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Sayre, Pa.-based Guthrie has improved patient safety and its financial outlook since launching a virtual care center in 2023.

The Guthie Pulse Center has saved the six-hospital system millions of dollars while reducing time spent in the emergency department by over two hours per admitted patient.

“The Guthrie Pulse Center is transforming how we deliver care by enhancing safety, supporting caregivers and expanding access to clinical expertise,” Guthrie President and CEO Edmund Sabanegh, MD, said in a December news release.

The facility’s AI-powered remote care model embeds virtual nurses, physicians and care coordinators with bedside staff, cutting patient falls with major injury by 87%. U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., included expansion funding for the center in his fiscal year 2026 appropriations requests.

The post Guthrie cuts patient falls by 87% with virtual care appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD, has moved quickly to advance President Donald Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. The push comes after President Trump this summer signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a sweeping package of reforms targeting Medicaid, Medicare and the ACA marketplace.

From plans to close a Medicaid funding “loophole” to probing hospitals over gender care for minors and clamping down on states using federal Medicaid funds to treat undocumented migrants, here are 20 key actions CMS has taken since Dr. Oz was confirmed as administrator:

Editor’s note: This is not an exhaustive list.

1. CMS plans to add prior authorization for some traditional fee-for-service Medicare services as part of its newly launched Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction model. The agency said it will work with companies specializing in AI and machine learning to test ways to improve and expedite prior authorization for services including epidural steroid injections, cervical fusion, arthroscopy for knee osteoarthritis and skin and tissue substitutes. The news came one week after the wider insurance industry announced reforms that aim to reduce and streamline prior authorization processes across commercial, Medicare Advantage and managed Medicaid plans.

2. CMS finalized a rule shortening the open enrollment period on the ACA exchange and tightening eligibility verification. The changes will lower individual premiums by about 5% on average and save about $12 billion in 2026 by reducing improper enrollments, according to CMS. The agency estimated as many as 5 million people may have improperly enrolled in ACA plans “enabled by weakened verification process and expanded premium subsidies.”

“CMS is restoring integrity to ACA Exchanges by cracking down on fraud, protecting American taxpayer dollars, and ensuring coverage is there for those who truly need it,” Dr. Oz said in a news release. “This is about putting patients first, stopping exploitation of the system, and realigning the program with the values of personal responsibility and fiscal discipline.”

3. CMS aims to close what it describes as a Medicaid tax “loophole” that some states have used to increase federal payments while limiting their own financial contributions. CMS said the proposal is intended to ensure federal Medicaid dollars support “vulnerable populations” rather than other state programs, including coverage for undocumented immigrants. The rule would: 

• Ban states from taxing Medicaid business at higher rates than non-Medicaid business
• Prevent the use of ambiguous language to obscure Medicaid-specific taxes
• Continue statistical testing while introducing additional safeguards to deter system manipulation; and
• Implement a phased transition timeline based on the duration of existing waivers.

“States are gaming the system — creating complex tax schemes that shift their responsibility to invest in Medicaid and rob federal taxpayers,” Dr. Oz said. “This proposed rule stops the shell game and ensures federal Medicaid dollars go where they’re needed most — to pay for health care for vulnerable Americans who rely on this program, not to plug state budget holes or bankroll benefits for noncitizens.”

4. The agency is ramping up oversight to prevent states from “misusing” Medicaid funds to cover care for undocumented immigrants. While federal Medicaid dollars are generally limited to emergency services for “noncitizens with unsatisfactory immigration status” who meet specific eligibility criteria, CMS argues that some states have expanded benefits beyond what is permitted — shifting additional costs to federal taxpayers.

“Medicaid is not, and cannot be, a backdoor pathway to subsidize open borders,” Dr. Oz said. “States have a duty to uphold the law and protect taxpayer funds. We are putting them on notice — CMS will not allow federal dollars to be diverted to cover those who are not lawfully eligible.”

5. CMS finalized its Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System rule for 2026, phasing out Medicare’s inpatient-only list over three years. The agency will remove 285 procedures — largely musculoskeletal — from the inpatient-only list and add 289 procedures to the ASC covered procedures list in 2026, while allowing payment in hospital outpatient departments when clinically appropriate. CMS also continued certain two-midnight policy-related medical review exemptions for procedures removed from the inpatient-only list and increased outpatient payment rates by 2.6% for hospitals that meet quality-reporting requirements.

For 2026, CMS will apply the hospital market basket update to ASC payment rates and continue studying the migration of outpatient procedures, an effort extended during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The rule also aligns payment rates for certain services delivered in hospital outpatient departments and off-campus facilities to advance site-neutral payments and reduce higher patient copays based solely on care location.

Ashley Thompson, senior vice president of public policy analysis and development for the American Hospital Association, said the policies ignore the complex needs of hospital outpatient department patients and widen financial strain. “The AHA is disappointed that CMS has finalized cuts to hospital and health system services, including those in rural and underserved communities,” Ms. Thompson said in a Nov. 21 statement. “Combined with its continued inadequate market basket updates, the agency is exacerbating the challenging financial pressures under which hospitals are operating to serve their patients and communities.”

6. CMS on July 31 finalized its fiscal year 2026 Inpatient Prospective Payment System and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System rule, setting a 2.6% Medicare payment increase for acute care hospitals and a 2.7% increase for long-term care hospitals. 

CMS also revised the IPPS operating and capital market baskets to a 2023 base year, set the national labor-related share at 66% and finalized plans to end the low wage index hospital policy, replacing it with a narrow, budget-neutral transitional exception for affected hospitals in 2026.

The final rule also includes updates to the Transforming Episode Accountability Model, a five-year mandatory program beginning Jan. 1, 2026, that requires selected hospitals to manage costs and quality for certain surgical episodes through 30 days post-discharge. Changes to the model include incorporating patient-reported outcomes, refining target pricing and expanding post-acute care access through a broader skilled nursing facility waiver.

7. CMS’ final rule for 2026 Medicare payments under the physician fee schedule establishes two separate conversion factors for reimbursement. The agency will apply one conversion factor for qualified practitioners participating in advanced alternative-payment models and another for non-QP clinicians. Under the final rule, the QP conversion factor will rise 3.77% to $33.57, while the non-QP conversion factor will increase 3.26% to $33.40. CMS said the updates reflect statutory increases of 0.75% for QPs and 0.25% for non-QPs, a one-year 2.5% boost required by the OBBBA, and a 0.49% adjustment tied to finalized changes in work relative value units for certain services.

8. CMS finalized multiple changes to the Medicare Shared Savings Program under the physician fee schedule rule, including limiting how long ACOs can remain in one-sided risk under the BASIC track to five performance years during an ACO’s first agreement period beginning in 2027. The change is intended to accelerate movement into two-sided risk models and strengthen accountability.

The agency also increased flexibility around the program’s 5,000-beneficiary minimum requirement starting in 2027 and removed the health equity adjustment from ACO quality scores beginning in performance year 2026, among other quality and reporting updates.

9. CMS on June 3 withdrew a 2022 guidance issued under the Biden administration that reinforced hospitals’ obligations to provide emergency abortion care under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act.. The move effectively removes federal protections for clinicians who offer such care in states where abortion is restricted or banned.

The original guidance, issued in July 2022 shortly after the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade, clarified that clinicians treating pregnant patients in emergency departments — including providing abortions — were protected under EMTALA, regardless of conflicting state laws. Enacted in 1986, EMTALA requires Medicare-participating hospitals to provide appropriate emergency care to all patients.

Although the guidance has been withdrawn, CMS said it will continue to enforce EMTALA in cases where the health of a pregnant woman or her unborn child is at risk.

10. CMS proposed two new payment models to curb Medicare drug spending by tying reimbursement to international price benchmarks: the Guiding and Reducing Drug Spending model, or GUARD, for Medicare Part D and the Global Benchmarking for Part B Drugs model, or GLOBE, for Medicare Part B drugs. Under the proposals, Medicare payments for certain high-expenditure drugs would be benchmarked against prices paid in economically comparable countries, an approach CMS said is designed to lower inflated domestic costs, improve access to critical medications and reduce financial strain on beneficiaries. 

11. CMS plans to open applications in 2026 for the Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions model, or ACCESS, to test whether linking recurring payments to outcomes expands the use of digital tools for chronic disease management. CMS said the model will include tracks focused on cardiometabolic risk, cardio-kidney-metabolic disease, chronic pain and behavioral health conditions.

12. CMS announced the voluntary Better Approaches to Lifestyle and Nutrition for Comprehensive hEalth model, or BALANCE, focused on GLP-1 drugs. CMS said the model would negotiate reduced prices with manufacturers for state Medicaid programs and Medicare Part D plans and pair drug access with no-cost lifestyle support programs. CMS said weight-loss coverage would begin in May 2026 for Medicaid and January 2027 for Medicare Part D, with a bridge program enabling earlier Part D access. CMS asked interested participants to respond by Jan. 8, 2026. The initiative follows the White House’s recent agreements with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to apply most-favored-nation pricing to drugs used to treat obesity, diabetes and related conditions.

13. The agency will launch its long-term enhanced accountable care organization design model, or LEAD, at the end of 2026, after the conclusion of the ACO Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health model, or REACH. The initiative builds on CMS’ broader goal of placing all traditional Medicare beneficiaries in an accountable care relationship by 2030 and is intended to expand participation beyond the current ACO REACH program. CMS said LEAD is intended to be more inclusive of smaller, rural and independent practices and to improve risk adjustment and benchmarking for high-needs patients.

14. CMS on Dec. 15 published 24 quality and efficiency measures under consideration for adoption across Medicare programs as part of its pre-rulemaking process. The agency uses the process to gather stakeholder input before proposing measures in future rules, with public comments open through Jan. 6.

Of the 24 measures, eight are currently in use but include substantial specification changes, while two are being considered for expansion into additional Medicare programs. Most measures rely exclusively on digital data sources, aligning with CMS’ interoperability goals, and focus heavily on chronic conditions, patient safety, person-centered care and care coordination. The hospital inpatient quality reporting program and the hospital value-based purchasing program account for the largest number of measures resubmitted due to specification updates.

15. CMS is investigating an undisclosed number of hospitals that provide gender-confirming care  to minors. In a May 28 letter to “select hospitals,” Dr. Oz said CMS is seeking details on informed consent practices, clinical guidelines, documentation of adverse outcomes and financial information tied to such care.

“These are irreversible, high-risk procedures being conducted on vulnerable children, often at taxpayer expense,” Dr. Oz said. “Hospitals accepting federal funds are expected to meet rigorous quality standards and uphold the highest level of stewardship when it comes to public resources — we will not turn a blind eye to procedures that lack a solid foundation of evidence and may result in lifelong harm.”

16. CMS issued updated hospital price transparency guidance requiring hospitals to publicly post actual prices — not estimates — for items and services. CMS also proposed updates to insurer and health plan transparency requirements, including reorganizing and simplifying data files, reducing reporting frequency from monthly to quarterly and strengthening consumer-facing price comparison tools. The proposal would also update disclosures under the No Surprises Act.

17. CMS on April 4 published its final rule for Medicare Advantage and Part D in 2026. While the final rule solidifies several changes — including measures to streamline prior authorization, tighten oversight of supplemental benefits and codify provisions from the Inflation Reduction Act — CMS stopped short of addressing two of the most closely watched issues: expanding coverage for GLP-1s under Medicare and Medicaid, and regulating the use of AI in prior authorization. Those decisions have been deferred to future rulemaking.

18. CMS on Nov. 25 released its proposed rule for the 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D programs, outlining changes to how star ratings are calculated, new enrollment flexibilities and the rollback of several Biden-era health equity requirements. Under the proposal, CMS would not implement the Excellent Health Outcomes for All reward, previously known as the Health Equity Index, which was finalized under the Biden administration and scheduled to begin with the 2027 star ratings. 

The agency also proposes eliminating 12 star ratings measures it says are largely administrative or show little performance variation among plans, a shift that would increase the relative weight of Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures and Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CAHPS) scores. CMS additionally proposes adding a new Medicare Advantage depression screening and follow-up measure beginning with the 2027 measurement year and the 2029 ratings.

19. CMS plans to increase payments to MA plans by more than $25 billion in 2026. MA plans can expect a payment increase of 5.03% in 2026, more than double what the Biden administration proposed. The agency will continue the final year of the phase-in of risk-adjustment changes, shifting MA’s diagnosing coding from ICD-9 to ICD-10 and remove certain codes from the hierarchical condition categories model.

20. CMS plans to audit every MA plan annually as part of what it calls an “aggressive” effort to strengthen oversight and address potential overpayments. The agency currently audits about 60 plans each year but intends to expand that to all 500-plus MA plans moving forward.

In addition to the expanded audit scope, CMS said it will intensify efforts to recover uncollected overpayments from previous audits and complete outstanding reviews from 2018 through 2024. The last major recovery effort targeted plan year 2007. To support this initiative, CMS plans to grow its team of medical coders from 40 to approximately 2,000 by Sept. 1 and will deploy “enhanced technology” to streamline the review of medical records.

“While the administration values the work that Medicare Advantage plans do, it is time CMS faithfully executes its duty to audit these plans and ensure they are billing the government accurately for the coverage they provide to Medicare patients,” Dr. Oz said. 

The post CMS under Dr. Oz: 20 key actions  appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

While Generation Z employees are often associated with entry-level roles, they have also begun stepping into leadership positions at hospitals and health systems.

Gen Z includes individuals born between 1997 and 2012. As they enter the workforce and the first wave advances into management, here are 10 things healthcare leadership should know about Gen Z:

1. Gen Z healthcare workers are beginning to take on executive roles. One example is Billy Rogers, 26, who was named CEO of Mountainview Medical Center in White Sulphur Springs, Mont., in December. And in Julesburg, Colo., Aidan Hettler was appointed CEO of Sedgwick County Health Center at 22 years old in 2022. 

