthcare System after five years in the role.

12. Reba Celsor, RN, was appointed CEO of Murray-Calloway County Hospital in Murray, Ky.

13. Kelly Haynie was named CEO of Ochsner Medical Center-West Bank Campus in Gretna, La., effective June 1.

14. Stephen DelRossi resigned as CEO of Bishop, Calif.-based Northern Inyo Healthcare District.

15. Allison Partridge, MSN, RN, chief nursing officer and COO of Bishop, Calif.-based Northern Inyo Healthcare District, was appointed acting CEO.

March 19-25

1. Russ Johnson plans to retire in August after having served as president and CEO of Lawrence, Kan.-based LMH Health since 2016.

2. Darlene Stromstad, president and CEO of Utica, N.Y.-based Mohawk Valley Health System, plans to retire in late 2025.

3. Ed Curtis, CEO of Springfield, Ill.-based Memorial Health, plans to retire March 31.

4. Diana Richardson was appointed interim president and CEO of Lawrence (Mass.) General Hospital and Holy Family Hospitals, effective April 14.

5. Dan Hernandez was named CEO of the Emerus WellSpan Health Market, part of York, Pa.-based WellSpan Health.

6. Mary Jo Cagle, MD, will step down May 31 as president and CEO of Greensboro, N.C.-based Cone Health due to a serious family health matter.

March 12-19

1. Nathan Worley was appointed CEO of The Hospitals of Providence-Transmountain Campus in El Paso, Texas, part of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare.

2. Raymond Moreno, MD, was named chief executive of Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland and Providence Oregon’s west service area.

3. Felix “Drew” Bigby was appointed CEO of Lower Keys Medical Center in Key West, Fla., effective April 28.

4. Jim Heckert, CEO of Christus Southern New Mexico in Alamogordo, will retire March 31.

5. Dave Henry will retire April 1 as CEO of Havre-based Northern Montana Health Care.

6. Kevin Harada, MD, was named CEO of Northern Montana Health Care.

7. Neil Meltzer plans to retire as president and CEO of Baltimore-based LifeBridge Health after more than 12 years in the role.

8. Cole Stockton was appointed CEO of Highpoint Health-Riverview in Carthage, Tenn., and Highpoint Health-Trousdale in Hartsville, Tenn.

The post 6 recent hospital, health system CEO moves appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health has received a $30 million gift to establish a new cancer center in Santa Cruz, Calif. 

The Jean and E. Floyd Kvamme Advanced Cancer Center, expected to open in 2030, is part of a larger $50 million effort to “revolutionize cancer care and research” for Sutter Health’s community, according to an Aug. 14 news release from the health system.

Sutter Health is planning to open additional cancer centers across Northern California, in Santa Rosa, Modesto, Yuba City, and the Silicon Valley and East Bay regions, the release said. 

The $30 million gift was from the Jean and E. Floyd Kvamme Foundation in honor of Jean Kvamme, who died in 2020 after battling cancer.

The post $30M gift fuels new Sutter Health cancer center appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

The share of unemployed Americans with no prior work experience reached 13.4% in July — its highest level since April 1988, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

One possible driver is uncertainty around trade policies, which research shows can dampen hiring, according to an Aug. 12 analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

July’s overall unemployment rate was 4.2%, consistent with levels since May 2024.

The challenges extend beyond Generation Z, the youngest generation currently in the workforce. Long-term unemployment — defined as being jobless for at least 27 weeks — now accounts for 25.2% of all unemployed workers, its highest share since February 2022. The long-term unemployment rate has been rising since spring 2023, an increase unprecedented outside of recessions.

The dual pressure on both the least experienced workers and the long-term unemployed point to “dumbbell-shaped” labor market concerns, according to the report.

The post Unemployment among new workers reaches 37-year high appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

A treatment for Barth syndrome, a rare and often fatal genetic disorder, faces unexpected FDA-related hurdles, NBC News reported Aug. 18. 

Approximately 150 people in the U.S. have Barth syndrome, a condition that can cause heart failure. Some with the disorder die before their 5th birthday; two infant deaths were reported recently, according to NBC News. 

Some have benefited from an experimental drug called elamipretide. However, the drug has not been approved for full market use, and its manufacturer, Stealth BioTherapeutics, recently was required to resubmit a new drug application. 

After more than a decade of development, elamipretide appeared to be close to receiving approval. An FDA advisory committee voted in favor of the medication in October, citing how it improved heart function and muscle strength in clinical trials. But in May, the FDA rejected the drug without explanation. 

Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia has called on the FDA for clarity, saying elamipretide is “really the only drug that we know of that works,” NBC News reported.

The post FDA hurdles put drug used to treat rare disorder in limbo appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

In September, CMS selected 741 hospitals to participate in a new reimbursement framework, the Transforming Episode Accountability Model.

Under TEAM, participating hospitals are responsible for the cost and quality of care associated with five surgical procedures — lower extremity joint replacement, hip femur fracture treatment, spinal fusion, coronary artery bypass graft and major bowel procedures — for 30 days after patient discharge. CMS said it aims to “motivate health care providers to better coordinate care and improve the quality of care” with a payment structure that replaces the fee-for-service model.

As health systems prepare for the TEAM’s implementation in 2026, one industry leader whom they might want to call is Felipe Osorno, chief post-acute care officer at Los Angeles-based Keck Medicine of USC. 

“I joke that sometimes I feel like I’m the only chief post-acute care officer in the country, because I haven’t found another one,” he told Becker’s. “There are VPs and other continuum of care staff within health systems that worry about this, but as a dedicated role it’s a little bit unique.”

Keck Medicine created the chief post-acute care officer role two years ago, though Mr. Osorno has been with the health system for more than a decade. He holds a dual-chief role, also serving as the system’s chief of staff. 

He previously led continuum of care operations at the Keck Medical Center of USC, the system’s flagship academic medical center, where he began to notice how both pre-arrival and post-acute case management lacked operational strategy. 

“We’re a tertiary, quaternary center. We focus on the sickest of the sick,” he said. “Being an organization that takes in a limited number of fully capitated risk patients, [post-acute case management was] something we didn’t have to think about too much.”

Mr. Osorno said his role was created to establish a post-acute strategy that would become an integrated part of the health system. Keck Medicine’s focus is not to own post-acute care, but to build partnerships and programs that enhance care transitions and support its primary focus of tertiary and quaternary care. 

“We know that to continue to grow, having a pathway to get patients to the right setting at the right time is really important,” he said. “Just throwing a post-acute referral into the ether and hoping someone will take the patient is not a sustainable strategy.”

One of the first moves Keck made was to place its own faculty within six skilled nursing facilities, allowing patients to continue being cared for by Keck hospitalists. Handpicked by the system, Keck worked closely with the facilities to be sure their visions of quality are aligned through education and upskilling.

“We’re hoping that by transmitting some of these skills we can work on problems together, but also that they can build some capability and have the tools to improve the care too,” Mr. Osorno said.

Keck will also ensure continuous care quality through its newly established Keck Academy for Continuous Improvement, the pilot of which begins in September. Through the academy, Keck will train staff members from its post-acute care partners on internal process improvement.

“We’ve seen a dramatic improvement in readmissions and mortality, mostly because we can continue the protocols we started inpatient,” Mr. Osorno said. “Instead of just [handing over] a bunch of discharge orders, we truly see this as: We’re going to continue taking care of the patient.”

Beyond skilled nursing facilities, Keck has started to establish partnerships with home health agencies, hospice providers and long-term care hospitals, where they have started to see care improve through shared accountability, Mr. Osorno said. 

Many of these partnerships are made possible by communication dashboards, remote patient monitoring and telehealth. Each facility partner operates at “different levels of sophistication and technology,” which requires some level of flexibility, he added.

“Having one point of contact for escalation makes a huge difference — very low-tech — but we created one phone number for SNFs,” he said. “Of course, we can layer on real-time interoperability of EMRs and AI and telehealth, but sometimes something very simple like one phone number makes a difference.”

Mr. Osorno said he sees tremendous opportunity in the post-acute space for technological entrepreneurship. While he gets pinged by a new vendor every day, he said the current landscape lacks integration. 

“One vendor that will do the connection with SNFs, then a different vendor does the connection with home health and a different vendor for something else,” he said. “I would love it if there was one vendor that would help me manage all my needs, but we haven’t found that.”

Despite the many avenues of opportunities, Mr. Osorno said there are still barriers to ensuring seamless post-acute care coordination, one of the most prominent being reimbursement. Payment models for post-acute facilities are not aligned with or equal to the payment models for hospitals. 

“If a patient has any needs outside of what a SNF can provide with the basic resources, they’ll lose money,” Mr. Osorno said. “Some patients are basically unplaceable, because folks know that no one’s going to pay for this. How do we build financial models where the money can be spent in the right place?”

As the federal government’s priorities and payment rules shift, Mr. Osorno stressed how important it is for hospital and health system leaders to prioritize effective post-acute care strategies. 

“The big pressure we have as a country is to reduce how much we spend in healthcare, and post-acute care will have to be more integrated as part of your strategy,” he said. “People need to think more and more about the beginning-to-end. For us, [patients in post-acute care] might not be in our four walls, but they are still our patients.”

The post Is Keck Medicine’s chief post-acute officer the 1st of his kind? appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Hospital and health system CEOs are eyeing multiple initiatives to spur growth in 2026. At the forefront of their efforts is expanding access to care, strengthening services and investing in partnerships.

Here, CEOs at healthcare organizations across the U.S. identify the biggest drivers of their growth in 2026.

Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Wayne Gillis. CEO of  Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services (Gallup, N.M.): The biggest driver of RMCHCS’ growth in 2026 will be our ability to restore trust and confidence in our community by demonstrating operational excellence, clinical quality and patient-centered care every single day. Growth will not come from a single initiative, but rather from disciplined execution across three areas:

1. Expanding access and services: Meeting community needs by strengthening core service lines, investing in behavioral health and primary care, and addressing the gaps that force patients to leave the region for care.
2. Workforce engagement: Our staff are the foundation of growth. By building a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and professional development, we create a place where people want to work — and where patients want to receive care.
3. Partnerships and innovation: Growth will also come through strategic collaborations — with payers, regional providers, and community organizations — that improve care coordination, reduce duplication, and extend our reach.