2. Hospital and health system human resources leaders have successfully recruited and retained Gen Z talent by prioritizing clear career pathways. That includes support from day one through mentorship, leadership development, and specialized training programs, according to Angie Mannino, chief human resources, marketing and communications officer at Louisville, Ky.-based Baptist Health.

3. Gen Z workers value regular feedback and want to know their leaders are invested in their development, said Sarah Stumme, CHRO of Minneapolis-based Allina Health. “Therefore, it is essential to have well-defined leadership competencies, effective and measured leader training, and strong engagement practices to meet the needs of this generation,” she said.

4. Despite economic uncertainty and layoffs, younger workers are focused on maintaining a work-life balance, The Wall Street Journal reported in November. Younger workers remain more detached from their employers than older colleagues, which was driven in part by remote work during the pandemic.

5. Healthcare leaders told Becker’s in August that Gen Z has taught them to emphasize work-life balance, the need for “work-life blend” and well-being, and a focus on mission-driven work.

6. Gen Zers are contributing to 401(k) plans more often than millennials did when they first entered the workforce, with about 20% across industries saving for retirement, according to 2023 and 2024 reports. Health systems are supporting this interest through clear explanations of benefits during onboarding.

7. They are also interested in long-term financial wellness, Kim Eskiera, interim chief human resources officer of UC San Diego Health, told Becker’s. “Many are seeking guidance on student loan repayment, budgeting and investing,” she said. “This interest is often driven by economic uncertainty, rising living costs and a desire for financial independence earlier in life.”

8. At Arlington-based Texas Health Resources, Gen Z employees have shown an interest in more paid time off, flexible schedules and mental health resources. To support more flexibility, the system added an extra paid day off in 2024, Vice President of Total Health and Rewards Jenny Perkins told Becker’s. 

9. While interested in flexible schedules, Gen Z workers are the least likely generation to prefer fully remote work, at only 23% of survey respondents in a recent Gallup survey. This is compared to 35% of baby boomers, Generation X members and millennials. 

10. Korn Ferry’s 2025 Workforce Survey found that 45% of baby boomers said they have no challenges working with other generations, while only 17% of Gen Z respondents said the same.

The post 10 things to know about Gen Z in healthcare in 2025 appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

The flu season is off to a severe and early start, with outpatient visits for flu-like illness already reaching levels rarely seen this time of year.

As of mid-December, the rate of outpatient visits for flu-like illness was tracking as the third-highest since 2010. In the week ending Dec. 13, about 4.1% of outpatient visits were for respiratory illness — up from 3.8% during the same week last season, CDC data shows. This marks the third highest weekly rate behind the 2023-24 season (5.2%) and the 2022-23 season (6.3%).

The CDC estimates there have been 4.6 million flu cases nationwide this season, with 49,000 hospitalizations and 1,900 deaths, according to the agency’s latest Fluview report released Dec. 19. A mutated strain of influenza A, known as H3N2 subclade K, is believed to be driving the surge.

Here’s how current flu case figures compare to past seasons, based on data and estimates from the CDC.

Note: A total case estimate is not available for the 2020-21 season due to minimal flu activity amid the pandemic, the CDC said.

Season	Percentage of outpatient visits for flu-like illness in week 50 (ending Dec. 13)	Estimated total symptomatic illnesses
2025-26	4.1%	4.6 million (as of Dec. 13)
2024-25*	3.8%	47 million to 82 million
2023-24*	5.2%	40 million
2022-23*	6.3%	31 million
2021-22*	3.2%	11 million
2020-21	1.5%	N/A
2019-20	3.9%	34 million
2018-19	2.6%	29 million
2017-18	3.4%	40 million
2016-17	2.2%	29 million
2015-16	1.9%	24 million
2014-15	3.6%	30 million
2013-14	2.4%	30 million
2012-13	3.4%	34 million
2011-12	1.6%	9.3 million
2010-11	2.3%	21 million

*Estimates for these seasons are preliminary. 

See how flu admissions compared to past seasons here.

The post How flu cases compare to past seasons appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Becker’s has compiled a list of the hospitals patients are most likely to recommend in every state using Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems data from CMS.

CMS shares 10 HCAHPS star ratings based on publicly reported HCAHPS measures. The recommended hospital star rating is based on patients’ responses to the question, “Would you recommend this hospital to your friends and family?” Hospitals must have at least 100 completed HCAHPS surveys in a four-quarter period to be eligible for a star rating. Learn more about the methodology here.

The star rating is based on survey data collected from hospital patients in 2024. The figures are from CMS’ Provider Data Catalog and were released Nov. 26. Asterisks denote that CMS included a footnote about the organization’s data, which are summarized below. 

The hospitals that received five stars for patient recommendations in every state:

Alabama

Citizens Baptist Medical Center (Talladega)

Fayette Medical Center 

Highlands Medical Center (Scottsboro)

Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital (Phenix City)

Lake Martin Community Hospital (Dadeville)

Lakeland Community Hospital (Haleyville)

North Baldwin Infirmary (Bay Minette)

St. Vincent’s St. Clair (Pell City)**

Troy Regional Medical Center

Alaska

673rd Medical Group (Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson)

Bartlett Regional Hospital (Juneau)

PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center

South Peninsula Hospital (Homer)

Arizona

Arizona Orthopedic and Surgical Specialty Hospital (Phoenix)

Arizona Spine and Joint Hospital (Mesa)

Banner Goldfield Medical Center (Apache Junction)

Mayo Clinic Hospital (Phoenix)

Mount Graham Regional Medical Center (Safford)

Phoenix Indian Medical Center

VA Northern Arizona Healthcare System (Prescott)

Western Regional Medical Center (Goodyear)

White Mountain Regional Medical Center (Springerville)

Arkansas

Arkansas Heart Hospital (Little Rock)

Arkansas Heart Hospital-Encore (Bryant)

Arkansas Surgical Hospital (North Little Rock)

Fayetteville Arkansas VA Medical Center

Howard Memorial Hospital (Nashville)

Piggott Community Hospital (Piggott)

Siloam Springs Regional Hospital

California

60th Medical Group (Travis Air Force Base)

Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley (Tehachapi)

Docs Surgical Hospital (Los Angeles)

Fairchild Medical Center (Yreka)

Fresno Surgical Hospital (Fresno)

Hoag Orthopedic Institute (Irvine)

Mammoth Hospital (Mammoth Lakes)

Mark Twain Medical Center (San Andreas)

Mendocino Coast District Hospital (Fort Bragg)

Mercy Medical Center of Mount Shasta (Mount Shasta)

Naval Medical Center San Diego

Palo Alto VA Medical Center

Providence Redwood Memorial Hospital (Fortuna)

San Francisco VA Medical Center

Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla)

Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center (Coronado)

Sonoma Valley Hospital 

Sutter Amador Hospital (Jackson)

Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz

Tahoe Forest Hospital (Truckee)

Colorado

Animas Surgical Hospital (Durango)

Aspen Valley Hospital 

Evans Army Community Hospital (Fort Carson)

Grand Junction VA Medical Center

Southwest Memorial Hospital (Cortez)

St. Anthony Summit Medical Center (Frisco)

St. Thomas More Hospital (Canon City)

VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System (Aurora)

Connecticut

Sharon Hospital

Florida

96th Medical Group (Eglin Air Force Base)

Gulf Breeze Hospital 

HCA Florida Twin Cities Hospital (Niceville)

Mease Dunedin Hospital 

Georgia

AdventHealth Murray (Chatsworth)

Dwight Eisenhower Army Medical Center (Fort Gordon)

Evans Memorial Hospital (Claxton)

Higgins General Hospital (Bremen)

Jefferson Hospital (Louisville)

Martin Army Community Hospital (Fort Benning)

Memorial Health Meadows Hospital (Vidalia)

Northeast Georgia Medical Center Lumpkin (Dahlonega)

Optim Medical Center-Tattnall (Reidsville)

Southeast Georgia Health System–Camden Campus (Saint Marys)

Southeastern Regional Medical Center (Newnan)

St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital (Greensboro)

Upson Regional Medical Center (Thomaston)

Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center (LaGrange)

Hawaii

Tripler Army Medical Center (Fort Shafter)

Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital (Waimea)

Idaho

Boise VA Medical Center

Bonner General Hospital (Sandpoint)

Gritman Medical Center (Moscow)

St. Luke’s Elmore Medical Center (Mountain Home)

St. Luke’s McCall

St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center (Boise)

St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center (Ketchum)

Treasure Valley Hospital (Boise)

Illinois

Alton Memorial Hospital

Carle Hoopeston Regional Health Center

Crawford Memorial Hospital (Robinson)

Deaconess Illinois Crossroads (Mount Vernon)

Gibson Community Hospital (Gibson City)

Hammond Henry Hospital (Geneseo)

HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital (Breese)
Jersey Community Hospital (Jerseyville)

Marion VA Medical Center

Memorial Hospital (Carthage)

Midwest Medical Center (Galena)

Midwestern Region Med Center (Zion)

Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers

OSF Holy Family Medical Center (Monmouth)

OSF Saint Paul Medical Center (Mendota)

Paris Community Hospital

Red Bud Regional Hospital

St. Joseph Memorial Hospital (Murphysboro)

St. Joseph’s Hospital (Highland)

Taylorville Memorial Hospital

Indiana

Adams Memorial Hospital (Decatur)

Bluffton Regional Medical Center (Bluffton)

Community Hospital East (Indianapolis)

Community Hospital of Bremen 

Decatur County Memorial Hospital (Greensburg)

Dukes Memorial Hospital (Peru)

Franciscan Health Crawfordsville

Franciscan Health Orthopedic Hospital Carmel

Greene County General Hospital (Linton)

Hancock Regional Hospital (Greenfield)

Hendricks Regional Health (Danville)

Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center (Jasper)

OrthoIndy Hospital (Indianapolis)

Parkview Wabash Hospital

Pinnacle Hospital (Crown Point)

St. Vincent Heart Center (Carmel)**

Unity Physicians Hospital (Mishawaka)

Woodlawn Hospital (Rochester)

Iowa

Burgess Health Center (Onawa)

Compass Memorial Healthcare (Marengo)

Iowa Specialty Hospital-Belmond

Iowa Specialty Hospital-Clarion 

Jefferson County Health Center (Fairfield)

Kossuth Regional Health Center (Algona)

Lakes Regional Healthcare (Spirit Lake)

Myrtue Medical Center (Harlan)

Orange City Area Health System 

Sioux Center Health 

St. Anthony Regional Hospital & Nursing Home (Carroll)

VA Central Iowa Healthcare System (Des Moines)

Van Diest Medical Center (Webster City)

WinnMed (Decorah)

Kansas

Amberwell Atchison Association 

Citizens Medical Center (Colby)

Clay County Medical Center (Clay Center)

Hiawatha Community Hospital

Irwin Army Community Hospital (Fort Riley)

Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute (Leawood)

Kansas Heart Hospital (Wichita)

Kansas Spine & Specialty Hospital (Wichita)

Kansas Surgery & Recovery Center (Wichita)

Labette Health (Parsons)

Manhattan Surgical Hospital 

Mitchell County Hospital Health Systems (Beloit)

Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center (Chanute)

Pratt Regional Medical Center 

Republic County Hospital (Belleville)*

Rock Regional Hospital (Derby)

Salina Surgical Hospital 

Stormont Vail Health Flint Hills (Junction City)

Summit Surgical (Hutchinson)

University of Kansas Hospital (Kansas City)

VA Eastern Kansas Healthcare System (Topeka)

Wichita VA Medical Center

Kentucky

Baptist Health LaGrange

Baptist Health Richmond

CHI Saint Joseph Health-Saint Joseph Berea

CHI Saint Joseph Health-Flaget Memorial Hospital (Bardstown)

Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan Hospital (Stanford)

Fleming County Hospital (Flemingsburg)

Harrison Memorial Hospital (Cynthiana)

Lexington VA Medical Center

Manchester Memorial Hospital 

Murray-Calloway County Hospital

Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital (Greenville)

Saint Joseph Mount Sterling

Spring View Hospital (Lebanon)

St. Claire Regional Medical Center (Morehead)

The Medical Center at Russellville

Three Rivers Medical Center (Louisa)

Louisiana

Avala (Covington)

CHRISTUS Central Louisiana Surgical Hospital (Alexandria)

Citizens Medical Center (Columbia)

Claiborne Memorial Medical Center (Homer)

Cypress Pointe Surgical Hospital (Hammond)

Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital

Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center (Houma)

Ochsner American Legion Hospital (Jennings)

Ochsner St. Anne General Hospital (Raceland)

Ochsner St. Martin Hospital (Breaux Bridge)

Ochsner University Hospital and Clinics (Lafayette)

Our Lady of the Angels Hospital (Bogalusa)

St. Charles Parish Hospital (Luling)

St. Tammany Parish Hospital (Covington)

The Spine Hospital of Louisiana (Baton Rouge)

Maine

Houlton Regional Hospital (Houlton)

LincolnHealth (Damariscotta)

MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital (Rockport)

MaineHealth Stephens Hospital (Norway)

MaineHealth Waldo Hospital (Belfast)

Mount Desert Island Hospital (Bar Harbor)

Northern Light Mercy Hospital (Portland)

Northern Maine Medical Center (Fort Kent)

St. Joseph Hospital (Bangor)

Togus VA Medical Center (Augusta)

York Hospital 

Massachusetts

Fairview Hospital (Great Barrington)

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (Boston)

Martha’s Vineyard Hospital Inc (Oak Bluffs)

New England Baptist Hospital (Boston)

Tufts Medical Center (Boston)

VA Boston Healthcare System-Jamaica Plain

Michigan

Bell Hospital (Ishpeming)

Bronson Lakeview Hospital (Paw Paw)

Charlevoix Area Hospital

Chelsea Hospital 

Corewell Health Gerber Hospital (Fremont)

Corewell Health Ludington Hospital (Ludington)

Hillsdale Hospital 

Holland Community Hospital 

Karmanos Cancer Center (Detroit)

McLaren Thumb Region (Bad Axe)

Mercy Health Lakeshore Campus (Shelby)

MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena

MyMichigan Medical Center Clare 

MyMichigan Medical Center Gladwin 

MyMichigan Medical Center Midland 

Oaklawn Hospital (Marshall)

Sparrow Carson Hospital (Carson City)

Sparrow Clinton Hospital (Saint Johns)

Sparrow Ionia Hospital

UP Health System Portage (Hancock)

University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Eaton (Charlotte)

University of Michigan Health System (Ann Arbor)

VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System

Minnesota

Astera Health (Wadena)

CentraCare Health-Monticello

CentraCare Health System-Sauk Centre 

CHI St. Gabriel’s Hospital (Little Falls)
Chippewa County Hospital (Montevideo)

Community Memorial Hospital (Cloquet)

Cuyuna Regional Medical Center (Crosby)

Glacial Ridge Hospital (Glenwood)

Glencoe Regional Health 

Hutchinson Health 

Lake Region Healthcare Corporation (Fergus Falls)

Lakeview Memorial Hospital (Stillwater)

Mayo Clinic Health System – Fairmont 

Mayo Clinic Health System New Prague 

Mayo Clinic Hospital Rochester

New Ulm Medical Center

Northfield Hospital 

Perham Health 

River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic (St. Peter)

Riverview Hospital (Crookston)

Riverwood Healthcare Center (Aitkin)

Sanford Worthington Medical Center 

St. Joseph’s Area Health Services (Park Rapids)

United Hospital District (Blue Earth)

Welia Health (Mora)

Windom Area Health 

Mississippi

81st Medical Group (Keesler Air Force Base)

Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi (Oxford)

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County (New Albany)

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle (Columbus)

King’s Daughters Medical Center-Brookhaven

North Mississippi Medical Center-Gilmore Amory

VA Gulf Coast Healthcare System (Biloxi)

Missouri

Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital (Creve Coeur)
Columbia VA Medical Center
Cox Barton County Hospital (Lamar)
Cox Monett Hospital
Freeman Neosho Hospital
General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital (Fort Leonard Wood)
Hedrick Medical Center (Chillicothe)
Lafayette Regional Health Center (Lexington)
Mercy Hospital Aurora
Mercy Hospital Stoddard (Dexter)
Missouri Baptist Sullivan Hospital
Parkland Health Center (Farmington)
Texas County Memorial Hospital (Houston)

Montana

Community Hospital of Anaconda

Holy Rosary Hospital (Miles City)

St. Patrick Hospital (Missoula)

VA Montana Healthcare System (Fort Harrison)

Nebraska

Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital (O’Neill)

Boone County Health Center (Albion)

Brodstone Healthcare (Superior)

CHI Health Midlands (Papillion)

CHI Health Nebraska Heart (Lincoln)

Community Medical Center (Falls City)

Midwest Surgical Hospital (Omaha)

Nebraska Orthopaedic Hospital (Omaha)

Nebraska Spine Hospital (Omaha)

Phelps Memorial Health Center (Holdrege)

St. Francis Memorial Hospital (West Point)

York General Health Care Services 

Nevada

99th Medical Group (Nellis Air Force Base)

Banner Churchill Community Hospital (Fallon)

Carson Valley Health (Gardnerville)

New Hampshire

Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital (Lebanon)

Exeter Hospital Inc (Exeter)

Frisbie Memorial Hospital (Rochester)

Huggins Hospital (Wolfeboro)

Littleton Regional Healthcare (Littleton)

Memorial Hospital, The (North Conway)

Monadnock Community Hospital (Peterborough)

Speare Memorial Hospital (Plymouth)

New York

Adirondack Medical Center-Saranac Lake

Community Memorial Hospital (Hamilton)

Delaware Valley Hospital (Walton)*

Elizabethtown Community Hospital 

Little Falls Hospital 

Oneida Health Hospital 

St. Anthony Community Hospital (Warwick)

St. Francis Hospital-The Heart Center (Roslyn)

VA Hudson Valley Healthcare System (Montrose)

North Carolina

AdventHealth Hendersonville

Asheville-Oteen VA Medical Center

Atrium Health Lincoln (Lincolnton)

Cape Fear Valley Hoke Hospital (Raeford)

Chatham Hospital (Siler City)

Erlanger Murphy Medical Center (Murphy)

Highlands Cashiers Hospital 

1. Arthur Dosher Memorial Hospital (Southport)

Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune 

North Carolina Specialty Hospital (Durham)

Novant Health Medical Park Hospital (Winston-Salem)

St. Luke’s Hospital (Columbus)

The Outer Banks Hospital (Nags Head)

North Dakota

Fargo VA Medical Center

Jamestown Regional Medical Center

Ohio

88th Medical Group (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base)

Ashtabula County Medical Center 

Community Hospitals and Wellness Centers (Bryan)

Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center (Akron)

Galion Community Hospital 

Grady Memorial Hospital (Delaware)

Hocking Valley Community Hospital (Logan)

Holzer Medical Center (Gallipolis)

Holzer Medical Center Jackson (Jackson)

Institute for Orthopaedic Surgery (Lima)

Kettering Health Greene Memorial (Xenia)

Kettering Health Troy

Madison Health (London)

Mary Rutan Hospital (Bellefontaine)

McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital (Oxford)

Memorial Hospital (Marysville)

Mercer County Joint Township Community Hospital (Coldwater)

Mercy Allen Hospital (Oberlin)

Mercy Health-Defiance Hospital 

Mercy Health-Tiffin Hospital 

Pomerene Hospital (Millersburg)

ProMedica Defiance Regional Hospital 

Selby General Hospital (Marietta)

Southern Ohio Medical Center (Portsmouth)

Surgical Hospital at Southwoods (Youngstown)

UH Regional Hospitals (Chardon)

UHHS Memorial Hospital of Geneva 

University Hospitals Conneaut Medical Center 

Van Wert County Hospital 

Wood County Hospital (Bowling Green)

Wooster Community Hospital 

Wyandot Memorial Hospital (Upper Sandusky)

Oklahoma

Bailey Medical Center (Owasso)

Chickasaw Nation Medical Center (Ada)

Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority (Talihina)

Claremore Indian Hospital

INTEGRIS Miami Hospital (Miami)

Lakeside Women’s Hospital (Oklahoma City)

McBride Orthopedic Hospital (Oklahoma City)

Oklahoma Heart Hospital (Oklahoma City)

Oklahoma Heart Hospital South (Oklahoma City)

Saint Francis Hospital Vinita

Surgical Hospital of Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)

Tulsa Spine & Specialty Hospital 

Oregon

Adventist Health Tillamook

Grande Ronde Hospital (La Grande)

Peace Harbor Medical Center (Florence)

Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital

Samaritan Albany General Hospital

Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital

Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital (Lincoln City)

St. Anthony Hospital (Pendleton)

St. Charles Medical Center-Bend

Pennsylvania

Advanced Surgical Hospital (Washington)

AHN Wexford Hospital 

Canonsburg General Hospital 

Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber 

Chester County Hospital (West Chester)

Clarion Hospital 

Conemaugh Miners Medical Center (Hastings)

Conemaugh Nason Medical Center (Roaring Spring)

Doylestown Hospital 

Geisinger-Bloomsburg Hospital 

Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital 

Geisinger Lewistown Hospital 

Geisinger Medical Center Muncy 

Geisinger St. Luke’s Hospital (Orwigsburg)

Hospital of University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)

James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center (Altoona)

Lancaster General Hospital 

Lebanon VA Medical Center 

Lehigh Valley Hospital-Dickson City 

OSS Orthopaedic Hospital (York)

Penn Highlands Elk (Saint Marys)

Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (Philadelphia)

Physicians Care Surgical Hospital (Royersford)

Punxsutawney Area Hospital 

Rothman Orthopaedic Specialty Hospital (Bensalem)

St. Luke’s Hospital-Carbon Campus (Lehighton)

St. Luke’s Hospital-Easton Campus

St. Luke’s Miners Memorial Hospital (Coaldale)

St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital (Quakertown)

Surgical Institute of Reading (Wyomissing)

Titusville Area Hospital 

Troy Community Hospital

UPMC Bedford Memorial (Everett)

UPMC Muncy 

UPMC Passavant (Pittsburgh)

UPMC Somerset 

UPMC Wellsboro 

Pittsburgh VA Medical Center-University Drive

Washington Hospital

WellSpan Waynesboro Hospital

West Penn Hospital (Pittsburgh)

Wilkes Barre VA Medical Center

Rhode Island

Providence VA Medical Center

South County Hospital (Wakefield)

Westerly Hospital

South Carolina

Cherokee Medical Center (Gaffney)

Columbia VA Medical Center

McLeod Health Clarendon (Manning)

McLeod Medical Center-Dillon

Mount Pleasant Hospital

Pelham Medical Center (Greer)

Roper Hospital (Charleston)

Roper St. Francis Hospital-Berkeley (Summerville)

South Dakota

Avera Heart Hospital of South Dakota (Sioux Falls)

Avera Sacred Heart Hospital (Yankton)

Black Hills Surgical Hospital (Rapid City)

Brookings Health System 

Dunes Surgical Hospital (Dakota Dunes)

Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital 

Sioux Falls VA Medical Center

VA Black Hills Healthcare System (Fort Meade)

Tennessee

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Carroll County (Huntingdon)

Baptist Memorial Hospital Tipton (Covington)

Claiborne Medical Center (Tazewell)

Henderson County Community Hospital (Lexington)

Highpoint Health-Riverview With Ascension Saint Thomas (Carthage)

Mountain Home VA Medical Center

Rhea Medical Center (Dayton)

Roane Medical Center (Harriman)

Unity Medical Center (Manchester)

Texas

Baylor Scott & White Heart & Vascular Hospital-Dallas 

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Pflugerville

Baylor Scott & White Texas Spine & Joint Hospital (Tyler)

Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital-Plano 

Brooke Army Medical Center (Fort Sam Houston)

CHI St. Luke’s Health Memorial Livingston (Livingston)

Christus Mother Frances Hospital Sulphur Springs 

Coryell Memorial Hospital (Gatesville)

Darnall Army Medical Center (Fort Cavazos)

Foundation Surgical Hospital of San Antonio

Guadalupe Regional Medical Center (Seguin)

Hill Country Memorial Hospital (Fredericksburg)

Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital (Nassau Bay)

Memorial Hermann Houston Physicians Hospital (Webster)

Methodist McKinney Hospital 

North Texas Medical Center (Gainesville)

Permian Regional Medical Center (Andrews)

The Physicians Centre (Bryan)

Quail Creek Surgical Hospital (Amarillo)

South Texas Spine and Surgical Hospital (San Antonio)

Temple VA Medical Center 

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne 

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southlake 

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Stephenville

Texas Health Heart & Vascular Hospital Arlington 

Texas Health Hospital Mansfield 

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Kaufman 

Texas Institute for Surgery at Presbyterian Hospital (Dallas)

Texas Orthopedic Hospital (Houston)

The Heart Hospital Baylor Denton 

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler

Tops Surgical Specialty Hospital (Houston)

UT Health East Texas Pittsburg Hospital 

UT Health East Texas Quitman Hospital 

VA Amarillo Healthcare System

William Beaumont Army Medical Center (Fort Bliss)

Utah

Cache Valley Hospital (North Logan)

Cedar City Hospital*

Intermountain Health Heber Valley Hospital (Heber City)

Logan Regional Hospital

Sevier Valley Hospital (Richfield)

George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center (Salt Lake City)

Vermont

Copley Hospital (Morrisville)

Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (St. Johnsbury)

White River JunctionVA Medical Center 

Virginia

Bon Secours Southampton Memorial Hospital (Franklin)

Buchanan General Hospital (Grundy)

Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital (Rocky Mount)

Centra Bedford Memorial Hospital 

Clinch Valley Medical Center (Richlands)

Community Memorial Hospital (South Hill)

Fort Belvoir Community Hospital

Hampton VA Medical Center

LewisGale Hospital Alleghany (Low Moor)

LewisGale Hospital Pulaski 

Page Memorial Hospital (Luray)

Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital (Onancock)

Russell County Hospital (Lebanon)

Salem VA Medical Center

Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital (South Boston)

Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center

Shenandoah Memorial Hospital (Woodstock)

Carilion Giles Community Hospital (Pearisburg)

Fort Belvoir Community Hospital 

Inova Fairfax Hospital (Falls Church)

Inova Loudoun Hospital (Leesburg)

Riverside Doctors’ Hospital of Williamsburg

Riverside Walter Reed Hospital (Gloucester)

Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital (Charlottesville)

Sentara Princess Anne Hospital (Virginia Beach)

University of Virginia Medical Center (Charlottesville)

Washington

Jefferson Healthcare (Port Townsend)

Madigan Army Medical Center (Fort Lewis)

Prosser Memorial Hospital

Pullman Regional Hospital

Spokane VA Medical Center (Spokane)

Tri-State Memorial Hospital (Clarkston)

West Virginia

Beckley VA Medical Center

Boone Memorial Hospital (Madison)

Clarksburg VA Medical Center

Grant Memorial Hospital (Petersburg)

Hampshire Memorial Hospital (Romney)

Huntington VA Medical Center

Jackson General Hospital (Ripley)

Jefferson Medical Center (Ranson)

Martinsburg VA Medical Center

Preston Memorial Hospital (Kingwood)

St. Joseph’s Hospital of Buckhannon

Summersville Regional Medical Center 

Valley Health War Memorial Hospital (Berkeley Springs)

Welch Community Hospital 

Wetzel County Hospital (New Martinsville)

Wisconsin

Amery Hospital & Clinic 

Aspirus Medford Hospital & Clinics

Aurora Medical Center-Manitowoc County (Two Rivers)

Aurora Medical Center-Oshkosh 

Aurora Medical Center-Washington County (Hartford)

Aurora Medical Center-Grafton

Aurora Medical Center-Summit

Aurora Medical Center-Burlington 

Bay Area Medical Center (Marinette)

Black River Memorial Hospital (Black River Falls)

Columbus Community Hospital 

Door County Medical Center (Sturgeon Bay)

Flambeau Hospital (Park Falls)

Froedtert Community Hospital (New Berlin)

Grant Regional Health Center (Lancaster)

Howard Young Medical Center (Woodruff)

Hudson Hospital 

Madison VA Medical Center

Marshfield Medical Center-Minocqua

Mayo Clinic Health System Eau Claire Hospital 

Mayo Clinic Health System Northland (Barron)

Mayo Clinic Health System Oakridge (Osseo)

Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital (Franklin)**

Milwaukee VA Medical Center

OakLeaf Surgical Hospital (Altoona)

Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin (Glendale)

River Falls Area Hospital 

Sauk Prairie Hospital (Prairie du Sac)

Southwest Health Center (Platteville)

Stoughton Hospital 

Tamarack Health Ashland Medical Center 

Tamarack Health Hayward Medical Center 

The Monroe Clinic

ThedaCare Medical Center-Berlin

ThedaCare Medical Center-New London 

Tomah Memorial Hospital 

Upland Hills Health (Dodgeville)

Vernon Memorial Hospital (Viroqua)

Waupun Memorial Hospital 

Westfields Hospital and Clinic (New Richmond)

Western Wisconsin Health (Baldwin)

Wyoming

Cheyenne VA Medical Center

Powell Valley Hospital (Powell)

St. Johns Medical Center (Jackson)

Star Valley Medical Center (Afton)

*There were discrepancies in the data collection process.