At the end of the day, RMCHCS’ growth in 2026 will be driven by the community choosing us as their trusted healthcare partner. If we stay focused on safety, quality and service, growth will be the natural outcome.

Scott Kashman. President and CEO of Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside (Jacksonville, Fla.): In 2026, our growth will come from a seamless care ecosystem — expanding access close to home, strengthening high-acuity services that draw patients regionally and investing in trusted community partnerships. By balancing advanced clinical capabilities with convenient outpatient care, we’ll meet both regional demand and local needs.

Kelly Macken-Marble. CEO of Osceola (Wis.) Medical Center: With the many headwinds right now facing healthcare, we are focused on ensuring we are meeting the care needs in our region. Population-based data provides us with the primary drivers of growth, which includes improving access to primary care, specialty care and mental health services. We are planning to add intensive outpatient, or IOP, services to our substance use program and will be expanding our campus to support the addition of several new primary care and specialty physicians to meet the needs of the community. 

Michelle Majerus. President and CEO of Avera Holy Family Hospital (Estherville, Iowa): The aging population in Estherville, Iowa, and the surrounding area is Avera Holy Family’s biggest driver for growth in 2026. In an effort to become the primary choice for age-friendly care, Avera Holy Family offers a multitude of active aging services and is committed to our journey in advancing our reliable practice of evidence-based interventions for older adults through the 4Ms Framework — What Matters, Medications, Mentation and Mobility. Our compassionate team is committed to moving health forward by keeping care local as we assist patients, family members, caretakers and our community with identifying, achieving and sustaining their quality-of-life indicators to facilitate active aging.

Barb Martin, BSN. CEO of St. Joseph Medical Center (Joliet, Ill.): The biggest drivers of growth is continued growth in the emergency departments through efficient timely management of patients both as inpatients and outpatients. Also, growth will be critically dependent on the recruitment of primary care physicians who drive referrals to the specialist.

Andrew Molosky. President and CEO of Chapters Health System (Temple Terrace, Fla.): The biggest driver of growth in our 2026 plan will be the acquisition plan as a well diversified system. As organizations that have put all their efforts into one or just a select number of endeavors face the headwinds being experienced with the current economic and political environment, we are a natural partner for them. While we will be judicious with our selections and pursuits, the time is ripe for us to celebrate our diversified strategies and the value it brings to the growth marketplace. 

Tom Scott. CEO of CentraState Healthcare System (Freehold, N.J.): The oncology service line will continue to drive significant growth. The incidence rate of cancer in the state of New Jersey is higher than the national rate, with over 59,000 new cancer diagnoses estimated this year.

By adding services, specialists, treatments and technology typically only found at large metropolitan cancer centers, CentraState has achieved 71% growth in oncology patient volume in recent years and is successfully delivering comprehensive, multidisciplinary and compassionate care.

To expand access to high-quality cancer care in communities that we serve, we have attracted top clinical and surgical talent and integrated CentraState’s cancer program with Atlantic Health. Close coordination with leading cancer experts from across the system means patients have access to cutting-edge treatments, procedures and groundbreaking research trials close to home. A new state-of-the-art patient care unit and a co-located medical oncology office and infusion suite have expanded clinical capacity. For instance, the number of patients receiving chemotherapy has grown 150% from 2024.

In addition to cancer treatment, we have also expanded cancer prevention and early detection, including a robust genetics program to help patients understand their risk for certain cancers, such as a high-risk breast cancer program, as well as expanded our research capacity with a clinical trials program that will double or more this year in the number of patients enrolled.

CentraState is strongly poised to advance cancer care in the state and meet the growing need for cancer services.

Deborah Visconi. President and CEO of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center (Paramus, N.J.): In 2026, our growth will be driven by strategic investments that expand access, strengthen integration and improve the patient experience — led by our new state-of-the-art emergency department, our implementation of Epic and the continued expansion of our behavioral health and specialty medical services. These initiatives, combined with deeper community partnerships, telehealth expansion and a focus on addressing social determinants of health, will create a seamless continuum of care that meets the needs of an increasingly diverse and complex patient population. Together, they position Bergen New Bridge Medical Center as the region’s trusted destination for high-quality, compassionate and comprehensive care.

By aligning care delivery with social determinants, leveraging technology and investing in talent development, we will continue to be the health care destination where people find not only treatment, but also hope, stability, and connection. This integrated model is not just the future of Bergen New Bridge — it’s the future of healthcare.

Kenneth Waller. CEO of Norwalk (Conn.) Community Health Center: Healthcare medical service delivery organizations can employ a myriad of strategies to increase their market share and broaden their organization scope of healthcare services. Norwalk Community Health Center will launch a strategic map illustrating a clear, market growth action plan to expand access and to meet its overarching mission. We will achieve this through the implementation of a systematic process of continuous market assessment of our service area to identify service growth opportunities which will align with our medical consumers’ demands. 

This would include an intentional integration into our community safety-net ecosystem where we would design unique service models, expand access and offer innovative medical care: like socioeconomic and other related services to facilitate, enhance and improve the comprehensive care outcomes of our targeted patient community. 

This will be the foundation of how NCHC will begin to cultivate its 2026 organizational service growth objectives and goals. Our core healthcare service strategic imperatives will incorporate payor mix diversification. This would include NCHC adding more offerings to its current medical service mix. We will strengthen and increase community engagement service collaboration to expand patient access and growth, and improve economies of scale. 

Lastly, infusing technology to drive medical service delivery predictability and to improve overall organizationwide productivity and operational efficiency. These are the elements we are aiming to attain to drive our delivery service growth moving forward in this volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous healthcare industry environment.

The post Key 2026 growth drivers, per 9 hospital, system CEOs appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Buffalo, N.Y.-based Kaleida Health and John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital will rename the facility Golisano Children’s Hospital of Buffalo after receiving a $50 million donation from entrepreneur and philanthropist B. Thomas Golisano.

The hospital said it will officially adopt the new name in January 2026 to honor the gift, which supports advanced pediatric care at New York state’s only standalone children’s hospital, according to an Aug. 19 Kaleida Health news release.

The renaming announcement follows the John R. Oishei Foundation’s decision to relinquish its naming rights. The foundation previously donated $10 million during the hospital’s capital campaign, which led to the opening of its new facility in November 2018.

Mr. Golisano is the founder of Paychex and one of the nation’s largest foundations supporting programs for people with intellectual disabilities. 

The hospital will begin using its new logo early next year, the release said.

The post New York children’s hospital to be renamed after $50M gift appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

North Carolina Medicaid providers will see at least a 3% cut in reimbursement rates beginning Oct. 1, with services like long-term behavioral healthcare, hospital care, nursing homes and physicians seeing 8% to 10% in cuts.

The cuts come after state lawmakers passed a stopgap “mini budget” spending plan, which leaves Medicaid with a $319 million shortfall, despite allocating $600 million for Medicaid oversight fund and rebase.

“More than 3 million people in North Carolina depend on Medicaid for comprehensive care that is life-changing and in many cases lifesaving,” North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai said in an Aug. 6 news release. “Underfunding NC Medicaid now, after years of building a nationally recognized program that delivers real outcomes for the people we serve, is a serious setback.”

The reductions could force some providers to stop accepting Medicaid patients, a spokesperson for the department said in an Aug. 19 statement shared with Becker’s.

“Additionally, NC Medicaid will no longer be able to offer GLP-1 coverage for weight loss, and we will pull back financial funding for the integrated care for kids pilot, which will end early,” the statement said. “These changes will take effect on Oct. 1, 2025.”

NCDHHS said the cuts are structured to be reversible, should additional funding be approved. 

The post North Carolina to cut Medicaid provider reimbursement rates by 3% appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic recorded an income from current activities of $380 million (7.1% margin) in the second quarter of 2025 quarter, down from $449 million (8.9% margin) during the same period last year, according to its Aug. 18 financial report. 

Total operating revenue was $5.3 billion for the three months ended June 30, up from $5 billion during the same period last year. Mayo’s net patient service revenue was $4.5 billion, an 8.6% increase year over year. The system attributed the growth to strong outpatient, surgical and hospital volumes, as well as increased service demand. 

Contributions available for operating activities was $73 million in the quarter, down from $115 million during the same period last year. Mayo Clinic attributed the decrease to a greater portion of total giving being directed to nonoperating activities, such as endowments and capital projects. 

Total operating expenses were $5 billion in the quarter, up from $4.6 billion during the same period last year. Salaries and benefits — totaling $2.8 billion — increased 7.5% year over year and accounted for 56.3% of total expense. Supply and service expenses were $1.8 billion, a 10.8% increase year over year.  

As of June 30, Mayo Clinic had 361 days cash on hand, compared to 362 on Dec. 31. The system had a long-term debt of $4.3 billion as of the end of the second quarter, up from $4 billion on Dec. 31. 

Mayo Clinic reported a net income of $1.1 billion in the second quarter, up from $613 million during the same period last year. 

The post Mayo Clinic posts 7.1% margin in Q2 appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Epic Systems introduced two new AI tools aimed at easing communication and reducing administrative work in healthcare.

The tools — named Emmie and Art — are designed for patients and clinicians, respectively, according to an Aug. 19 LinkedIn post from Epic. Emmie is built to help patients interpret test results, receive health guidance, and manage ongoing care between visits. Epic said the assistant draws from patients’ medical records and connected devices to provide information in “easy-to-understand terms” and support open-ended conversations about health.

Art, meanwhile, is designed to help physicians prepare for visits by generating summaries, collecting information from patient interactions with Emmie, and drafting documentation. The assistant can also complete certain administrative tasks, such as verifying prior authorizations and placing orders, according to Epic.

Epic did not disclose when or where the tools would first become available.

The post Epic releases new AI tools appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

As supply chain leaders continue to face unprecedented disruptions, leaders are increasingly turning to AI, automation and real-time data tools to stay ahead. Among the steps they are taking: shifting to a “data lake” concept, employing centralized data platforms and integrating EHR data for more supply visibility. 