**Results are based on partial performance period data due to a CMS-approved exception.

The post The top-recommended hospitals in every state appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Seven hundred fifty-six rural U.S. hospitals are at risk of closure due to financial problems, with more than 40% of those hospitals at immediate risk of closure.

The counts are drawn from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform’s most recent analysis, based on hospitals’ latest cost reports submitted to CMS and verified as current through December 2025. The analysis identifies two distinct tiers of rural hospital vulnerability: those at risk of closure and those facing an immediate risk of closure.

In the first category, nearly every state has hospitals at risk of closure, measured by financial reserves that can cover losses on patient services for only six to seven years. In over half the states, 25% or more of rural hospitals face this risk, with 10 states having 50% or more of their rural hospitals in jeopardy.

The report also analyzes hospitals facing immediate risk of closure, meaning financial reserves could offset losses on patient services for two to three years at most. Currently, 323 rural hospitals — one more than six months ago — are at immediate risk of shutting down due to severe financial difficulties. 

Below is a state-by-state listing of the number of rural hospitals at risk of closure in the next six to seven years and at immediate risk of closure over the next two to three years. 

Alabama
28 hospitals at risk of closing (58%)
23 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (48%) 

Alaska
3 hospitals at risk of closing (19%)
1 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (6%) 

Arizona
4 hospitals at risk of closing (15%)
0 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (0%) 

Arkansas
30 hospitals at risk of closing (64%)
12 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (26%) 

California
18 hospitals at risk of closing (31%)
5 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (8%) 

Colorado
11 hospitals at risk of closing (26%)
2 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (5%) 

Connecticut
3 hospitals at risk of closing (75%)
2 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (50%) 

Delaware
0 hospitals at risk of closing
0 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years 

Florida
8 hospitals at risk of closing (36%)
2 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (9%) 

Georgia
22 hospitals at risk of closing (30%)
11 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (15%) 

Hawaii
8 hospitals at risk of closing (62%)
0 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years

Idaho
9 hospitals at risk of closing (33%)
1 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (4%)

Illinois
17 hospitals at risk of closing (22%)
10 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (13%) 

Indiana
9 hospitals at risk of closing (16%)
8 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (15%) 

Iowa
19 hospitals at risk of closing (20%)
4 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (4%) 

Kansas
68 hospitals at risk of closing (68%)
30 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (30%) 

Kentucky
17 hospitals at risk of closing (25%)
2 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (3%) 

Louisiana
27 hospitals at risk of closing (48%)
9 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (16%) 

Maine
11 hospitals at risk of closing (46%)
5 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (21%) 

Maryland
0 hospitals at risk of closing
0 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years 

Massachusetts
2 hospitals at risk of closing (29%)
1 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (14%) 

Michigan
10 hospitals at risk of closing (15%)
4 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (6%) 

Minnesota
18 hospitals at risk of closing (19%)
7 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (7%) 

Mississippi
36 hospitals at risk of closing (54%)
23 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (34%) 

Missouri
29 hospitals at risk of closing (50%)
12 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (21%) 

Montana
16 hospitals at risk of closing (30%)
4 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (8%) 

Nebraska
7 hospitals at risk of closing (10%)
3 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (4%) 

Nevada
5 hospitals at risk of closing (36%)
1 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (7%) 

New Hampshire
4 hospitals at risk of closing (22%)
3 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (17%)

New Jersey
0 hospitals at risk of closing
0 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years

New Mexico
8 hospitals at risk of closing (30%)
4 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (15%) 

New York
24 hospitals at risk of closing (48%)
15 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (30%) 

North Carolina
10 hospitals at risk of closing (18%)
6 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (11%) 

North Dakota
13 hospitals at risk of closing (34%)
4 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (11%) 

Ohio
7 hospitals at risk of closing (9%)
3 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (4%) 

Oklahoma
48 hospitals at risk of closing (64%)
22 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (29%) 

Oregon
7 hospitals at risk of closing (21%)
3 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (9%) 

Pennsylvania
17 hospitals at risk of closing (33%)
9 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (17%) 

Rhode Island
1 hospital at risk of closing (100%)
1 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (100%) 

South Carolina
7 hospitals at risk of closing (32%)
4 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (18%) 

South Dakota
9 hospitals at risk of closing (19%)
3 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (6%) 

Tennessee
16 hospitals at risk of closing (31%)
14 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (27%) 

Texas
82 hospitals at risk of closing (53%)
21 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (14%) 

Utah
0 hospitals at risk of closing
0 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years 

Virginia
9 hospitals at risk of closing (29%)
6 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (19%) 

Washington
19 hospitals at risk of closing (42%)
7 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (16%) 

West Virginia
15 hospitals at risk of closing (44%)
6 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (18%) 

Wisconsin
10 hospitals at risk of closing (12%)
5 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (6%) 

Wyoming
7 hospitals at risk of closing (26%)
4 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (15%)

The post 756 hospitals at risk of closure, state by state appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

As hospital and health system CEOs work to advance key strategies in 2026 — from ambulatory investments to artificial intelligence integration — which numbers are guiding them?

While there is no single metric shaping strategy, four executives told Becker’s they are sharpening their focus on performance indicators they have long prioritized, including patient flow, workforce retention and quality outcomes. 

For example, Patty Maysent, CEO of UC San Diego Health, plans to revamp the system’s dashboards in 2026 to focus more directly on systemwide performance for patient flow.

“We’re going to be really focused this next year on accelerating our mission control, because we’re so over capacity,” Ms. Maysent said. “So how we flow patients through our system, and the metrics around that — whether it’s the patient having that first appointment once they’re discharged, or the readmission scores, or the length of stay — any metric around how they’re flowing through our system, are the metrics we’re going to be revamping and ultra focused on.”

Unique patients served

Tulsa, Okla.-based Saint Francis Health System has added a metric to its scorecard. As the system moves away from fee-for-service care and toward managed population health, it is measuring growth around the number of unique patients served, President and CEO Cliff Robertson, MD, told Becker’s.

“We’re now redefining growth as we want to serve a million unique patients, and next year, we want to serve 1.1 million unique patients,” Dr. Robertson said, adding that it includes patients who receive care through hospital stays, emergency department visits, urgent care centers or physician appointments. “It’s a broad definition of interaction with the patient, but our objective is to show that we can continue to care for more of our community on a year-over-year basis.”

Flow and throughput

Heading into 2026, Colin McHugh, president and CEO of Nashua-based Southern New Hampshire Health, is focused on strengthening operating discipline and maintaining the health system’s monthly operating review, which tracks metrics across departments, such as quality indicators and productivity. In the new year, flow and throughput metrics will take on even greater importance, Mr. McHugh told Becker’s.

“What we have found is that a lot of our issues as a health system stem from when we’re not able to move patients efficiently through the hospital,” he said. “It creates challenges in the ED,  it creates constraints on the floors. We’re going to spend a lot more time continuing to manage flow and throughput. That is also going to require us taking a hard look at supports in the community — oftentimes, where our flow and throughput is impacted by not being able to place patients in the community, such as not enough skilled nursing beds.”

He is also sharpening focus on two workforce-related metrics: recruitment and retention.

“These are two metrics that we’ve spent a lot of time reviewing, but we’re going to continue to lean into that, making sure that we have the right attributes as a health system, both to attract talent, but also retain that talent,” he said.

CMS five-star ratings

In 2026, Peoria, Ill.-based OSF HealthCare is placing greater emphasis on quality metrics, particularly CMS five-star ratings, CEO Bob Sehring told Becker’s.

“We have always had a focus on quality and safety,” Mr. Sehring said. “No doubt it’s vitally important, but we’re really putting a stake in the ground to say, not only is it important that we provide outstanding care to every patient every time, we believe we should be five stars for every one of our facilities — and we’re not there today.”

Achieving that level of performance across the ministry will be difficult. 

“Doing it at one hospital is a challenge. Doing it at 17 is even a higher challenge,” Mr. Sehring said. “But every one of our patients, no matter which of our markets they are in, deserves that highest level of care.”

He said OSF will use five-star ratings as a benchmark for quality and safety, supported by metrics such as readmissions, length of stay and patient satisfaction.

The post The metrics CEOs are prioritizing in 2026 appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Health insurance, vacation time and paid sick leave are the most-valued employee benefits among U.S. workers, according to a Dec. 4 report from Indeed’s Hiring Lab.

The findings are based on Indeed’s 2025 Workforce Insights Survey, which polled 80,936 adults between May and June across eight countries: the U.S., UK, Germany, France, Japan, Ireland, Australia and Canada.

Here are five things to know from the report:

1. When asked to rank their five to 10 most-valued employee benefits, 67% of U.S. respondents chose health insurance. Vacation and paid sick days followed closely behind.

A separate December study found that health insurance was the top deciding factor for Americans considering a career move.

2. Other top-ranked benefits among U.S. respondents included retirement savings plans, flexible work hours, vision and dental insurance, performance bonuses, remote work, holiday closures, and pension programs.

3. U.S. women were more likely than men to prefer remote work (by 11 percentage points), flexible hours (7 percentage points), parental leave (5 percentage points) and childcare assistance (3 percentage points). 

4. Across all surveyed countries, women more often selected mental health days and bereavement leave, while men more frequently chose stock compensation, company cars and performance bonuses.

5. Although workplace flexibility remains in demand, the share of U.S. job postings advertising flexible, remote or hybrid work plateaued after a pandemic-era spike. Listings for hybrid roles rose from 7.1% in early 2020 to 14.4% in November 2023, then dipped slightly to 13.7% in October 2025.

As hospitals and health systems work to attract and retain Generation Z healthcare workers, many are tailoring benefits to align with the cohort’s focus on financial wellness, mental health support and flexible schedules. Arlington-based Texas Health Resources, for example, added an extra paid day off in 2024.

The post The employee benefit US workers value most: Indeed  appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Becker’s asked five health system strategic leaders about the role value-based care plays in their system’s strategic planning and how they’re managing the challenges it presents.

If you are a COO or strategic leader in healthcare and are interested in joining Becker’s Healthcare COO + Strategic Leader virtual community, please contact Scott King at sking@beckershealthcare.com. 

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

Question: What role does value-based care play in your system’s strategic planning? And how are you managing the financial and operational challenges it presents?

Trevor Bennett, MSN, RN. Chief Administrative Officer for Providence Swedish First Hill and Cherry Hill in Seattle: Value-based care is no longer an abstract future concept, it’s a present-day operational reality that must be embedded into how systems plan, operate, and measure success. Strategically, value-based care forces alignment across quality, access, cost, and outcomes. Operationally, it requires discipline around care standardization, reduction of unwarranted variation, and strong partnerships between clinical and operational leaders.

The challenge is that many organizations remain structurally built for volume. Managing that tension requires being intentional about where to invest, how to measure performance, and how to hold leaders accountable. We focus heavily on length of stay, avoidable utilization, throughput, and care coordination – not as cost-cutting exercises, but as patient-centered improvements that also support financial sustainability. When operational excellence and clinical outcomes move together, value-based care becomes a strength rather than a strain.

Christopher Kane. Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President, Phoebe Putney Health System (Albany, Ga.): Many health systems investigate the merits of federal, state or payer initiatives under the umbrella of Value-Based Care. The acronym VBC has emerged in our industry due to the frequency of pronouncements from policy analysts and consultants. In contrast, our focus in value-based care is expressed in terms of the specific needs of the communities we serve. Our strategic goals, Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) and community listening sessions inform our investments in access, new clinical programs, and technology. True value-based care is about organizational culture, not a new rules-based shiny object.

Dawn Thompson, Chief Strategy Officer, Advanced Diagnostics Healthcare System (Houston, TX): 1. VBC is no longer a side initiative ….it is a core strategic driver
2. Moving from traditional focus (volume growth, service line expansion, fee for service margin optimization) to VBC strategies (managing total cost of care, quality outcomes, patient experience)
3. Hospitals must plan for fewer inpatient days over time
4. VBC is instrumental in negotiating payer contracts, strenghthens physician alignment, outcomes become more important than size/volume
5. Financial challenges: start with upside contracts only….maintain a blended portfolio, clear “stop loss” thresholds
6. Reduce admission and procedures that hurt traditional margins
7. Right size bed capacity and service lines
8. Convert fixed cost to variable when possible
9. Redesign compensation with quality metrics, panel management, care coordination incentives
10. Standardize clinical pathways to reflect new care management strategies.

VBC reshapes strategies from how much care you give to how well and efficiently you manage health.