Here are responses from five supply chain leaders who were asked: What technologies or analytical tools are helping your health system to respond more effectively to supply chain challenges? 

Note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Derrick Billups. Vice President of Supply Chain and Support Services at UC Health (Cincinnati): Our approach has centered on using technology and data to boost visibility, agility and continuity. One solution for us is an automated system which replaces back-ordered supplies with pre-approved alternatives through our distributor, helping us avoid delays and keep care delivery on track. 

In addition, our ERP, inventory and RFID platforms give us detailed insights into key metrics like days on hand, consumption rates, and lead times — especially for critical SKUs — which helps us make faster, more informed decisions. With this, we are working on sharing demand data with suppliers so inventory can better match patient volumes and precise procedural case type needs, which should lead to more accurate forecasting and enhanced fulfillment. Technology is a powerful enabler, but it is our team’s flexibility, skill and ability to adapt that make the biggest difference which meets today’s supply chain challenges. 

Moving forward we are exploring tools like AI, expanded RFID tracking and predictive analytics to improve demand planning and get a clearer, real-time view of inventory movement. Together, these initiatives support a present and long-term vision for a supply chain that can adapt quickly, respond intelligently and sustain high-quality care under any circumstances.

Joseph Dudas. Division Chair of Supply Chain Management at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.): In 2018, Mayo set out to transform our healthcare supply chain with an initiative called Digital Supply Chain. The objective was to utilize lessons learned from digital leaders such as Uber, eBay, Airbnb, etc., with a goal to accelerate savings and productivity. We pivoted from an ERP-centric vision of rigid “best practice” process management to that of a more agile and “data centered” approach. As a result, we shifted our attention to modernization of our data platform. The change moved us away from the concept of a data warehouse, where we were heavily dependent on IT, to that of a data lake, with new state-of-the-art, self-service data tools. Soon after came the pandemic, and it was fortuitous that we had started this effort as the advancements helped us manage through COVID-19 and the aftermath. With leading indicators in place, we were able to sense the crisis before it happened and mobilize quickly with procurement, inventory management, conservation and visibility solutions.

Wind the clock forward and we continue to do relatively well managing through continuous supply disruptions while also delivering value. That said, in 2025 we felt compelled to revisit our technology strategy again. What we recognized was that DSC was functionally rich, but that certain features had not been delivered as was envisioned, and while the ERP system was no longer a bottleneck, the complexity, cost and agility barriers associated with our approach were new areas for improvement.

DSC 2.0 seeks to advance the Mayo supply chain by addressing complexity, cost and agility constraints while also fully leveraging advancements in artificial intelligence and robotics. While the strategy lays out a high-level plan to converge technologies and simplify our platforms, it more specifically prioritizes new investments and partnerships. Two projects will lead the way as far as our plan is concerned with significant investments already approved to move them forward. They are as follows:

• S2P and ops convergence. A program to move our operating platform to Oracle (P2P was moved to Oracle as part of DSC 1.0) as well as refresh our product information management tools.
• Laboratory supply chain (FALCON). A custom build solution to manage the complexity of the laboratory supply chain. While custom development over the last 10 years has been largely in decline, there is no solution in the marketplace to be purchased, and state-of-the-art development tools have advanced significantly.
• AI platform: A new partnership with Surgence (an AI platform built on Palantir) to a) extend our visibility beyond our own supply chain and b) fully advantage new and quickly evolving artificial intelligence solutions.

DSC 2.0 establishes a clear long-range strategy that sets the direction for sustained leadership and the ability for enablement. It addresses the most immediate concerns of complexity, agility and visibility as well as encourages continued advancement of technology and AI through our center of enablement (as opposed to “center of excellence”).

Adrian Jucja. Vice President of Data Management and Analytics at RWJ Barnabas Health (West Orange, N.J.): RWJ Barnabas has leveraged advanced supply chain analytics for over eight years. We have implemented and use a centralized data analytics tower to manage all supply chain analytics and navigate ongoing strategic and operational supply challenges more effectively. Almost real-time inventory tracking systems have been implemented to provide visibility across all facilities, enabling proactive identification of shortages before they impact patient care. Predictive demand forecasting, powered by the centralized analytics tower are in current development and plans to use machine learning have been identified. We will use historical usage patterns, seasonal trends, and EHR Scheduling to anticipate needs more accurately. These tools will help optimize order quantities, prevent overstocking and reduce waste while ensuring critical items remain available. Snowflake serves as a centralized data tower, seamlessly integrating data from our ERP, EHR, HR and third-party systems, enabling cross-functional insights that connect supply needs to patient volumes, staffing levels and operational trends. Integration with supplier data feeds also allows for quicker adaptation to disruptions, such as delayed shipments or product recalls.

Additionally, business intelligence dashboards and scenario-planning tools have empowered our leadership to make faster, more data-driven decisions. By consolidating procurement, logistics and usage data into Snowflake alongside ERP, EHR and HR inputs, stakeholders can quickly identify bottlenecks, assess vendor performance and explore alternative sourcing options. 

Another success story has been the implantation of robotics by using UiPath alongside the analytical platform. During the IV solution shortage this was a key to success where robots were placing orders based on historical trends and available inventory across all 12 hospitals. This combination of Snowflake’s unified data environment, advanced analytics, and robotics has strengthened our ability to respond to challenges with agility, ensuring that front-line clinicians have the resources they need to deliver uninterrupted, high-quality care.

John Mikesic. Executive Director of Supply Chain at University of Missouri Health Care (Columbia): Power BI has become a critical tool for us, integrating data from our warehouse, nursing unit par levels and surgical case usage to create real-time visibility from loading dock to point of care. We’re also using ChatGPT to streamline contract reviews, draft RFPs,and summarize complex datasets. This fall we go live with Agiloft for deeper contract lifecycle integration.

Andrea Poulopoulos. Senior Vice President of Supply Chain at Corewell Health (Grand Rapids and Southfield, Mich.): By leveraging value analysis software, our supply chain team collaborates closely with our clinical teams to evaluate which supplies are best suited to accelerate sourcing strategies, reduce care variation, realize savings and maintain the highest levels of care for our patients. The tool helps to establish a streamlined workflow, rooted in data and clinical evidence, while quantifying the related expense and/or savings of the decision to the organization.

Technology leveraged in our purchasing process takes the tedious task of tracking down orders not received on time and instead simultaneously monitors hundreds of expected deliveries at once by producing a report that captures all purchase orders requiring follow-up. It also sends a follow-up email to request status of the delayed supply, versus a team member having to do so, creating space and time for more meaningful work to be done. 

In addition to the technology and analytics we’ve adopted to keep our supply chain well oiled, on a regular basis, we employ risk-modeling solutions that help us gain insight related to the impact of unexpected risks such as government mandates, weather, etc., and to ensure the best return on investment on behalf of the patients we serve.

The post Digital innovations driving supply chain resilience in health systems appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Tulsa, Okla.-based Ascension St. John Medical Center has appointed Dean Kindler, MD, chief clinical officer. 

Dr. Kindler, a vascular neurologist, brings more than 20 years of clinical leadership experience to the position, where he will oversee clinical operations across the level 1 trauma center and collaborate with clinicians to expand services and improve patient outcomes, according to an Aug. 19 news release. 

He joins Oklahoma from Ascension Michigan, where he served in several leadership roles over the past few years, including as chief medical officer of the Southwest Region and regional CEO. 

In July, Ascension St. John Medical Center became the first and only verified level 1 trauma center in Tulsa. It is the largest inpatient facility within the St. Louis-based Ascension health system. 

The post Ascension St. John names chief clinical officer  appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Members of SEIU 1199NE at Care New England’s Butler Hospital in Providence, R.I., have ratified a new four-year labor contract, ending Rhode Island’s longest hospital strike, both parties confirmed in statements shared with Becker’s.

The news came after the hospital and union reached a tentative agreement earlier in August.

“After the [union] members’ bargaining committee approved a tentative agreement this weekend, it was presented to members this morning who voted overwhelmingly to ratify the agreement,” both parties said on Aug. 18. “This contract ends the strike and, most importantly, ensures that caregivers can return to their patients. While this has been a long and challenging process, both sides worked hard throughout negotiations to reach this resolution, and we are grateful for the assistance of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.”

According to SEIU 1199NE, the agreement includes:

• A wage increase of at least $6,000 in the first year of the contract for full-time employees. By the end of the four-year deal, all employees will earn at least $20 an hour. 
• Financial support for employees injured by workplace violence.
• Educational benefit worth $600,000 over the life of the agreement, administered by the SEIU 1199NE Training and Upgrading Fund.

Union members ratified the contract more than three months after hundreds of staff members at the hospital, including registered nurses, mental health workers, clerical, environmental service and dietary staff, began an open-ended strike May 15. SEIU 1199NE and the hospital began negotiating a new labor contract in March.

During the walkout, the hospital closed three units, pointing to the strike when announcing the closures.

On Aug. 18, both parties said they now look forward to restoring the services and that details about the hospital’s return-to-work plans will be forthcoming. 

“Both sides are proud to move forward with an agreement that recognizes and affirms the value of all workers and advances the mission of Butler Hospital,” they added.

The post Rhode Island’s longest hospital strike ends as Care New England workers ink deal appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Many hospitals and health systems are not maximizing the value of their core electronic health record (EHR) investments. Conducting regular “EHR tune-ups” can be a quick win to help your organization close the gap between clinical performance and technology optimization.

Many Healthcare Delivery Organizations Are Not Using EHRs to Their Full Capacity

Hospitals and health systems continue to face significant changes, primarily centered around technology and automation, both of which are costly. Whether you enhance performance and then augment operations with technology – or advance technology as a forcing function to drive performance change – successfully closing the gap between clinical performance and technology optimization is required to make the most out of your enterprise EHR investment.
 
However, many health systems still do not utilize their core EHR to its full potential, including leveraging built-in AI functionality. Manual processes and workarounds that circumvent core capabilities are often prevalent. Team members may frequently turn to niche third-party solutions or “bolt-ons” to address problems without first considering the EHR capabilities right at their fingertips.
 
Several factors contribute to these issues, including alert fatigue, a lack of standard definitions, and inadequate visual cues to support adoption.

Performing Regular “EHR Tune-Ups” Can Be a Quick Win

An “EHR tune-up” can help ensure your organization gets the most out of your technology investment while minimizing manual processes or workarounds. The concept of a “tune-up” is not a one-time effort, though. There are actions that every health system needs to take regularly.

1. Check in with your core EHR vendor every 6-12 months about new capabilities, including those related to AI

Monitoring emerging niche third-party solutions related to AI and other rapidly evolving areas is critical; however, these efforts cannot come at the expense of failing to maximize the value of what you have already purchased. AI capabilities, in particular those from core vendors, continue to evolve rapidly. Every 6-12 months, check in with your enterprise EHR vendor to understand their new capabilities and their near-term product roadmap, and how that functionality can benefit your organization if effectively integrated into workflows and fully adopted by clinicians.

Routine check-ins provide your organization with valuable insights into future technology advancements and enhancements that may become available soon. Additionally, sharing your challenges enables your EHR vendor to consider future improvements. Key questions to ask include:

• What types of programmatic enhancements are coming in the near future?
• What types of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), or predictive analytics capabilities are available today? What will be available in the future – and when?
• How can my organization use cognitive models to enhance performance?

2. Regularly evaluate the EHR capabilities your organization is underutilizing, and redefine process workflows accordingly

Technology must drive informed decision-making throughout the enterprise. However, that hinges on clinicians making the most of existing EHR capabilities. Be sure to understand the core technology your organization is underutilizing and why. Is there a technical or integration issue? Is the technology not sufficiently complementing the workflow?
 
Following that evaluation, it is crucial to redefine process workflows. For example, as part of a recent engagement, Impact Advisors carefully examined underutilized EHR capabilities across defined focus areas, including case management, bed placement, registration, and transportation. We worked with the client to assess the practice or performance indicators that would also need to change if we improved adoption of those related capabilities. As we introduced technology, we also included training on performance and clinical optimization. The marrying of the two processes helped drive results.
 
For instance, within the existing EHR, we enhanced visual cues that alerted the clinical team when a patient exceeded the length of stay (LOS) goal. The cues were made available to multiple members of the clinical team, allowing all members to focus on initiating change. This helped reduce LOS and freed up needed capacity for patients in the community.

3. Work with the right partner

Getting the most from regular enterprise technology “tune-ups” requires finding a partner with deep clinical, EHR, and AI expertise. The right partner will bring together experts accustomed to enhancing EHR functionality while coupling this with process improvement. The integration of IT workflow and process workflow closes the gap in inefficiency, allowing your organization to achieve optimal outcomes. Additionally, your partner should be making rapid strides in working with their clients to implement AI that is both safe and effective in hospitals and health systems.

The Bottom Line

Regular “EHR tune-ups” can be a quick win to help your organization maximize your technology investment while minimizing manual processes and workarounds. Success requires checking in with your core vendor every 6-12 months to discuss new capabilities, regularly evaluating the EHR capabilities your organization is underutilizing, and working with a partner that has deep clinical, EHR, and AI expertise.

The post How an “EHR Tune-Up” Can Help Align Clinical Performance and Technology Optimization appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Twenty hospitals were named to healthcare staffing firm Soliant’s 2025 Most Beautiful Hospitals list, which recognizes both architectural beauty and quality of care.

Leaders from eight of the hospitals shared with Becker’s how redesigned spaces have improved patient flow in the past year.

Note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Mary Beckerle, PhD. CEO of Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (Salt Lake City): At Huntsman Cancer Institute, we are committed to being on the leading edge to deliver an exceptional patient experience. As one recent example, we updated our radiation oncology and radiology check-in areas to serve more patients simultaneously, significantly reducing wait times. This builds on our previous efforts in 2023 when we opened more dedicated consultation rooms and waiting room spaces in our new hospital, and four state-of-the-art surgical suites, enhancing the ability to perform sophisticated cancer surgeries.

Chris Clark, DO. President of AHN Saint Vincent Hospital (Erie, Pa.): Our clinical decision unit was another important investment in Allegheny Health Network’s ongoing efforts to improve the patient experience and throughput at every touchpoint of the care journey. Saint Vincent has one of the state’s busiest emergency departments, and those high volumes can create long wait times for patients and their families. This beautiful new CDU has meaningfully helped to minimize those long stays in the ED and enable us to care for patients more effectively and efficiently. It perfectly aligns with our organization’s Living Health model and goal of providing remarkable, high-quality health experiences and outcomes for those we serve.

Anne Hubling, DNP, RN. President and Chief Nurse Executive of Northwestern Medicine Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital (Wheaton, Ill.): At Northwestern Medicine Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, our priority is to create a healing and therapeutic environment. Over the past year, we renovated our outpatient therapy gyms to enhance patient care and improve workflow for therapists. The new design not only optimizes treatment space but also facilitates better access for patient services. Moreover, we have integrated our beautiful campus gardens and natural surroundings into the therapeutic experience, featuring improved outdoor spaces that can be incorporated into treatment programs.

Cynthia McGuire. President and CEO of Monadnock Community Hospital (Peterborough, N.H.): In the past year, our medical-surgical unit underwent a major renovation to improve patient flow, safety and independence. Key updates include a new therapy team office and on-unit gym for faster, more personalized rehabilitation, an expanded nurses’ station with enhanced monitoring and communication tools, and ADA-accessible shower and tub room that support safe practices before discharge. These changes have streamlined care delivery, strengthened collaboration and created a more efficient, patient-centered healing environment.

Clint Miller, BSN, RN. Chief Nursing Officer at Spooner (Wis.) Health: We recently repurposed part of our facility to better support our rehabilitation services department, adding a second gym space to provide greater privacy during treatment sessions. We’re committed to continually enhancing our services with a focus on improving the patient experience.

Bill Phillips. COO of University Health (San Antonio): The University Health Women’s & Children’s Hospital has only been open 18 months, and our original design was done with optimal patient flow in mind, in front- and back-of-house layout, OR and elevator placement. Our NICU has private rooms but also high-visibility rooms for multiples and the highest-risk infants. We see these elements working well, along with increased infant protection design on all floors to make sure access is limited to those who have guest bands for each floor. The human element of design is also crucial: We have increased the number of ambassadors who can assist with access questions and ensure families get where they need to go quickly. And in what has been proven to ease anxiety and reduce tension, our SaludArte healing arts program creates comfortable and beautiful spaces — both public and private — clinically proven to encourage healing for patients and peace of mind for the team.

Rolla Sweis, PharmD. President and CEO of La Rabida Children’s Hospital (Chicago): Our newly expanded and improved inpatient unit represents a significant milestone in La Rabida’s commitment to providing critical medical services to children with complex medical conditions, chronic illnesses and rehabilitation needs. This redesign has allowed us to meet the growing demands we’re seeing in the community and underscores our dedication to ensuring that every child receives the highest quality of care in a compassionate and family-friendly environment, regardless of the family’s ability to pay.

1. We’ve designated the entire second floor as one inpatient space, including additional patient rooms (we like to call them cabins). Additionally, every room on the unit has been updated with integrated technology and equipment, making it easier to provide bedside care.

2. The redesign also provides more opportunities for patients to be out of their rooms, including a dedicated inpatient playroom that was precisely designed to accommodate the healthcare and developmental needs of our patient population. This in-unit play space provides easy access to play and therapy space to all patients on the unit with complexities that may prevent them from visiting our first-floor playroom.

3. We’ve also redesigned how the inpatient unit is accessed: through a central welcome area. Now, all visitors pass through this area before entering the actual patient care space, a best practice for safety and security.

Monte Wilson. CEO of Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital (Alexandria, La.): Being named one of the most beautiful hospitals in the U.S. is a reflection of our commitment to innovation and healing-centered design. Our newly redesigned simulation center — with smart functionality and cutting-edge technology — has transformed how we train caregivers and optimize patient flow, bringing education into the 21st century.

The post How the ‘most beautiful hospitals’ are rethinking patient flow appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Sterile compounding has long been recognized as a high-risk area of health system pharmacy. Traditional manual IV compounding techniques can be prone to human error, leading to incorrect ingredients and volumes, contamination, and mislabeling. And while advancements in IV compounding automation are delivering proven clinical and operational outcomes, barriers to adoption continue.

In the 2025 State of Pharmacy Compounding (SOPC) survey conducted by Pharmacy Purchasing & Products, 91% of respondents indicated plans to increase or maintain their in-house sterile compounding volumes over the next three years.¹ With persisting labor and supply challenges, IV automation will be essential to safely supporting these growing volumes.

How can we help to drive awareness and acceptance of this important pharmacy technology?

During Omnicell’s recent IV TRUST Summit (Transforming IV Robotics for Unifying Safety and Technology), Tim Perrin, Senior Policy Advisor, at Polsinelli PC, shared progress on advocacy initiatives that are bolstering the sterile compounding community to help drive IV compounding policy change.

Working closely with industry advocates, the hope is to amend federal policies to incentivize adoption of state-of-the-art automated IV drug compounding technology in two key ways:

• Calling on the FDA to update its policies that govern health system drug compounding for patients

• Advocating for legislation that would leverage the Medicare program to promote the use of transformative technologies to treat patients

The Drug Quality & Security Act (DQSA) was enacted 12 years ago yet still has not been fully implemented. Over the years, the FDA has released guidance documents, many bearing labels like draft, interim, revised, nonbinding recommendations, and even ones marked “final,” which are not truly final policy. This has led to regulatory ambiguity – at both the federal and state level – that complicates strategic planning and decision making. Urging federal policymakers to provide clear regulations will empower hospitals to treat their patients with the highest quality care.

In parallel, efforts are underway to educate members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate to drive Congressional oversight of FDA guidance, as well as enact legislation that will help to incentivize adoption of sterile compounding technology. The Safer Compounding in Hospitals Act was first introduced by a bipartisan duo of House Members in 2020 and is expected to be reintroduced in the House during this session of Congress, while outreach continues to secure Senate champions. This important legislation and advocacy work has been endorsed by ASHP and the THRIV Coalition, and continues to gain support across the industry, including recently from the Emily Jerry Foundation.