Doug McGill. Vice President of Quality Strategy and Operations, Emory Healthcare (Atlanta, GA): Value-based care is central to our strategic planning, driving integration of clinical, operational, and financial strategies to promote high-quality, cost-effective care. We address financial and operational challenges by embedding data-driven accountability, standardizing workflows, and investing in system-based initiatives focused on zero-harm and high reliability principles. By aligning resources and leveraging multidisciplinary collaboration, we optimize performance on value-based programs and ranking systems, ensuring our teams are equipped to deliver best care while maintaining financial stewardship. Ultimately, while we believe we have the right to win in these programs, our unwavering focus remains on our mission – providing hope and improving the care of the communities we serve.

David Muns. Chief Operating Officer, Artesia General Hospital (Artesia, N.M.): There are wide inconsistencies in the level of commitment to value-based work depending on the organization.  There seems to be more skepticism surrounding value-based care than I have seen in some time.  As with most things, the leaders willingness to fully engage, track metrics, and provide resources is a major driver.  Senior leadership will need to provide the aforementioned resources and remove obstacles. 

The post How healthcare executives are managing value-based care challenges appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

U.S. healthcare spending is on a path that has finance leaders increasingly uneasy. With national health expenditures projected to reach $8.6 trillion by 2033 — and consume more than 20% of the nation’s GDP — health system leaders say the conversation around cost containment, payment reform and sustainability can no longer be deferred.

Recent projections from CMS underscore the scale of the challenge, as spending growth continues to outpace economic growth. The trajectory raises fundamental questions about how hospitals operate, how risk is shared across the healthcare ecosystem and what guardrails are needed to ensure long-term stability.

“We’re approaching 18% of GDP … [and] we’ve seen some response from the federal government, such as H.R. 1, which has wide-ranging implications for a health system like Temple Health,”  Byron Glasgow, vice president of finance for Philadelphia-based Temple University Health System, said during an episode of the Becker’s CFO and Revenue Cycle Podcast. “That includes everything from provider taxes to Medicaid redeterminations.”

“Even putting HR1 aside, rising costs remain a hot-button issue. Hospitals are at the forefront of care, and much of the national focus on cost containment lands squarely on them. That’s pretty unique compared to other sectors. Take groceries, for example — there was a national conversation about food prices, and the question was, “What is the government going to do?” Years ago, it was gas prices. But when it comes to healthcare, the question often becomes, “What are hospitals going to do about it?”

CMS’ recent report paints a sobering picture: national health spending grew 8.2% in 2024, with another 7.1% projected for 2025. That’s far above the GDP growth rate, and a trend that finance leaders say is unsustainable.

“That’s tough, because hospitals operate on razor-thin margins — 1% to 3% at best. If you’re a safety-net provider, it’s often less than 1%,” he said. “Meanwhile, other parts of the healthcare ecosystem — insurers, pharmaceuticals, medical device manufacturers — may have margins closer to 5%, 10%, or even over 20%. So, to address rising healthcare costs, we need a broader view that recognizes what hospitals can and can’t realistically control.”

Temple Health is focused on improving efficiency in the areas it can control. That includes working with Medicaid managed care partners to streamline claims processing, reduce denials, and eliminate administrative waste.

“We’ve made progress in contracting, but there’s only so much we can do without a broader evaluation of all the cost drivers in healthcare,” he said. “Fortunately, we’re now seeing the federal government start to examine those broader inputs — and that brings me to value-based care. The focus here is on risk-based arrangements, and for us, particularly in Medicaid, that gets tricky. The medical loss ratio can swing wildly from year to year due to factors like enrollment shifts or changing population health. For a safety-net provider like Temple, it’s simply not responsible to enter full-risk agreements when those kinds of unpredictable swings could put us in a $10 million hole — enough to seriously threaten operations.”

“Until we have stronger guardrails on cost and more predictability in spending, aligning with value-based care models — particularly those with significant downside risk — will remain unsustainable for safety-net systems like ours. We’re committed to doing our part, but the system as a whole needs to evolve to make that possible.”

That sentiment is echoed by Cleveland Clinic Executive Vice President and CFO Dennis Laraway, who says the sector is entering a new phase of industrialization not seen in healthcare before — one driven by three converging forces: payment reform, cost transformation and technology innovation.

“Federal dollars going toward healthcare are going to come down. We’re going to see reduced federal funding of programs. The government’s risk in fee-for-service care — utilization risk, claim risk, volume risk — is budget risk, and they’re looking to mitigate it,” Mr. Laraway told Becker’s. “That means price and payment pressure from CMS and from federal support for Medicaid programs nationwide. Government reimbursement pressure is going to continue, whether we like it or not. And for many health systems, including Cleveland Clinic, 50-60% of hospital utilization is tied to Medicare and Medicaid. That kind of pricing shift has everyone’s attention.”

To combat this, Cleveland Clinic is doubling down on cost transformation: improving labor productivity, consolidating back-office services and driving systemwide efficiency. 

“These aren’t new strategies, but they’re more important than ever,” Mr. Laraway said. “Creating reproducible standards and reducing variation are key to improving systemwide efficiency, and that’s something we’re very focused on.”

Technology also plays a critical role. Healthcare has lagged far behind other industries, such as banking or manufacturing, in adopting technologies including robotic process automation or AI-driven systems, primarily due to its thin operating margins. 

“But we’ve come a long way, and AI is now very well represented in the health sector,” Mr. Laraway said. “Healthcare is fertile ground for innovation, and that’s certainly true for AI, robotics and other technologies that can help us scale — expanding patient coverage, boosting transactional volume, improving speed and accuracy. That supports cost transformation, which is a key part of our response to payment reform and healthcare legislation.”

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More than 20 million people were affected by the 10 largest healthcare data breaches reported to the federal government in 2025, TechTarget reported Dec. 22, citing information from the HHS Office for Civil Rights’ public data breach portal.

More than 35 million people were impacted by large healthcare data breaches reported to the HHS Office for Civil Rights in 2025, the portal shows. That total is expected to rise, according to the publication, as the office continues posting 2025 breach reports after updates stalled for weeks during a 43-day government shutdown that began in October.

Here are 10 of the largest healthcare data breaches reported in 2025:

1. Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health: 5,556,702 people affected after the health system detected unusual activity within its IT systems March 8.
2. Episource: 5,418,866 people affected after a ransomware attack.
3. Blue Shield of California: 4.7 million people affected by a breach tied to Google Analytics.
4. DaVita: 2,689,826 people affected after a ransomware attack encrypted elements of the company’s network.
5. Anne Arundel Dermatology: 1,905,000 people affected after an unauthorized party accessed files containing health information.
6. Radiology Associates of Richmond (Va.): 1,419,091 people affected after an unauthorized party accessed the organization’s network in 2024.
7. Southeast Series of Lockton Companies: 1,124,727 people affected after an unauthorized party accessed a single account and obtained certain files.
8. Community Health Center (Middletown, Conn.): 1,060,936 people affected after a “skilled criminal hacker” accessed the organization’s systems and took data.
9. Frederick Health (Frederick, Md.): 934,326 people affected after a ransomware attack disrupted IT systems.
10. McLaren Health Care (Grand Blanc, Mich.): 743,131 people affected after a cyberattack disrupted IT and phone systems.

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A new analysis suggests the cumulative financial strain of healthcare is more widespread than annual snapshots indicate — and most Americans will experience unaffordable costs during their lifetimes.

The study, published Dec. 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine, was conducted by researchers from Harvard Medical School in Boston, the City University of New York’s Hunter College and Public Citizen’s Health Research Group. Using longitudinal data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2018-2022), the team tracked 12,645 U.S. adults and analyzed their experiences with several indicators of healthcare financial strain.

The researchers examined three specific burdens: “cost burden” (out-of-pocket costs exceeding 10% of family income, or 5% for low-income households); “catastrophic cost burden” (out-of-pocket costs exceeding 40% of post-subsistence income); and “foregone care due to cost” (not receiving needed medical care because of affordability issues). Individuals experiencing any one of the three were considered to have encountered financial strain from healthcare.

Over four years, 26.7% of adults reported experiencing either cost burden or skipping care due to costs. Factors such as low income, lack of insurance, chronic illness, and hospitalizations were associated with higher risk. Notably, among the 2.3% of participants who died during the study, more than half (53.2%) had encountered financial strain in the one to four years before death.

Lead author Adam Gaffney, MD, a critical care physician and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, said in a news release that the findings show healthcare affordability is a chronic issue that builds over time — and that many Americans eventually will be affected.

“High medical costs don’t just devastate finances, they force people to skip care — which often further worsens their health,” Dr. Gaffney said in a release shared with Becker’s. 

The authors acknowledged limitations of the study, including the exclusion of insurance premium costs and nursing home residents from the analysis. 

Read the full study here.

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Seven nursing specialties reported turnover rates above the national average in 2024,  according to the NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report.

The 2025 report, released in March, includes survey findings from 450 hospitals in 37 states on registered nurse turnover, retention, vacancy rates, recruitment metrics and staffing strategies. The survey reflects hospital-reported data on 218,626 registered nurses spanning January through December 2024. Learn more about the methodology here. 

In 2024, the national registered nurse turnover rate was 16.4%, marking a 2% decrease from the year prior. Behavioral health had the highest turnover rate at 22.8%, followed by step-down units (20.3%) and emergency care (19.1%).

Cumulative turnover rates over the past five years surpassed 100% for three specialties — step-down (120.8%), telemetry (117.6%) and emergency services (112.9%) — meaning these departments will turn over their entire registered nursing staff in less than four and a half years.

“When we consider the average age of nurses and the anticipated wave of retirements about to break, we need to keep in mind that some specialties will be impacted at a quicker pace,” the report said. “This is particularly true for surgical services, behavioral health and women’s health. Managing retention should be a strategic imperative, particularly given the high cost of turnover and the ongoing RN staffing crisis.”

Registered nurse turnover rates by specialty for 2024:

Behavioral health: 22.8%
Step-down: 20.3%
Emergency: 19.1%
Critical care: 18.3%
Medical/surgical: 18%
Telemetry: 17.4%
Burn center: 17%
Surgical services: 13.7 %
Women’s health: 13.3%
Pediatrics: 12.2%

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Health system C-suites are approaching a pivotal inflection point. By 2030, leaders will be navigating an environment defined by persistent margin pressure, workforce scarcity, accelerating digital transformation and a decisive shift toward value-based care. The traditional executive playbook, built around functional silos, long planning cycles and incremental change, is no longer sufficient.

In responses from health system executives across the country, a clear picture emerges of how leadership teams are already evolving to meet this moment. Titles are blurring, new capabilities are rising in importance, and accountability is moving closer to operations, data and the front lines of care. Artificial intelligence, enterprise integration and workforce redesign are no longer future considerations, but present-day imperatives reshaping how C-suites operate.

These perspectives point to a fundamental transformation underway. The following 12 trends outline how health system C-suites are expected to change through 2030 and what executive teams must prioritize to remain viable, relevant and mission-driven in an increasingly complex healthcare landscape, based on expertise from 70 hospital and health system executives.

1. C-suites move from functional silos to integrated enterprise leadership. Health system C-suites are shifting away from function-specific leadership toward enterprisewide accountability. Executives are increasingly expected to co-own outcomes across quality, access, workforce, finances and digital transformation rather than operate within isolated portfolios. This integration is driven by the need for faster decisions, tighter execution and systemwide alignment as complexity increases.

2. AI governance becomes a core executive responsibility. Artificial intelligence is no longer treated as an IT initiative but as a fundamental governance issue. C-suites are taking direct responsibility for AI strategy, oversight, compliance, ethics and financial return. While new roles such as chief AI officer are emerging, accountability for how AI reshapes care delivery, operations and workforce decisions ultimately rests with the executive team as a whole.

3. Data becomes the operating system for leadership decision-making. Executives describe a transition from retrospective reporting to real-time, predictive and actionable intelligence. Future C-suites will run the organization using unified dashboards, automated insights and analytics embedded into daily workflows. This shift enables leaders to move from periodic review cycles to continuous, data-driven execution and rapid course correction.

4. Leadership becomes more operationally embedded and execution-focused. Rather than operating primarily at a strategic distance, C-suite leaders are expected to stay close to day-to-day operations. Throughput, staffing efficiency, access management, denial prevention and patient flow are increasingly viewed as executive-level responsibilities. Operational discipline and reliability replace fragmented innovation as defining leadership traits.

5. Hybrid and combined executive roles accelerate. Many organizations anticipate expanded and blended C-suite roles, particularly in rural and resource-constrained environments. Dual roles such as CNO/COO, CMO/COO or CNO/CEO are becoming more common to streamline decision-making, reduce overhead and align clinical priorities with operational strategy. Even in larger systems, executive roles are becoming more fluid and less rigidly defined.

6. Value-based care becomes the default operating model. Value-based care will be more mainstream by 2030. This shift requires C-suites to redesign care delivery across ambulatory, home and virtual settings, not just inpatient environments. Financial sustainability increasingly depends on aligning quality, access, capacity planning and revenue integrity around outcomes rather than volume.

7. C-suites grow leaner but more accountable. Some executive teams are expected to become smaller, with clearer lines of accountability and fewer layers. The focus shifts from expanding leadership structures to strengthening governance, speeding decisions and improving follow-through. Leaner C-suites are positioned as better suited to operate under persistent financial pressure and rapid change.

8. Clinical fluency becomes essential at the executive level. Clinical understanding is emerging as a critical competency for all executives, not only clinicians. Many systems are elevating physicians and nurses into CEO, COO and system leadership roles, while non-clinical leaders are expected to deeply understand care delivery realities. Clinical fluency supports safer decision-making, workforce trust and effective care model redesign.

9. Workforce strategy shifts from staffing to redesigning work. C-suite leaders are moving beyond short-term recruitment solutions toward redesigning how work gets done. This includes rethinking workflows, schedules, roles and care models, often supported by AI and automation. Workforce well-being, upskilling and psychological safety are positioned as strategic imperatives tied directly to sustainability and performance.