A critical component of this advocacy strategy is the support of health systems weighing in with their elected representatives in Congress. Joined together, these stories and voices, as constituents, make a compelling case for policy change.

Watch the IV TRUST Summit replay to hear more about driving IV compounding policy change and the latest updates on the Safer Compounding in Hospitals Act from Tim Perrin, Senior Policy Advisor, at Polsinelli PC.

¹Survey Respondents. State of Pharmacy Compounding. Pharm Purch Prod. 2025;4:S6.

The post Advocating for IV Compounding Policy Change appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy, which earned $25.9 billion last year from U.S. prescription revenue, has expanded its limited distribution drug portfolio to 265 medications, the company said Aug. 19. 

Limited distribution drugs are specialty medications that have complex regimens, high costs and/or special handling requirements. Therapies for chronic diseases and cancers are typically administered at specialty pharmacies. These medications account for about 75% of drugs in development, according to Walgreens. 

The company’s specialty pharmacy added leukemia drug Imkeldi (imatinib), HIV preventive Yeztugo (lenacapavir) and chronic skin condition treatment Imkeldi (imatinib) to its network. 

The post Walgreens expands specialty pharmacy offerings appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Baylor Breckenridge has been named CFO of TriStar NorthCrest Medical Center in Springfield, Tenn., according to an Aug. 18 LinkedIn post.

Prior to his new role, Mr. Breckenridge served as assistant CFO of HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital, according to his LinkedIn page.

He also served as controller for Pensacola, Fla.-based HCA Florida West Hospital.

The post TriStar Health hospital taps new CFO appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health has implemented an AI-powered clinical deterioration tool, eCART, across its seven hospitals — a move leaders say has both improved patient safety and reduced strain on clinicians.

The health system evaluated six different tools — three traditional and three AI-enhanced — on nearly 400,000 patients over three years before selecting eCART, Deborah Rhodes, MD, senior vice president of care signature and associate chief medical officer at Yale New Haven Health told Becker’s. She said the tool continuously monitors 97 clinical variables for every inpatient outside the ICU, identifying not just abnormal values but patterns and interactions that can signal a patient’s decline hours before it becomes critical.

“Most tools are set to fire around fixed parameters, so they over-alert on stable patients who just run low or high,” said Dr. Rhodes. “By being able to identify patterns in individual patients that signal a change or interaction, eCART is able to have this higher level of precision relative to other tools.”

Dr. Rhodes noted that one of the tool’s biggest advantages is the lead time it provides. On average, eCART identifies signs of patient deterioration about four hours before a critical event, giving clinicians time to intervene. She said that advance notice has become central to how the system is learning to improve its response to patient decline.

“We are saving lives, and we have the data to show that,” Dr. Rhodes said.

Since going live systemwide more than a year ago, Yale New Haven Health has reported a 13% relative decrease in mortality — a 1.2% absolute reduction — with especially notable gains in sepsis-related deaths. 

Unlike some predictive tools that overwhelm clinicians with alerts, eCART typically flags no more than 20 to 30 patients at a time in even the largest hospital. When a patient’s score rises, nurses follow a structured pathway beginning with rechecking vital signs and, if needed, calling in a rapid response team. Each unit receives weekly feedback on how quickly staff respond and complete the pathway, which Dr. Rhodes said has helped standardize care across the system.

“Most new things you ask teams to do are met with resistance because they’re already overwhelmed. What we’ve found with eCART is the opposite — rather than adding to their burden, it helps them focus on the patients who most need attention. The nurses have just embraced this,” she said.

Dr. Rhodes credits not only the technology but the system built around it. 

“AI is the heightened signal. Augmented intelligence is when we build the right processes, structures and teamwork around the tool to really take it to its full potential,” she said. “The tool itself is only step one. It’s the steps we built around it that got us to this state.”

Looking ahead, Yale New Haven Health is preparing to expand eCART into its children’s hospital for patients ages 2 to 18. While FDA approval covers only adult populations, the health system’s internal data showed statistically significant performance in pediatric patients as well.

The post How Yale New Haven Health uses eCART to support clinicians and patients appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Avera will use $1 million in federal funding to expand its virtual nursing program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s distance learning and telemedicine program awarded Avera $1,017,126 over three years to enhance access to virtual patient care at 28 rural healthcare sites in South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa, according to an Aug. 19 news release shared with Becker’s.

Avera said it will use the funds to deploy virtual nursing models that assign remote staff to nonhands-on tasks, such as patient education, admissions, discharges and safety surveillance. The approach aims to ease staffing shortages by allowing bedside nurses to focus on direct care.

Avera began piloting the model two years ago at Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center in Sioux Falls and Avera St. Mary’s Hospital in Pierre, S.D. The funding will also support additional sites and cover purchases of AI-powered mobile carts, surveillance cameras, Artisight Connect TV Sticks and audiovisual communication tools.

The health system has received 23 USDA grants over the past 15 years to support rural care initiatives. The latest funding extends through August 2027.

The post Avera to expand virtual nursing across rural sites appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

In 2024, Nashville-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s heart transplant team set a world record by performing 174 heart transplants.

One of the leaders behind the record is Kelly Schlendorf, MD. She serves as medical director of Vanderbilt’s adult transplant program alongside Ashish Shah, MD, who serves as the heart transplant program’s surgical director and the Alfred Blalock Endowed Director and chair of the department of cardiac surgery.

Dr. Schlendorf, who is also section chief for heart failure and transplantation, said the health system’s heart transplant success reflects a number of moving parts fitting together seamlessly  to drive the program forward. 

“In order to achieve the volumes that we have over the past few years, there’s really no one person or operation or innovation that makes that happen,” she told Becker’s. “There are individual leaders and thoughtful strategies and innovative technologies that help to make it happen, but it’s really only those things combined with everything else — and ‘everything else’ is a lot — that has allowed for our success.”

Dr. Schlendorf and Dr. Shah oversee a multidisciplinary team of about 150 people per transplant, spanning physicians and surgeons, pharmacists and social workers, financial and organ procurement coordinators, and nursing and operating room staff.

Dr. Schlendorf told Becker’s maintaining a shared vision and purpose, “which is ultimately just to do right by our patients and by the donors and their families who have chosen to give the gift of life,” has allowed the team to be successful. 

In fiscal 2025 — July 2024 to the end of June 2025 — the Vanderbilt team performed 184 heart transplants. 

Those kinds of numbers, Dr. Schlendorf said, are not the result of one star surgeon or one piece of technology. 

“I spend a lot of my time reminding people that there’s a lot more to [transplant programs] than surgery,” she said. “My fantastic surgical colleagues get and deserve a lot of credit, but there are so many other people involved who are deserving of credit, and sometimes I think those people get under-recognized.”

She highlighted the operational commitment required to coordinate each patient’s care as key to the VUMC heart transplant program’s success. 

“One of the things people often forget is that in order to perform a lot of transplants, you have to have patients on your wait list,” she said. “One of the things that we’ve done very successfully on the operational front — which is maybe not so innovative, but rather just speaks to our operational successes — has been developing a really well-oiled machine that we’ve tweaked over and over again during the years to make sure that we: one, identify as many patients as possible with advanced heart failure who need transplant, including patients who live very far from Nashville, Tennessee; two, put them through a pretty exhaustive evaluation as expeditiously as possible to ensure that they’re well enough to undergo transplant and that they’ll be good stewards of a scarce resource; and then finally, most importantly, take care of them during this process, because most of these patients have very advanced heart failure and some of them really are on death’s doorstep.”

That “well-oiled machine” enables Vanderbilt surgeons to develop innovative techniques and organ preservation methods that allow for an expanded donor pool. One method — rapid recovery with extended ultra-oxygenated preservation — flushes the donor heart with a cold oxygenated preservation solution, preserving it for more than four hours and to as many as eight.

The team began using the preservation method in November 2024 and has seen success rates “similar to, if not better than, the existing techniques,” according to a July 17 news release from VUMC. 

“As a program, we’re always looking forward and remaining curious,” Dr. Schlendorf said. “Our goal is to continue to innovate, to push the envelope a little bit, and also just to refuse to accept that just because something has always been done a certain way, that it’s the only way or that it’s the best way.”

The team’s innovation and growth move forward alongside an intensive reflection process, ensuring patient safety and outcomes, which Dr. Schlendorf said the team spends “a lot of time” reviewing and learning from. 

“We try to translate those lessons into action items or improvements in the way that we do things going forward,” she said. “As in any growth setting, we’re looking for ways to be more efficient, but always with patient safety first and foremost in our minds.”

Dr. Schlendorf said her biggest piece of advice for health systems looking to grow their transplant programs is to seek guidance from and visit large-volume centers. She recalls spending a few days with the transplant team at Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai being “hugely helpful.” Years later, Vanderbilt now hosts groups in the same vein. 

Despite the well-oiled operational machine and the dedication to innovation, Dr. Schlendorf said the VUMC heart transplant team was still surprised when it broke the heart transplant world record in 2024, a mark she said the team may surpass in 2025. 

“I think Ash and I would both agree that we’ve just been incredibly lucky in bringing together this amazing group of individuals and a very supportive health system,” she said. “It’s amazing what can happen when you bring together the right group of people with a unified vision. It’s been pretty incredible to be a part of. Of all the hats I wear at Vanderbilt, this is certainly the most rewarding.”

The post The ‘well-oiled machine’ behind VUMC’s record-breaking heart transplant program appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Median hourly base pay for registered nurses varies across states, with RNs in California earning the most, according to SullivanCotter’s “2025 Health Care Staff Compensation Survey Report.”

The survey, released in July, covers nearly 2.5 million healthcare employees across over 2,660 participating organizations, including more than 800,000 individual RNs, licensed practical nurses and nursing managers.

Here is the median per-hour base pay for RNs, by state, according to survey data shared with Becker’s:

Note: States are listed in descending order of pay. Seven states — Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, North Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming — were excluded due to insufficient data.

California — $66.00

Washington — $60.59

Oregon — $57.09

New York — $56.65

Massachusetts — $54.90

New Jersey — $52.69

New Hampshire — $49.57

Rhode Island — $49.34

Idaho — $49.23

Nevada — $47.79

Maine — $47.27

Minnesota — $47.16

Maryland — $46.54

Delaware — $46.43

Arizona — $46.35

Colorado — $46.34

Pennsylvania — $46.32

Illinois — $44.18

Georgia — $44.12

Wisconsin — $43.36

North Carolina — $43.35

New Mexico — $43.19

Missouri — $43.16

Montana — $43.03

Michigan — $42.95

Texas — $42.61

Florida — $42.17

Indiana — $41.68

Utah — $41.45

Ohio — $41.17

Nebraska — $41.13

South Dakota — $40.66

Oklahoma — $40.65

Virginia — $40.59

South Carolina — $39.56

Arkansas — $39.37

Louisiana — $39.30

Kansas — $39.28

Kentucky — $39.24

Tennessee — $38.54

Iowa — $38.00

Alabama — $37.65

Mississippi — $36.92

The post RN median hourly pay, by state appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Patrick Swindle has been appointed CEO of Longview (Texas) Regional Medical Center, effective Sept. 30, according to an Aug. 19 Facebook post from the hospital.

Mr. Swindle has served as CEO of Seton Medical Center Harker Heights (Texas) since 2020 and previously held hospital CEO roles within Tyler-based UT Health East Texas, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Under his leadership at Seton Medical Center, the hospital earned a four-star rating from CMS and “A” grades from The Leapfrog Group, CBS 19 reported Aug. 18.

He will succeed COO Brett Maxfield, who has been serving as interim CEO.

Longview Regional is a 224-bed facility.

The post CEO to exit 1 Texas hospital for another appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has declared the state’s measles outbreak over, marking more than 42 days since the last reported case in any affected county in West Texas. 

Since late January, Texas has confirmed 762 measles cases, the majority of which were children, and reported 99 hospitalizations and two deaths of school-age children who were unvaccinated, according to an Aug. 18 news release from Texas DSHS. 

A third outbreak-related death also occurred in neighboring New Mexico, where a resident of Lea County tested positive for measles after death and had not sought medical care. 

Texas accounted for the most measles cases in the U.S. this year. As of early July, the CDC reported 1,267 measles cases linked to 27 separate outbreaks, nearly five times more than cases reported in 2024. 

Hospitals across the country struggled with managing potential exposure events as unvaccinated individuals with measles sought care. In March, hundreds were potentially exposed at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento after a child visited the emergency department. Additionally, similar exposure incidents occurred in multiple Michigan facilities, prompting urgent contact tracing and public alerts. 

Texas DSHS urged healthcare providers to continue to remain vigilant with outbreaks, citing the global circulation of the virus and noted that additional cases may still appear in the state this year, the release said.

The post West Texas measles outbreak ends appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

The $50 billion rural hospital transformation program that is part of the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act might aim to support rural healthcare, but an Aug. 19 Bloomberg editorial said it amounts to “something of a slush fund.”

The funds, which will allocate the $50 billion over five years to rural healthcare, go toward state grants and not hospitals. 

The opinion piece, written by Bloomberg’s editorial board, said although half the funds will go to states that submit a rural healthcare “transformation” plan, the rest will be distributed at the federal government’s discretion. By not requiring funds to go directly to hospitals, the program opens the door for subsidies to instead flow to technology vendors and other health-related projects at a time when rural healthcare is particularly vulnerable.

“Although grants are required to support ‘health-related activities,’ everything from ‘technology-driven solutions for the prevention and management of chronic disease’ to ‘remote monitoring robotics’ and ‘technical assistance’ can qualify,” the editorial board said. “The law includes no provision for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to publish their rationale for distributing grants.”

Around 200 rural hospitals have closed since 2005, with smaller facilities most at risk. While urban hospitals are also at risk of closure, net rural facility closures outpace them 4-to-1. Rural hospitals also face mounting challenges such as low patient volumes, high fixed costs and lower Medicaid reimbursement rates. 

Medicaid covers about one-quarter of rural patients, outpacing the rates seen in urban areas. Looming Medicaid cuts from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could worsen already thin margins. 

“Providing costly services to fewer patients wouldn’t be a problem if such hospitals were well compensated,” the editorial board said. “But with Medicaid paying 88 cents on the dollar, reimbursement is a challenge and the BBB cuts will make things worse.”

While the rural hospital transformation program might not be the savior many struggling facilities need, Congress did introduce the “rural emergency hospital” designation in 2020, which gives lump-sum payments to offset fixed costs. REH designation participation has been limited due to restrictions on inpatient services and eligibility for other federal programs, but it has picked up speed in certain areas across the country.

In late July, Greenville, N.C.-based ECU Health signed a nonbinding letter of intent with Martin County (N.C.) to tackle rural healthcare challenges in the area. The news came after ECU Health shared plans in late May to reopen Williamston, N.C.-based Martin General Hospital as the state’s first REH. 

“We’re advocating for investment from the state in terms of capital and changes to how the rural emergency hospital is reimbursed for Medicaid,” ECU Health CFO Andy Zukowski said during a “Becker’s CFO + Revenue Cycle Podcast” episode. “This rural emergency hospital will [also] be part of a broader system of care that includes a proposed expansion of a hospital and close proximity that would allow us to have inpatient capacity to transfer patients from the rural emergency hospital when needed.”

The Bloomberg editorial board argued that moving forward, unless the rural hospital transformation program is reserved for the most at-risk facilities and paired with structural reforms, it risks becoming a loosely defined initiative rather than a rural care access lifeline. 

“Now that Congress has appropriated the $50 billion, taxpayers’ best hope is that CMS spends it wisely,” the editorial board said. “Directing assistance to the hospitals that need it — and imposing reforms that address the reasons they’re failing — would be a good place to start.”

The post $50B rural health fund not a cure-all for hospitals: Bloomberg appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Here are 10 healthcare billing fraud cases that Becker’s has reported since July 17:

1. A Maryland physician and his practice were ordered to pay $1.4 million for fraudulently billing Medicare.

2. A Houston physician agreed to pay more than $2 million to resolve allegations that he submitted fraudulent claims to federally funded healthcare programs for implantation of neurostimulator electrodes.

3. Two individuals pleaded guilty to a multi-year fraud scheme that used data stolen from hospital patients to file false claims for pandemic-related relief funds.

4. The CEO and medical director of Fast Lab Technologies were charged with allegedly orchestrating a $500 million scheme to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, TriCare and other insurers by billing for COVID-19 testing services that were never provided. 

5. Two individuals, the former CEO of two El Paso, Texas-based long-term acute care hospitals and the owner of one of them, voluntarily surrendered to the FBI after they were formally indicted on charges of wire fraud involving healthcare billing.

6. A federal jury convicted a nurse practitioner for her role in a $12.1 scheme to defraud Medicare by ordering medically unnecessary cancer genetic tests for hundreds of patients she never met or examined.

7. A Florida man was sentenced to 17½ years in prison for his role in a fraud scheme that submitted more than $10.8 million in fraudulent claims for durable medical equipment to Medicare.

8. A physician in Kingsport, Tenn.,was accused of healthcare benefit fraud, making false statements and unlawfully distributing controlled substances

9. An internist in Fair Lawn, N.J., was charged with unlawfully distributing opioids, soliciting sexual favors from patients and defrauding New Jersey Medicaid.

10. A Las Vegas nurse practitioner pleaded guilty to participating in a healthcare fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary amniotic wound allografts in exchange for kickbacks

The post Healthcare billing fraud: 10 recent cases  appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

St. Paul, Minn.-based Fairview Health Services reported its first operating profit in six years last year, solidifying a $600 million turnaround in two years. How did they do it?

“We’ve really focused on building a culture of resiliency,” said Joe Gaylord, executive vice president and CFO of Fairview, in a recent episode of the “Becker’s Healthcare Podcast.” “We’ve built the engines within organizationally, we have a transformation office that’s incredibly effective, and we know how to identify those key levers, those key projects that have the biggest impact, whether that be on patients or the community or our financials. We feel great about our ability to adjust and react to whatever might come our way and respond.”

Nearly every business unit across the health system contributed to the financial turnaround, which didn’t come at the expense of patient care. During the same period, Fairview improved quality, patient experience and employee engagement scores. And they’re just getting started.

“We’re continuing our turnaround and building a great workforce that can respond to all the changes coming our way,” said Mr. Gaylord. “We are maintaining our work, operational discipline and workforce discipline. We’ve seen our nursing vacancies go down 83%, turnover’s down 36%, and those key things are really what help drive us forward.”

The stable workforce is important for the health system to continue its turnaround. When the organization has consistent full-time team members, they rely less on the transitory workforce, which can be expensive and challenging for hospital culture.

“Patients are having a more consistent experience, and we’re delivering better outcomes,” said Mr. Gaylord. “That’s critical to us and it doesn’t happen by accident. The focus on our staff and identifying key areas where we need to recruit, shortening the time for onboarding, making sure we’re plugging into things that matter to our employees to improve retention have all contributed to the financial turnaround.”

With the workforce stabilizing, Mr. Gaylord and his team can turn to patient access and capacity management. He said the organization is looking at programs to “keep the precious hospital beds available for folks that need it most.” Hospitals across the nation are leveraging technology, data analytics and remote patient monitoring to ensure patients have a safe recovery space while reserving inpatient beds for the sickest patients.

“[These efforts] also extend to access to specialty clinics or primary care clinics, and making sure wait times are as short as they can be, and that experience is terrific for folks,” said Mr. Gaylord. “In addition to that, we have a big focus on our specialty pharmacy business.”

Fairview created a separate business unit, Fairview Pharmacy Solutions, to integrate whole-care delivery, which has had a “tremendous impact” on the system’s success, said Mr. Gaylord. The Fairview pharmacists play an active role in patient care, ensuring access to medications for better outcomes and lower costs. Payers have noticed those results as well, and Fairview is beginning to help other systems build similar programs.

The innovation doesn’t stop there. Fairview designed an empath unit to serve patients who arrive at the emergency department while going through a mental health crisis.

“They can go to a much more conducive setting and get the care they need,” said Mr. Gaylord. “This keeps them out of the ED and inpatient admissions, and we have a better outcome for them throughout.”