10. Patient and employee experience become top-level performance metrics. Experience is increasingly treated as a primary indicator of organizational success. Leaders emphasize that patients and employees evaluate systems across digital access, responsiveness, transparency and human connection. As care shifts beyond hospital walls, consumer navigation, branding and trust-building become central to competitive differentiation.

11. Leadership shifts from control to collaboration and orchestration. Future C-suites will be seen less as asset controllers and more as orchestrators of ecosystems. Collaboration across hospitals, service lines, payers, community organizations and non-healthcare partners becomes essential to expanding access, advancing equity and maintaining financial viability. Authority increasingly comes from alignment and shared purpose rather than hierarchy.

12. Agility and comfort with ambiguity define executive success. Executives consistently describe uncertainty as a permanent condition driven by reimbursement volatility, regulatory change, workforce shortages and rapid technological advancement. Future C-suite leaders must make decisions with incomplete information, adapt quickly and lead teams through continuous disruption. Emotional intelligence, trust-building and resilience are as critical as strategic expertise.

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Respiratory virus season is in full gear, with flu admissions rising quickly in recent weeks, according to the latest national data from the CDC.

Fourteen states reported high levels of flu-like illness during the week ending Dec. 13. Of those, five states — Colorado, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island — reported “very high” levels. New York City, which HHS reports as its own region, also reported “very high” levels.

Nine states — Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina and South Carolina — saw “high” levels. The District of Columbia also experienced high levels.

The CDC’s respiratory illness activity map reflects outpatient visits among patients who present with a fever plus a cough or sore throat, meaning it captures visits for flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus. Overall, about 4.1% of outpatient visits were due to respiratory illness for the week ending Dec. 13, above the national baseline of 3.1%. 

Three more respiratory virus updates:

1. Nearly 9,950 patients with laboratory-confirmed flu were admitted to hospitals for the week ending Dec. 13, up 112% from 4,690 who were admitted two weeks earlier.

Overall, the CDC estimates at least 4.6 million flu cases, 49,000 hospitalizations and 1,900 deaths so far this season.

2. Emergency department visits for flu are also on the rise. Flu accounted for nearly 2% of ED visits for the week ending Dec. 13. Children are especially affected, with flu responsible for 7% of ED visits among children and infants up to age 4, and 9.2% among those ages 5 to 17.

3. Hospitals and health systems in New York in Texas have been especially hard hit amid an early and intense flu surge. In early December, New York saw a 75% jump in flu-related admissions in one week, according to data from the state’s health department. During a Dec. 18 press conference, leaders at New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health said a rise in RSV, COVID-19 and, in particular, flu, are straining its EDs, urgent cares and primary care practices.

A mutated version of H3N2, known as “subclade K” is believed to be driving the current uptick in flu activity. 

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New findings from the American Hospital Association highlight where hospital quality strategies are gaining traction — and where leaders say additional support is needed.

The insights come from the AHA’s Quality Exchange, a virtual collaborative of more than 250 healthcare quality and patient safety leaders that launched this year. The AHA synthesized key findings from a member survey and group discussions in its 2026 Environmental Scan, released Dec. 18. 

The findings reflect how quality leaders are prioritizing improvement efforts heading into 2026 as health systems balance workforce strain, cost pressures and rising care complexity.

Where quality and safety leaders say hospitals are making the most progress:

• Implementing structured risk mitigation approaches to reduce harm
• Using analytics and metrics for measurable quality improvement
• Improving patient experience and engagement

Three areas where more support is needed to overcome challenges:

• Strengthening quality improvement leadership and engaging the workforce in quality efforts
• Applying lean or six sigma methodologies to optimize processes 
• Expanding the use of digital tools and virtual care to improve care coordination and access

Looking ahead, safety and quality leaders also identified several trends shaping their strategies, including increased use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies to support improvement efforts, stronger accountability structures for patient safety and closer alignment between safety initiatives and broader organizational performance goals.

Respondents also pointed to a growing focus on workplace violence prevention, expanded use of bundled care models to enhance coordination and continued investment in age-friendly health systems.

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Hospitals and health systems face mounting pharmacy-related challenges across access, affordability, workforce and supply chain, according to the American Hospital Association’s 2026 Environmental Scan.

The report, published Dec. 3, was designed as a roadmap for hospital leaders and covers financial trends, developments in AI, chronic disease trends and more issues.

Here are five things to know:

1. Prescription drug denials are rising.

Private insurers denied 22.9% of prescription drug claims in 2023, up from 18.3% in 2016. The uptick poses a strain on hospital and ambulatory pharmacies, particularly as systems work to improve medication adherence and chronic disease management.

2. Patients’ cost concerns are affecting treatment adherence.

Twenty-three percent of adults reported taking over-the-counter drugs instead of filling a prescription due to cost. Another 36% said they skipped or delayed care altogether for financial reasons — a red flag for hospitals focused on population health and avoidable readmissions.

3. Pharmacist burnout tops all healthcare roles.

Pharmacy professionals reported a 65% burnout rate in 2024 — the highest among measured clinical occupations. That figure exceeds burnout rates for nurses (53%) and physicians (50%), and could threaten medication safety, stewardship programs and long-term workforce retention.

4. Drug supply chains remain fragile.

More than 90% of generic sterile injectable drugs rely on materials sourced overseas. Hospitals continue to depend on globally distributed pharmaceutical inputs, exposing them to price volatility, shortages and geopolitical disruptions.

5. Drug costs now account for 9% of hospital spending.

Pharmaceutical expenses represent a growing share of hospital budgets, alongside the 13% spent on supplies. With inflation still outpacing Medicare reimbursement, many systems have limited capacity to absorb further pharmacy-related cost increases.

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Tariff uncertainty, inflation, and persistent import dependencies shaped hospital supply chain decisions throughout 2025, according to the American Hospital Association’s 2026 Environmental Scan.

Supply and drug expenses accounted for more than one-fifth of total hospital spending last year — with supplies representing 13% and drugs 9%. At the same time, inflation continued to outpace Medicare inpatient reimbursement, reducing hospitals’ ability to absorb cost increases.

A majority of healthcare leaders reported concern about tariff-driven cost spikes and sourcing challenges. Eighty-two percent expected tariffs to raise hospital supply costs by at least 15%, and 90% of supply chain professionals anticipated procurement disruptions. In response, 94% of hospital administrators said they planned to delay equipment upgrades due to financial strain.

Hospitals continued to rely heavily on imported goods. In 2024 alone, the U.S. imported more than $75 billion in medical devices and supplies, with many hospitals dependent on offshore manufacturing for critical items such as respirators, gloves and IV bags.

The report highlighted that hospitals’ exposure to global trade volatility remains high — highlighting continued risk around pricing, availability and supply continuity heading into 2026.

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Nurse turnover and vacancy rates have declined since their pandemic-era peaks but remain slightly elevated, according to the 2025 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report.

The report, released in March, includes survey findings from 450 hospitals in 37 states on registered nurse turnover, retention, vacancy rates, recruitment metrics and staffing strategies. The survey reflects hospital-reported data on 218,626 registered nurses spanning January through December 2024. Learn more about the methodology here. 

Below are the average rates of registered nurse turnover and vacancy in hospitals between 2020 and 2025, according to the report. The data suggests hospitals have made significant progress in reducing nurse turnover and vacancy rates since their peak during the pandemic.

The national nurse turnover rate was 16.4% in 2024, marking a 2% drop from the year prior. The national hospital staff turnover rate was 18.3%, in comparison.  

However, sustained efforts to stabilize the workforce, improve working conditions and address burnout are needed to fully recover.

“As hospitals face growing shortages, burnout and engagement challenges, the AHA
calls for bold investments, the adoption of supportive innovations, thoughtful policy and enduring respect for those who show up every day to care for others,” the American Hospital Association said in its 2026 Environmental Scan report released Dec. 18.

Year	Hospital staff nurse turnover rate	Average hospital staff nurse vacancy rate
2020	18.7%	9.0%
2021	27.1%	9.0%
2022	22.5%	17.0%
2023	18.4%	15.7%
2024	16.4%	9.9%
2025	—	9.6%

Note: Data was not available for turnover rates in 2025.

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Healthcare remained the most expensive industry for data breaches in 2025 for the 14th consecutive year, according to the American Hospital Association’s 2026 Environmental Scan.

The average cost of a healthcare breach in the U.S. was $9.8 million in 2025, outpacing all other sectors. Although this was down from $10.9 million in 2023, it still far exceeded the global industry average, the report found. Healthcare breaches also took the longest to identify and contain — an average of 279 days, about five weeks longer than in other industries.

The report attributed the high costs and lengthy containment periods to gaps in governance and oversight, especially regarding artificial intelligence. It found that 97% of AI-related security breaches occurred in systems lacking appropriate access controls. Most affected organizations had no internal policies to regulate the use of shadow AI — artificial intelligence tools adopted without formal approval or oversight.

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Layoffs, AI-driven workplace changes and stagnant pay in 2025 have prompted some workers in their 40s to return to the classroom, The Wall Street Journal reported Dec. 13.

Some are switching industries, while others are pursuing higher degrees to meet heightened qualification standards or enrolling in college for the first time after entering the workforce directly out of high school. The return to school often comes with challenges, such as juggling work and family responsibilities and taking on new debt.

More than 1 million Americans in their 40s are enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics cited by the Journal. Many are returning in search of higher salaries and stronger job security.

Skilled trade and apprenticeship programs — including those in healthcare — are also seeing increased interest, the Journal reported.

Hospital and health systems across the U.S. offer various education-related benefits to support upskilling and career advancement. Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health, for example, launched a debt-free education initiative in August, covering up to $5,250 in annual prepaid tuition for full-time employees. Team members are eligible to apply on their first day and can pursue a high school diploma or college degrees.

Springfield, Ill.-based Hospital Sisters Health System introduced a similar program in 2024, covering up to $4,000 in annual tuition for employees pursuing associate, bachelor’s or graduate degrees.

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A study published Dec. 18 in the BMJ found hospitals acquired by real estate investment trusts can see a significantly higher risk of bankruptcy or closure, even as most quality-of-care and financial performance measures stay unchanged. 

The study was led by researchers from the University of Chicago, Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston-based Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and the American College of Surgeons. It comes on the heels of high-profile hospital bankruptcies, such as Dallas-based Steward Health Care’s May 2024 bankruptcy, which led to the sale or closure of more than 30 hospitals across eight states. Steward was founded in 2010 after private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management acquired Boston-based nonprofit health system Caritas Christi, now known as Steward. 

Cerberus entered a sale-leaseback deal with Medical Properties Trust, the largest hospital landlord in the U.S., in 2016 and retained part of the $1.25 billion investment for future projects and distributed some to Cerberus investors. Cerberus later exited Steward in 2020, selling its controlling equity stake to then-Steward CEO Ralph de la Torre, MD.

“The private equity backed Steward Health Care entered a sale-leaseback agreement with Medical Properties Trust, a REIT, in 2016,” the study said. “It was reported that much of the initial cash from the sale to Medical Properties Trust was likely returned to private equity investors and shareholders without clear benefit to individual Steward hospitals. Facing increasing debt because of rents to its REIT landlord and invoices to medical supply vendors, Steward Health Care recently declared bankruptcy and ultimately collapsed.”

Here are six things to know:

1. The study looked at 87 general acute care hospitals that engaged in REIT sale-leaseback transactions from 2005 and 2019, comparing them with 337 matched hospitals that did not engage in such transactions. While Steward’s bankruptcy involved a REIT sale-leaseback structure, the study analyzed a broader national sample and did not focus on a single system.

2. Hospitals acquired by REITs experienced significant declines in physical assets. Total fixed assets fell by an average of 31%, while building-specific fixed assets dropped by nearly 41% compared with non-REIT hospitals.
3. Apart from fixed asset reductions, the study did not find statistically significant differences in revenue, expenses, staffing, margins or liquidity after adjusting for multiple comparisons.

4. Quality-of-care outcomes also showed no major differences. Risk-adjusted 30-day mortality and readmission rates for heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia, as well as patient satisfaction scores, remained comparable to non-REIT hospitals.
5. Long-term outcomes sharply differed. By the end of 2024, 25% of REIT-acquired hospitals had closed or filed for bankruptcy, compared with 4% of hospitals in the control group.
6. REIT-acquired hospitals had an adjusted hazard ratio of 5.66 for closure or bankruptcy when compared with non-REIT hospitals.

“The findings of this study suggest that the short term financial gains from hospital real estate sales are not associated with changes in financial or quality of care,” the study said. “Instead, REIT acquisition is associated with an increased risk of closure or bankruptcy. As REITs continue to expand in healthcare, ongoing evaluation of their impact on patients and healthcare providers is warranted.”

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Every healthcare executive in America knows the numbers by heart. Costs are climbing faster than reimbursements. Labor shortages drag on. Inflation keeps pushing the price of everything from surgical gloves to software. Meanwhile, the expectation never changes: improve patient outcomes and make life better for the people delivering the care.

That is the paradox of the modern health system; doing more, with less, without breaking the people or the mission in the process. Strategy is rarely the problem. Execution is.

Across decades of work with health systems, we have seen one approach deliver measurable, repeatable results when traditional initiatives hit a wall. We call them “breakthrough projects.”

A breakthrough is not an improvement plan. It is a result that seems impossible to achieve within current models and mindsets. It is the difference between shaving a few minutes off average length of stay and fundamentally rethinking how patients move through the continuum of care. It is the leap that turns “what if” into “what now.”

Breakthrough projects are built for the realities of today’s health systems; mission-driven, compliance-heavy, and perpetually under pressure. Each project begins with a bold, quantifiable outcome and a clear champion at the top. A small, cross-functional team commits to that outcome together, not as representatives of departments but as stewards of a shared result. They work with speed, accountability, and a refusal to accept the usual excuses that stall change.

The structure may sound simple, but the discipline is relentless. Every assumption gets challenged. Every process is up for redesign. The goal is to deliver results that defy precedent while preserving the integrity of care.