The post Fairview’s $600M financial turnaround, explained appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Clinical workflows continue to be a major source of inefficiency and frustration for nurses. Documentation, admissions, and medication reconciliation often remain manual, time-consuming and prone to error, even as technology advances in other parts of care delivery. Chief nursing informatics officers told Becker’s that rethinking these processes with tools such as AI, automation and ambient listening could reduce administrative burden, improve accuracy and give time back to the bedside.

Becker’s asked chief nursing informatics officers: What’s one clinical workflow you believe is overdue for a tech-enabled overhaul?

Aruna Jagdeo, BSN, RN. Chief Nursing Informatics Officer, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital (St. Petersburg, Fla.): Patient education documentation needs a complete overhaul. Having staff go to a separate area to chart outside of their normal workflow is challenging when they must prioritize what needs to get done. In the ideal world, AI could assist with educational documentation, taking a lot of burden and regulatory risks off the RN. Education happens throughout the shift, and I’m hoping ambient listening technology can eventually capture and document this on behalf of the nurse.

Amanda Klopp, DNP,, RN. Associate CIO and CNIO, TMC Health (Tucson, Ariz.): Medication reconciliation in most organizations is still a clunky, error-prone, semi-manual process. Even with integrated pharmacy refill history, med rec is far from solved — fill data doesn’t equal patient usage, there are data gaps and delays, and inaccuracies like duplicates and outdated doses. A tech-enabled version that pulls all possible sources of medication data, automatically flags discrepancies, uses AI-powered prompts to detect omissions, and generates a clean list for verification could turn a 20- to 30-minute, high-error-rate process into a five-minute, high-accuracy one. Other workflows overdue for development include discharge education, follow-up, and nursing supply and equipment requests.

Cathy Patterson, MSN, RN. Executive Director and CNIO, Banner Health (Phoenix): The shift report is long overdue for a tech-enabled overhaul. Imagine if AI could generate automated summaries that detail the care delivered, highlight care still needed, and identify barriers to discharge. It could also flag missed care that is crucial for harm prevention — like overlooked fall risk assessments or delayed pain checks. Predictive insights could support discharge readiness and resource planning, streamlining handoffs and improving care coordination.

R. Jared Houck, RN. CNIO, Roper St. Francis Healthcare(Charleston, S.C.): Many hospitals still rely on manual sampling for audits like hand hygiene or central line care, which provides only a partial view of compliance. Video- and sensor-based AI can move us to continuous, 100% observation while shifting compliance from a punitive process to a real-time performance-support tool. Immediate prompts, transparent trend data, and workflow integration can help staff self-correct in the moment, improving safety and sustaining compliance without eroding trust. Nursing care plans are also long overdue for a tech-enabled overhaul. In most organizations, they’ve become disconnected end-of-shift documentation with limited clinical value. Integrated, dynamic, AI-enabled tools could transform them into living resources that guide actions, support collaboration, and improve patient outcomes.

Anita Harris-Brown, DNP,, RN. Vice President, IS Clinical Applications & CNIO, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (Ohio): Medication reconciliation is a critical process in ensuring patient safety, but it can be tedious and time-consuming. Current manual methods are prone to errors, and the lack of a streamlined, tech-enabled solution often leads to discrepancies and inefficiencies. Imagine a system where medication information is automatically updated and reconciled across all platforms — from the pharmacy to the hospital to the patient’s electronic health record. This would reduce the burden on healthcare professionals and significantly improve outcomes.

Karen Hunter, DNP, RN. CNIO, Adventist Health (Roseville, Calif.): One workflow overdue for a tech-enabled overhaul is capturing and integrating vital signs in acute care. Even today, readings are often delayed or manually entered, creating risk for error. Emerging technologies can now capture vitals without touching the patient — using computer vision, radar, or thermal imaging — and send them straight to the EHR in real time. This would reduce cognitive burden, speed decisions, and help clinicians act sooner on signs of deterioration.

Marc Perkins-Carrillo, MSN, RN. CNIO, Moffitt Cancer Center (Tampa, Fla.): Nursing documentation remains one of the most significant contributors to clinician burnout. The current EHR-driven process forces nurses into a rigid, click-heavy environment that detracts from patient care. Ambient listening technology could capture real-time conversations and care activities, then structure that data into compliant documentation. This would reduce the burden and enhance accuracy and timeliness, allowing nurses to focus on patient care.

Michelle Charles, DNP, RN-BC. SVP, CNIO and Virtual Care, Parkview Health (Fort Wayne, Ind.): Revolutionizing patient admissions and clinical documentation is long overdue. Digitizing admissions with integrated EHRs and an AI-driven chatbot could normalize data collection and reduce errors. Augmenting documentation with voice recognition AI tools could also eliminate administrative burden and enable providers to focus more on patient care.

Erin Langmead, MSN, RN-BC. CNIO, Eisenhower Health (Rancho Mirage, Calif.):

Nursing documentation represents a critical workflow overdue for transformation, as it consumes disproportionate time and detracts from direct patient care. AI-powered ambient documentation systems with voice recognition technology could reduce manual entry and enable real-time capture, even across third-party technologies. This would decrease burden while allowing nurses to focus on patients.

Lisa Stephenson, MSN, RN. CNIO, Cedars-Sinai (Los Angeles): I am motivated by the current, rapid infusion of technology into nursing workflows that decrease documentation burden. One area I’d love to see focus on is nursing care plans, which can drive interventions across the continuum of care. Incorporating patient-centered goals and social drivers of health would bring this information together in a meaningful way, telling the patient’s story and impacting outcomes.
Nancy J. Beale, PhD, RN. Vice President, Clinical Informatics and CNIO, Catholic Health (Buffalo, N.Y.): If I had to identify a single workflow with room for improvement, it’s IV smart pump interoperability with the EHR. There is great complexity and variation in pump operation and how it integrates with records. When a nurse is caring for highly complex patients with multiple IV lines, this interoperability must be as streamlined and bulletproof as possible.

The post The clinical workflows CNIOs say are overdue for tech change appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

While many CEOs are mandating artificial intelligence use across their organizations, some executives have yet to integrate the tools into their daily work, The New York Times reported Aug. 16.

Younger employees tend to have greater comfort with AI and new technologies. Those early in their career typically do more tasks that are well-suited for automation, while senior executives’ schedules are dominated by meetings and approvals, often making them slower to experiment, the Times reported.

Some CEOs are pushing peers to close the gap. For example, CEOs have encouraged senior executives to use Google’s Gemini before defaulting to a standard Google search, according to the Times.

Seventy-seven percent of CEOs view AI as transformative for business, but only 44% said their chief information officers are equipped to navigate the digital landscape, according to a survey of 456 CEOs released in May. An April survey of 400 healthcare executives found 95% expect generative AI to transform the industry.

At hospitals and health systems, CEOs are integrating AI into administrative workflows, including revenue cycle and supply chain, while creating standards to ensure it does not replace critical thinking in leadership. 

“Either be afraid and paralyzed by the pace of AI growth, or they can lean into it and be very disciplined about what they use and what they don’t use,” Bob Riney, president and CEO of Detroit-based Henry Ford Health, told Becker’s of the decision organizations must make regarding AI adoption. “But then make sure, once they’re using something and it’s working well, it becomes the standard — as opposed to a whole disparate approach.”

The post The C-suite’s AI learning curve: Why some CEOs are playing catch-up appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Megan Gillespie, DNP, RN, has been named CEO of Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Medical Center.

Dr. Gillespie has spent nearly 25 years in healthcare leadership roles, most recently as CEO of Sutter Santa Rosa (Calif.) Regional Hospital. She stepped into that position in October 2023, where she led measurable improvements in patient satisfaction and safety outcomes. 

At the helm of Santa Rosa Regional, Dr. Gillespie championed initiatives to enhance care access by partnering closely with physicians and frontline teams to identify bottlenecks and improve service lines such as women’s health and emergency care, she said in a 2023 interview with Becker’s. 

Prior to joining Sacramento-based Sutter Health, she served as vice president and chief nurse at Advocate Health Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Ill. 

In her new role, Dr. Gillespie will work closely with Sutter Medical Center’s chief medical executive, Phillip Yu, MD, on efforts to advance patient care, according to an Aug. 18 LinkedIn post announcing her appointment. 

The post Sutter Medical Center taps nurse CEO  appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Tech companies are accelerating their push into healthcare, unveiling new AI tools aimed at everything from documenting patient visits to supporting medical care in space.

Here’s a look at recent moves by tech giants expanding their footprint in healthcare AI:

• Google and NASA are collaborating on a new AI-powered tool aimed at enabling autonomous medical care for astronauts during extended space missions, including future journeys to the Moon and Mars.
• OpenAI on Aug. 7 released GPT-5, its latest AI model, which the company said offers major improvements in answering health-related questions. The model outperformed previous versions on HealthBench, a benchmark that uses real-world scenarios and physician-defined criteria. OpenAI said GPT-5 is designed to act as a thought partner, helping users understand their health, ask informed questions and prepare for conversations with medical providers. The tool can also tailor responses based on a user’s context, knowledge level and location, according to the company.
• Microsoft chair and CEO Satya Nadella stated that the company had a “breakout” fiscal 2025 for the use of its Dragon Copilot (aka DAX), which ambiently listens to patient visits and drafts clinical notes for the EHR. According to the company, healthcare customers employed the tool to document over 13 million patient encounters.
• Google Cloud worked with Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare to develop a tool called Nurse Handoff. The tool integrates with EHRs and uses Google’s MedLM models to generate concise, AI-assisted shift summaries. It is currently being tested in five hospitals within the HCA system.

The post Tech giants accelerate push into healthcare with AI appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

In a departure from the CDC’s recommendations, the American Academy of Pediatrics said all children between 6 months and 2 years old should receive a COVID-19 vaccine for the 2025-26 virus season. 

The AAP released the recommendations Aug. 19. They differ from the CDC’s guidance published in May, which advises “shared clinical decision-making” between the clinician and parent or patient who is not immunocompromised and is 6 months to 17 years old. The AAP also recommends children ages 2-18 who are in certain risk groups receive the vaccine.