That matters more than ever. In 2025, operating margins across U.S. health systems narrowed to historic lows. Several states have enacted reimbursement cuts ranging from three to ten percent, just as expenses continue to rise nearly eight percent a year. Bad debt and charity care are climbing, and the burden of prior authorizations grows heavier by the month. Clinician burnout still affects nearly half of physicians. In this climate, incremental change is not enough.

Breakthrough projects were designed for precisely this kind of turbulence. They replace slow, risk-averse improvement cycles with a model that rewards urgency and collective ownership. The results speak for themselves.

Case in point: A major U.S. regional health system partnered with Insigniam to confront a persistent gap in performance. Its quality scores were average. Readmission and mortality rates hovered below national benchmarks. Patient satisfaction lagged behind peers. The leadership team decided to go after a result that, at the time, seemed unrealistic—to rank among the top ten percent of systems nationwide in quality, service, and cost within a decade.

More than nine hundred physicians, nurses, and staff joined the effort. The project became a proving ground for a new culture: one built on trust, transparency, and a bias for action. Five years later, the system had climbed from below average to the top decile in both readmission and mortality metrics, according to federal data. Patient satisfaction rose from the twenty-second to the seventy-second percentile. Employee engagement surged. Even more striking, the organization maintained a healthy four-to-six percent operating margin through the entire transformation.

Those numbers tell a story bigger than performance. They show what happens when a system stops treating cost, quality, and experience as competing priorities and starts pursuing them as a single outcome. The real breakthrough wasn’t in a spreadsheet; it was in how people thought and worked together.

We have seen the same dynamic in other systems that adopted the model. Emergency departments have slashed throughput time without adding staff. Care-coordination teams have reduced cost per case while improving throughput and satisfaction. Leaders who once hesitated to experiment now build new operating models around AI-enhanced scheduling and predictive analytics. The technology is not the hero; it is an enabler for a workforce newly aligned around what matters most.

Breakthrough projects succeed because they marry two forces that rarely coexist in healthcare: disciplined structure and creative freedom. The framework keeps teams focused; the culture invites invention. It is this balance—between rigor and imagination—that allows organizations to execute at the speed today’s environment demands.

After thirty-five years of helping enterprises deliver results once thought impossible, we have learned that transformation is less about what a system knows and more about what it believes is possible. In healthcare, that belief can feel fragile. The weight of regulation, tradition, and fear of failure can silence even the boldest ideas. But once a team experiences a breakthrough—once they see that extraordinary results are achievable within the same constraints—they rarely go back.

Healthcare systems are, at their core, communities of purpose. Every clinician, administrator, and executive entered the field to make a difference. Breakthrough projects reconnect people to that purpose by proving that excellence and economy can coexist. They turn hesitation into momentum, and momentum into measurable change.

The future of healthcare will not be written by the systems that have the best strategy documents or the most advanced analytics. It will be written by the ones that can move—fast, focused, and aligned—when the stakes are highest.

In a sector where lives and livelihoods are on the line, transformation cannot wait for perfect conditions. Breakthrough projects give health systems the means to act decisively, deliver boldly, and achieve what once seemed out of reach—without ever compromising the care that defines them.

Shideh Sedgh Bina brings over 35 years of experience advising C-suite leaders and large health-systems on enterprise-wide transformation. She has been named one of PharmaVOICE’s 100 Most Inspiring People in Life Sciences and the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association’s Woman of the Year. For more information, visit Insigniam.com.

The post Why Healthcare Transformation Keeps Stalling—And How to Fix It Fast appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

The FDA has granted full approval to rucaparib (Rubraca) for adults with BRCA-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

The decision is based on a confirmatory analysis of a randomized trial of 405 patients who had progressed on prior androgen receptor pathway inhibitors, according to a Dec. 17 news release from the agency. Among the 302 patients with BRCA mutations, rucaparib showed a statistically significant improvement in radiographic progression-free survival compared to standard treatments, with a median of 11.2 months versus 6.4 months.

Rucaparib received accelerated approval in 2020 for a similar indication. The agency said patients should be selected using an FDA-approved companion diagnostic.

The post FDA approves prostate cancer drug appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

At just 26, Billy Rogers has stepped into his first hospital CEO role. He is leading Mountainview Medical Center, a critical access hospital in White Sulphur Springs, Mont., effective Dec. 8. 

Billy Rogers studied finance in college and initially planned to work on the financial side of hospitals, with a particular interest in statistics and trend analysis. Over time, he became drawn to the collaborative nature of administrative work.

After college, he held hospital finance and clinical informaticist roles at Mountain Communities Healthcare District in Weaverville, Calif., where he oversaw the hospital’s EHR system.

“In that role, I worked in all departments and learned the workflows of everyone, so I was able to learn in that position what each department did in the hospital, which has helped in my current role,” he told Becker’s.

He steps into the CEO role at an important time — Mountainview is about a year into the construction of a replacement hospital. With the building nearly enclosed, construction teams are expected to begin interior work throughout the winter.

“Our goal is to have the new facility open and patients all moved in by next November,” he said. “A big priority right now is getting caught up on all of that information and making sure that the project isn’t delayed because of a change in administration.”

Another early focus is building strong relationships with staff and the local community — a familiar one for him.

“I lived here as a kid, so seeing familiar faces and reconnecting with people is always a priority, and it’s a great part about moving back up to this community,” he said. 

Billy Rogers moved to White Sulphur Springs as a child in 2008, when his father, Aaron Rogers, became CEO of Mountainview Medical Center. Aaron Rogers served in the role until 2015, when the family relocated to California and he became CEO of Mountain Communities Healthcare District — a role he still holds.

Aaron Rogers said he is proud of his son and the hospital’s ongoing success. Many leaders who were at the hospital when he became CEO in 2008 —  including managers of the laboratory, clinic, radiology, physical therapy and billing departments — remain in place.

Billy Rogers said he is especially encouraged by the high level of leadership and physician retention.

“It’s definitely not an easy thing to retain in critical access hospitals or in a rural area. Not everyone wants to live in a super small town, and at the end of the day, the medical staff are the people who make this hospital run,” Billy Rogers said. “I’m truly thankful for everyone around me that has been doing this for a long time, and it also goes to show that it’s a great place to work.”

One week into the role, Billy Rogers said he still has a lot to learn — but long-tenured staff and established relationships are easing the transition. 

He said he has long been drawn to critical access hospitals and knew he wanted to return to White Sulphur Springs. These hospitals are often the largest employers in their towns, he noted, and when one closes, both jobs and healthcare access are lost. 

Aaron Rogers told Becker’s that one piece of advice he shared with his son is to always keep the hospital’s mission in mind.

“You are there to run one of the larger employers in town,” he said. “The community relies on the hospital ultimately to provide good care for the patients, but also to bring state and federal dollars into the community that otherwise would not be there.”

Billy Rogers is among the first wave of Generation Z healthcare workers to step into executive roles. In the healthcare workforce, they range from part-time student workers to 28-year-old leaders. Tony Pfaff, president of Cypress Healthcare — which operates the hospital — also began leading hospitals around the same age, Billy Rogers said.

“It is pretty rare to be 26 years old and running a hospital,” he said. “I’m truly blessed that the board and Tony accepted me to do this role.”

Aaron Rogers also shared broader advice for the next generation of hospital CEOs: work hard, and understand the patient, employee and financial sides of the business.

“So many stories of failing hospitals seem to be because of leadership forgetting the mission and/or not knowing enough to see warning signs in time to make changes,” he said. “Stay connected with what the community wants and needs. Understand where every dollar comes from and where every dollar goes. You cannot lead hospitals from the sidelines. Connect with staff and value them in all ways possible.”

The post Meet the Gen Z CEO leading a Montana critical access hospital appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

As staff members from health systems across the country continue to tackle government regulations, emerging technology, and evolving patient expectations, Becker’s asked five strategic leaders in healthcare how they lead their teams in times of transformation and uncertainty.

If you are a COO or strategic leader in healthcare and are interested in joining Becker’s Healthcare COO + Strategic Leader virtual community, please contact Scott King at sking@beckershealthcare.com.

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

Question: With constant changes in healthcare regulations, technologies, and patient expectations, how do you lead your teams through periods of transformation and uncertainty?

David Muns. Chief Operating Officer, Artesia General Hospital (Artesia, N.M.): Communication has never been more important. While we have more methods than ever, the clarity and timeliness of our messaging needs work. Meetings in particular should be concise and on point. The old adage of start on time and end on time rings true. 

Dawn Thompson. Chief Strategy Officer, Advanced Diagnostics Healthcare System (Houston, TX): 1. Anchor the change to purpose….people want to know the why and respond better knowing the purpose.
2. Clearly connect the transformation to goals that resonate and let your team know “what this means to the organization”
3. Repeat the “message” consistently  to become  household thought
4. Transparent Communication ….communicate what you know and what you dont know. 
5. Build change readiness….Assess skills gaps and provide training when needed.
6. Encourage questions – this helps your team accept and move in the same direction instead of fear of unknown
7. Balance the roll out between speed and stability….know when it is overwhelming and pivot momentarily if needed.
8. Always measure the fruits of the teams labor….be ready to change if something isn’t working.
9. Lead by example – stay visible and communicating…..demonstrate adaptability and resilience.
10. Make it less about managing systems and more about guiding people through uncertainty. (empathy, clarity, consistency).

Trevor Bennett, MSN, RN. Chief Administrative Officer for Providence Swedish First Hill and Cherry Hill in Seattle: In periods of transformation and uncertainty, I focus first on clarity, presence, and trust. Change creates anxiety when people feel information is being withheld or decisions are being made in isolation. My role as a leader is to communicate early, often, and with transparency even when the answer is “We don’t know … yet.” I anchor teams in what will not change: our mission, commitment to safety, as well as responsibility to one another and our patients.

Equally important is creating psychological safety. When caregivers, physicians, and leaders feel safe raising concerns, challenging assumptions, and sharing frontline insights, organizations adapt faster and make better decisions. Culture is the stabilizer during uncertainty. When people trust leadership and each other, transformation becomes something we navigate together, rather than something done to them.

Christopher Kane. Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President, Phoebe Putney Health System (Albany, Ga.): Frequent communication to all team members that acknowledges the stress in the industry but conveys the tactics that we will pursue to mitigate the risk. Equally important, we underscore that maintaining our 115-year history as an essential community health system is our imperative.

Doug McGill. Vice President of Quality Strategy and Operations, Emory Healthcare (Atlanta, GA): Leading teams through transformation and uncertainty in healthcare requires a dynamic, cyclical approach that prioritizes both operational excellence and human connection. I guide change by first ensuring teams understand the “why” and the data behind it, then collaboratively making decisions that align with our strategy and resources. I work to ensure that leadership is not only strategic but also visible and genuine, so teams experience clarity, continuity, and trust as we navigate change together. By maintaining agility, embedding continuous improvement, and sustaining change beyond initial success, we create organizational readiness and commitment – empowering teams to thrive amid the “white-water rapids” of regulatory, technological, and patient-driven shifts.

The post How to lead health system staff through transformation and uncertainty from 5 Strategic Leaders appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Nearly 8 in 10 acute care nurses say they lose time each week to unproductive charting, and those facing the heaviest documentation burdens are significantly more likely to experience burnout and consider leaving their jobs, according to a Dec. 16 report from KLAS Research.

The report, Reducing Nursing Documentation Burden 2025: Addressing a Critical Pain Point for the Largest Clinical Profession, is based on survey responses from 80,147 acute care nurses at 179 healthcare organizations. It identifies documentation burden as the most frequently cited EHR-related challenge among nurses.

Here are six key findings from the report:

• KLAS found that 79% of acute care nurses report losing time to unproductive charting, with 34% saying they spend three or more hours per week documenting information they view as duplicative or unnecessary.
• Nurses who reported higher levels of unproductive charting were more likely to experience burnout and consider leaving their organization.
• Reducing or streamlining documentation was cited by 50% of acute care nurses as their top requested EHR improvement — far exceeding requests related to system performance or data accessibility.
• Duplicative documentation emerged as the most common issue driving dissatisfaction. Sixty percent of nurses who identified documentation as their top concern said they are required to enter the same information in multiple places, particularly within flowsheets. Others cited a lack of standardization and excessive required fields that provide little clinical value.
• The burden was most pronounced among critical care nurses, 46% of whom reported losing three or more hours per week to unproductive charting. Nurses in labor and delivery (37%), neonatal and pediatric intensive care units (35%), and medical-surgical units (35%) also reported high levels of documentation burden.
• The report highlights five healthcare organizations that achieved measurable improvements in nurse EHR satisfaction after implementing documentation optimization initiatives. These organizations reported increases in Net EHR Experience Scores ranging from 8.1 to 71.4 points after reducing redundancy, standardizing workflows and involving frontline nurses in redesign decisions.

KLAS noted that while technologies such as mobile documentation tools, device integration and AI-based summarization are increasingly available, the most successful organizations paired technology with workflow redesign, training and governance to reduce documentation burden.

The post 79% of nurses lose time to unproductive charting: KLAS appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare is mourning the death of its senior vice president and chief nurse executive Sammie Mosier, BSN, RN, whose nearly three-decade career at the system highlighted her commitment to supporting caregivers and advancing nursing. 

“Her impact on HCA Healthcare and the nursing profession will endure,” the system said in a Dec. 15 Linkedin post. “As we continue to advance our mission, we do so inspired by the passion, purpose and heart she brought to everything she did. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and the many colleagues who had the privilege of working alongside her.”

Ms. Mosier, who died Dec. 12 at the age of 50, began her career at HCA as a bedside nurse at Frankfort (Ky.) Regional Medical Center. From there, she worked her way up through different leadership roles at the system. Dubbed a true “nurse’s nurse,” Ms. Mosier was an advocate for the profession, and emphasized the importance of helping nurses provide the best care possible to patients. 