Since 1995, the AAP has synced its guidance with the CDC, with minor differences emerging occasionally, such as starting age recommendations for the HPV vaccine. This year’s guidance is the first substantial departure from the CDC’s vaccine recommendations in the last 30 years, according to ABC News. 

The AAP also recommends thimerosal be included in flu vaccines, a preservative the CDC has voted to remove in vaccine formulations.

The post Pediatrics group breaks with CDC on COVID vaccine guidance appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

AstraZeneca has issued its flu vaccine nasal spray for at-home use. 

The nasal spray is authorized for use by adults ages 18-49 and for caregiver use with children ages 2-17, according to an Aug. 15 news release from the drugmaker. FluMist was initially approved by the FDA in 2003 and is the first seasonal influenza vaccine authorized for at-home use, the company said. 

Ordering FluMist online begins with a medical screening questionnaire reviewed by a licensed healthcare provider, and the service is covered by most commercial insurance plans with a shipping fee of $8.99, CNN reported Aug. 15. 

The CDC reported that the most recent flu season was the most severe since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, and the new at-home option is intended to increase vaccine accessibility, the release said. 

The post AstraZeneca launches 1st at-home flu vaccine appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Epic is rolling out MyChart Central, a new patient-focused login system enabling individuals to access health records from multiple participating providers using a single Epic ID.

Epic made the announcement via its official X account on Aug. 15.

“One way we’re simplifying patient access to health information goes live this week, starting with four organizations: MyChart Central. With it, patients will get a single login to access their health information from providers they’ve visited. MyChart Central also makes it easy for patients to share their records with different health apps, too,” the EHR vendor wrote on X. 

According to Epic’s website, MyChart Central serves as a patient-centered hub that allows users to manage care across multiple organizations under one login—an Epic ID. That credential grants centralized access to their MyChart portal accounts across different health systems.

The post Epic to roll out MyChart Central appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Parkview Health rolled out its “Virtual Single Patient Record” system, an isolated recovery environment developed with health tech company CareEvolution. The platform enables clinicians to access a read-only patient record when the primary electronic medical record or hospital network is offline.

The fully isolated system was designed to provide digital resilience without the high costs typically associated with high-availability infrastructure, according to an Aug. 18 Parkview news release. The cloud-based repository includes full patient history and near real-time data synchronization from Epic, hosted in an independent FISMA-moderate environment.

The system works across devices, including smartphones over LTE, and relies on a serverless, cloud-native model that can scale instantly or hibernate when idle. Ron Double, CIO of Parkview Health, said the tool allows clinicians to retrieve patient information “even if the unthinkable happens and most systems are down.”

The investment aligns with research estimating that a single hospital cyberattack can cost $11 million, while prolonged EHR downtime has been linked to a 20% increase in 30-day mortality rates for some patients, according to the release. The system is now active across all Parkview Health locations.

The post Parkview Health launches AI-powered backup system for patient records appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

New York City-based Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center reported an operating loss of $113.2 million for the first half of 2025, citing rising expenses and one-time costs related to its Epic EHR implementation.

The center said in an Aug. 15 news release that its operating cash flow margin was 1.4%. The organization attributed the shortfall to higher medical supply and pharmaceutical expenses, along with investments tied to the Feb. 1 Epic go-live.

Memorial Sloan Kettering described Epic as a “cornerstone” of its digital modernization strategy, expected to improve patient satisfaction, operational efficiency and revenue cycle performance. As with other hospitals adopting new EHR systems, the cancer center saw a temporary decline in patient activity in February and March following the launch.

Despite the costs, operating revenue grew 5.2% year-over-year, including a 3.9% increase in patient revenue. Patient activity rebounded in the second quarter, with growth across key service areas, according to the release.

Operating expenses climbed 9.7%, partly due to Epic-related costs. The institution said it continues to seek efficiency measures while focusing on access, discipline and its mission-driven programs.

The post Epic launch contributes to Memorial Sloan Kettering’s $113M shortfall appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health has named Christina Slemp system vice president of revenue cycle – financial services, according to a post on her LinkedIn page. 

Ms. Slemp joins from Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems, where she served as vice president of revenue cycle. 

“Over the course of my career, I’ve been fortunate to work alongside incredible teams, tackle complex challenges, and make a meaningful impact in healthcare operations,” Ms. Slemp said in the post. “This next step with UNC Health represents not only a new role, but also an opportunity to contribute to an organization whose mission and values align deeply with my own.”

The post UNC Health names revenue cycle VP from CHS appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Here are 21 health systems that recently had their outlooks upgraded by Fitch Ratings or Moody’s Investors Service in 2025.

Note: This is not an exhaustive list. Health systems were compiled from credit rating reports.

Boston Children’s Hospital’s outlook was revised to stable from negative by Moody’s. The revision reflects a modest improvement in operating performance and the likelihood that margins will continue to strengthen to roughly 4%-6% in fiscal 2025, Moody’s said. Boston Children’s has an “Aa2” rating with the agency.

Broward Health’s outlook was revised to positive from stable by Fitch. The revision highlights the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based system’s strategic initiatives to expand service lines and improve access via outpatient sites, Fitch said. Broward has an “A+” rating with the agency. 

Butler (Pa.) Health System’s outlook was revised to stable from negative by Moody’s. The revision reflects Moody’s assessment that Butler’s parent company, Independence Health System, will continue on a path of improved operating performance and maintain sufficient days of cash on hand. It also reflects that Butler will meet its covenant requirements. The system has a “Baa3” rating with Moody’s. 

Cooper University Health Care’s outlook was revised to positive from stable by Moody’s. The revision reflects the Camden, N.J.-based system’s maintenance of high single-digit operating cash flow margins and strong liquidity, despite significantly increased capital spending, Moody’s said. Cooper has an “A3” rating with the agency.   

DCH Health Care’s outlook was revised to stable from negative by Moody’s. The revision reflects the likelihood that the Tuscaloosa, Ala.-based system’s recent operating improvements are sustainable, Moody’s said. DCH Health Care has a “Baa1” rating with the agency. 

Essentia Health’s outlook was revised to positive from stable by Fitch. The revision reflects the Duluth, Minn.-based system’s operational improvement in fiscal 2024 and 2025 following periods of margin compression, Fitch said. Essentia has an “A-” rating with the agency. 

EvergreenHealth’s outlook was revised to stable from negative by Moody’s. The revision reflects the Kirkland, Wash.-based system’s reduced enterprise risk as hospital operations continue to strengthen, Moody’s said. EvergreenHealth has an “Aa3” rating with Moody’s.

Hunterdon Medical Center’s outlook was revised to stable from negative by Fitch. The revision is based on the Flemington, N.J.-based system’s improved cash flow that reflects strategic growth initiatives and operating efficiencies that have been implemented in recent years, Fitch said. Hunterdon has an “A+” rating with Fitch.  

Hutchinson (Kan.) Regional Medical Center’s outlook was revised to stable from negative by Moody’s. The revision reflects improving financial performance, with break-even to slightly positive cash flow expected in fiscal 2025, Moody’s said. Hutchinson has a “Baa2” rating with the agency.

Hurley Medical Center’s outlook was upgraded to positive from stable by Moody’s. The revision reflects Flint, Mich.-based medical center’s stronger volumes and favorable changes to Michigan’s Medicaid-directed payment program, Moody’s said. Hurley has a “Ba1” rating with the agency. 

Kettering (Ohio) Health’s outlook was upgraded to positive from stable by Moody’s. The revision reflects the likelihood that the system will maintain strong liquidity as it increases capital spending, backed by high single-digit operating cash flow margins, Moody’s said. Kettering has an “A2” rating with the agency.  

Mary Washington Healthcare’s outlook was revised to positive from stable by Fitch. The revision reflects Fitch’s view that the Fredericksburg, Va.-based system is well positioned to generate robust cash flow, absorb additional debt and build unrestricted cash and investments. Mary Washington has an “A” rating with the agency.

Miami Jewish Health Systems’ outlook was revised to stable from negative by Fitch. The revision reflects the system’s improved performance over the last two years, which has enabled MJHS to meet its debt service coverage and days cash on hand covenants in fiscal 2024, Fitch said. Miami Jewish has a “BB+” rating with the agency.

Nuvance Health’s outlook was revised to stable from negative by Moody’s. The revision reflects the Danbury, Conn.-based system’s improved financial performance, which Moody’s believes will be sustainable. Nuvance’s merger with New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health will provide additional financial resources to expand its market capture, Moody’s said. The system has a “Baa3” rating with the agency. 

Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s rating was upgraded to positive from stable by Moody’s. The revision reflects the likelihood that the system’s expansion strategies will continue to drive good cashflow and liquidity growth, Moody’s said. Phoenix Children’s has an “A1” rating with Moody’s. 

Rex Healthcare’s outlook was upgraded to positive from stable by Fitch. The revision reflects Fitch’s expectation that the Raleigh, N.C.-based system’s operating performance will continue to improve over the medium term. Rex has an “A+” rating with the agency. 

San Antonio Regional Hospital’s outlook was revised to positive from stable by Moody’s. The revision reflects that the Upland, Calif.-based hospital has maintained strong operating cash flow of around 8%, Moody’s said. The hospital has a “Baa1” rating with Moody’s. 

Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital’s outlook was upgraded to positive from stable by Moody’s. The revision reflects the health system’s integration of three new hospitals in 2024 while meeting budget, Moody’s said. Tampa General Hospital has a “Baa1” rating with the agency. 

Texas Medical Center’s outlook was revised to positive from stable by Moody’s. The revision reflects the Houston-based system’s continued exceptional operating performance and liquidity relative to operations, Moody’s said. Texas Medical Center has an “A1” rating with the agency. 

UC Health’s outlook was upgraded to positive from stable by Moody’s. The revision reflects the Cincinnati-based system’s growing cash flow and liquidity from improvement initiatives, bond proceeds and strong management execution, Moody’s said. UC Health has a “Baa3” rating with the agency.  

Wayne Healthcare’s outlook was revised to positive from stable by Fitch. The revision reflects the Greenville, Ohio-based hospital’s June 2024 conversion to a critical access hospital, Fitch said. Wayne Healthcare has a “BB+” rating with the agency. 

The post 21 health systems with boosted outlooks appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.