In early December, Ms. Mosier played a key role in HCA’s $4.8 million donation to Malibu, Calif.-based Pepperdine University to help kick off the School of Nursing in its College of Health Science. 

“We believe that investing in nursing education is vital to the future of healthcare,” Ms. Mosier said in a Dec. 5 news release. “It is a privilege to support Pepperdine University’s new School of Nursing as they prepare the next generation of caregivers with the tools, confidence and compassion to care for patients and communities.”

Ms. Mosier also shared her vision for the future of nursing in a 2023 Becker’s piece, where she reflected on her personal experiences and the challenges across the national healthcare landscape, highlighting the central role that nurses play in providing safe, compassionate and high-quality care. 

“Success in healthcare requires a resilient, caring team of authentic and diverse leaders who connect to the mission of patient care … and inspire others to be part of the journey,” Ms. Mosier said.

The American Organization for Nursing Leadership said in a Dec. 15 Facebook post that the organization will remember Ms. Mosier “for her leadership defined by empathy and expertise.”

“She transformed the national health system by spearheading advocacy initiatives to elevate nursing voices in policy, establishing a program to recognize unit-level excellence, and pioneering a residency program to advance early-career nurse development,” the post said.

The post HCA chief nursing executive dies at 50 appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Ultra high-cost drugs, or medications that cost more than $1 million per patient, can be life-altering treatments. They are also covered in an obsolete payment system, according to Mike Evans, RPh, chief pharmacy officer for Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger.

“Every year, a higher and higher percentage of our total spend, from a payer perspective, is on pharmacy,” Mr. Evans, who also serves as Geisinger’s enterprise pharmacy vice president, told Becker’s. “In fact, probably within the next three years, pharmacy spend will trump medical spend from a payer perspective.”

Geisinger operates 10 hospital campuses, more than 140 other care sites and a health insurance company. The payer-provider generates more than $8 billion in annual revenue. 

On the payer side, medications are mainly covered through a fee for service payment system rather than a value-based structure. Applying that payment structure to ultra high-cost drugs leaves too much risk for the payer, especially if the patient changes insurers shortly after receiving the therapy, Mr. Evans said. 

“The current payment system worked OK when we had small molecule therapy and the therapies are up to a couple hundred dollars,” he said. “You can amortize that risk. But now, when you have therapies that are a million dollars-plus, amortizing that risk is very difficult, particularly for smaller payers.”

For example, a million-dollar CAR T-cell therapy includes cell collection through apheresis, genetically altering those cells, multiplying them and administering the therapy. Applying a fee for service model to this treatment leaves too much to chance, according to Mr. Evans.  

“We really need a payment structure where the outcome of the value of that therapy is actually getting back or getting to who paid for the therapy,” he said, adding manufacturers and payers — not members — should share the risk. Another option is a third party to act as a holding company to manage the risk. 

More health systems are leaning into outcome-based payment models for CAR T-cell therapies, according to Fran Gregory, PharmD, vice president of emerging therapies for Cardinal Health. Dr. Gregory recently told Specialty Pharmacy Continuum payers can alleviate the risk of a patient changing plans by paying for CAR T-cell therapies in increments. 

Similarly, “pay for performance” contracts with drug manufacturers ensure that, if the patient relapses within a specified timeline, the manufacturer reimburses the payer. This spreads upside and downside risk among the payer, manufacturer and provider, according to Mr. Evans. 

“Manufacturers through value-based contracts have always been willing to go upside risk with you, but they’re never willing to go downside risk,” he said. “That needs to change.”

The post A payer-provider view on ultra high-cost drugs appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Detroit remains the neediest city in the U.S., largely because it has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 9.1%, according to a Dec. 15 analysis from personal finance website WalletHub.

The city also ranked No. 1 in WalletHub’s 2025 list.

To develop its “Neediest Cities in America (2026)” ranking, WalletHub compared 182 U.S. cities — including the 150 most populated and at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across 28 metrics tied to economic well-being and health and safety. Metrics included poverty, unemployment, homelessness, uninsured and food insecurity rates, as well as the share of adults who needed to see a physician in the past year but could not due to cost.

Here are the 10 neediest U.S. cities, per WalletHub:

1. Detroit

2. Brownsville, Texas

3. Shreveport, La.

4. Cleveland

5. Little Rock, Ark.

6. Gulfport, Miss.

7. Corpus Christi, Texas

8. Birmingham, Ala.

9. Laredo, Texas

10. New Orleans

The post 10 ‘neediest’ US cities appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Concierge and direct primary care models are rapidly reshaping the U.S. primary care landscape. These membership-based practices, which charge monthly or annual fees for enhanced access and longer visits, have increased in recent years — often operating outside the traditional insurance system.

A research article published in December in Health Affairs by researchers from Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University, Portland-based Oregon Health & Science University and Boston-based Harvard Medical School found that such practices increased by more than 80% between 2018 and 2023, raising questions about equity, access and the future of the physician workforce.

Here are four key findings:

1. Concierge and direct primary care practices grew 83% in five years.

From 2018 to 2023, the number of fee-based primary care practices nationwide rose from 1,658 to 3,036, according to the study.

2. Clinician participation increased 78%.

The number of individual clinicians working in these models nearly doubled, rising from 3,935 to 7,021. Researchers attributed the shift in part to burnout and administrative burden in traditional practice settings.

3. Corporate ownership of concierge and DPC practices surged 576%.

While many of these direct primary care models started independently, the sharp rise in for-profit ownership may reshape how personalized care is delivered and raise new questions about access and scalability.

4. Researchers warn of growing equity concerns.

While patients in fee-based models may benefit from smaller panels and longer visits, the migration of physicians out of insurance-based systems could exacerbate primary care shortages and limit access for patients who rely on traditional coverage.

The post Fee-based primary care on the rise: 4 notes appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

The American Hospital Association, American Nurses Association and dozens of other groups representing healthcare professionals are urging federal lawmakers to pass newly reintroduced legislation that would expand the nation’s nursing faculty workforce and modernize nursing education. 

The Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act, reintroduced Dec. 11 by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., would authorize $1 billion in grants to schools of nursing. The funding could be used to hire faculty, update educational infrastructure and bolster student recruitment and retention.

A lack of qualified faculty is a key driver of the nation’s nursing shortage. In 2023, more than 65,000 qualified applicants were turned away from nursing programs largely due insufficient teaching staff and clinical training sites. 

“The Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act represents a bold and necessary investment in the future of our profession,” Jennifer Kennedy, PhD, RN, president of the American Nurses Association, said in a news release. “By strengthening nursing education and supporting the recruitment and retention of faculty, this legislation addresses one of the root causes of today’s workforce shortage. Nurses cannot meet the nation’s growing demand for care without the ability to educate and prepare the next generation. The American Nurses Association is proud to support this bill and urges Congress to act swiftly to secure the nursing workforce our patients and communities depend on.”

The bill is supported by more than 50 organizations. 

The post Healthcare groups urge lawmakers to pass bill to grow nurse faculty  appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

More Americans than ever believe the U.S. healthcare system is in crisis, according to a Dec. 15 article from Gallup.

The West Health-Gallup Health and Healthcare Survey was conducted Nov. 3-25 and included responses from 1,321 U.S. adults.

Here are five things to know:

1. Twenty-three percent of respondents said the U.S. healthcare system is “in a state of crisis,” and 47% said it has “major problems.” Meanwhile, 26% said its problems are minor, and 3% said it is free of problems. 

2. The share of respondents who believe the U.S. healthcare system is in crisis reached a record high in 2025, up from 16% in 2024. The lowest share recorded was 5% in 2001.

3. Twenty-nine percent of respondents said cost is the most urgent health issue in the U.S., up from 23% in 2024. It is the highest share recorded since 2004 and is among the highest shares since 1987.

4. From 2007 to 2012, more Americans cited access to care than cost as the most urgent health issue. In 2025, 17% of respondents said access was the top problem, while 8% said obesity was the most urgent.

5. Satisfaction with U.S. healthcare costs dropped to 16%, down from 19% in 2024 — the lowest level since Gallup began tracking the trend in 2001. Respondents’ satisfaction with their own healthcare costs held steady at 57%.

The post Nearly 1 in 4 Americans believe US healthcare is in ‘crisis’: Gallup appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

The Leapfrog Group has published its annual list of top-performing hospitals, recognizing 151 hospitals in the U.S. for excellence in quality and safety in 2025. 

Top hospitals are identified using data from the watchdog organization’s annual hospital survey, with selection based on excellence in various quality and patient safety measures, including infection rates, maternity care, surgical safety, error prevention, ethical billing and ensuring patients provide informed consent for procedures. Hospitals must have received an “A” in Leapfrog’s latest round of patient safety grades to be eligible. Read more about the methodologies for each category here. 

The awards are divided into four categories: children’s hospitals (15), general hospitals (47), rural hospitals (16) and teaching hospitals (73). Read more about the methodologies for each category here.

The number of hospitals that earned the award this year increased 16% compared to last, reflecting improved performance in billing ethics and informed consent, as well as nurse staffing measures. 

Here are the 151 U.S. hospitals that received the award this year, first by state and then by hospital type:

Alaska 

Top general hospitals

Bassett Army Community Hospital (Fairbanks)

Arizona 

Top teaching hospitals

Chandler Regional Medical Center

California

Top teaching hospitals 

Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center
Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center
Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente Ontario Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente Orange County-Irvine Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center (San Diego) 

Keck Hospital of USC (Los Angeles) 

Loma Linda University Medical Center East Campus

Montclair Hospital Medical Center

Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital

UCI Health–Orange

UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights (San Francisco) 

UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion (San Francisco) 

USC Norris Cancer Hospital (Los Angeles) 

Top general hospitals
Kaiser Permanente Manteca Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente Modesto Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente San Leandro Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center

Mercy Hospital of Folsom

Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms

Sequoia Hospital (Redwood City) 

St. John’s Hospital Camarillo

Weed Army Community Hospital (Fort Irwin) 

Woodland Memorial Hospital 

Top children’s hospitals

Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital

Rady Children’s Hospital at Mission (Mission Viejo) 

Valley Children’s Hospital (Madera) 

Rady Children’s Hospital Orange County

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland

Top rural hospitals 

Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital (Grass Valley) 

Colorado

Top teaching hospitals 

AdventHealth Avista (Louisville) 

CommonSpirit—St. Francis Hospital—Interquest (Colorado Springs)

Top general hospitals
Boulder Community Foothills Hospital

Top rural hospitals 

Mercy Hospital (Durango) 

Connecticut

Top teaching hospitals 

Hartford Hospital

Top general hospitals 

Windham Community Memorial Hospital (Willimantic)

Delaware

Top rural hospitals 

Beebe Healthcare Specialty Surgical Hospital (Rehoboth Beach) 

Florida

Top teaching hospitals 

AdventHealth East Orlando

AdventHealth Orlando

Baptist Health Doctors Hospital (Coral Gables) 

Baptist Health Hospital—Doral 

Lakewood Ranch Medical Center

Orlando Health Horizon West Hospital (Winter Garden) 

Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute-Orthopedic Specialty Hospital

Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies

Top general hospitals 

AdventHealth DeLand

AdventHealth New Smyrna Beach

AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway

Top children’s hospitals 

AdventHealth for Children (Orlando) 

Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital (Hollywood) 

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital (St. Petersburg) 

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital (Miami) 

Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children

Wolfson Children’s Hospital (Jacksonville) 

Top rural hospitals 

AdventHealth Wauchula

Georgia
Top general hospitals
AdventHealth Murray (Chatsworth) 

Illinois

Top teaching hospitals 

Endeavor Health Glenbrook Hospital (Glenview) 

Rush University Medical Center (Chicago) 

University of Chicago Medical Center

Top general hospitals 

Provident Hospital of Cook County (Chicago) 

Silver Cross Hospital (New Lenox)

Kansas

Top general hospitals
AdventHealth South Overland Park Hospital

Louisiana

Top rural hospitals
Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital (Fort Park) 

Our Lady of the Angels Hospital (Bogalusa) 

Maryland

Top teaching hospitals
MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital (Leonardtown)

Massachusetts

Top teaching hospitals 

Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston) 

Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston) 

Top general hospitals 

Anna Jaques Hospital (Newburyport) 

Sturdy Memorial Hospital (Attleboro) 

Missouri

Top teaching hospitals 

Mercy Hospital Springfield

Top general hospitals 

Mercy Hospital Jefferson (Festus) 

Top rural hospitals 

General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital (Fort Leonard Wood) 

Montana

Top teaching hospitals 

Billings Clinic

Nevada

Top general hospitals
North Vista Hospital (North Las Vegas) 

New Jersey

Top teaching hospitals 

Bergen New Bridge Medical Center (Paramus) 

Englewood Hospital and Medical Center

Monmouth Medical Center (Long Branch) 

St. Luke’s Warren Campus (Phillipsburg) 

Top general hospitals 

Hackensack Meridian Pascack Valley Medical Center (Westwood) 

Holy Name Medical Center (Teaneck) 

Shore Medical Center (Somers Point) 

New Mexico

Top teaching hospitals 

Heart Hospital of New Mexico at Lovelace Medical Center (Albuquerque) 

Top general hospitals 

Lovelace Women’s Hospital (Albuquerque)

New York

Top teaching hospitals 

Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital (New York City)

NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island (Mineola)

NYU Langone Hospitals (New York City)

Plainview Hospital

St. Francis Hospital and Heart Center (Roslyn) 

Top general hospitals 

Keller Army Community Hospital (West Point) 

White Plains Hospital 

Top rural hospitals 

Gouverneur Hospital

North Carolina

Top teaching hospitals 

Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center

Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center (Charlotte) 

University of North Carolina Hospitals (Chapel Hill) 

Top general hospitals 

Cape Fear Valley Health-Hoke Hospital (Raeford) 

Novant Health Kernersville Medical Center

Novant Health Matthews Medical Center

Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center (Charlotte) 

Johnston Health Clayton 

UNC Health Nash (Rocky Mount) 

Top rural hospitals 

UNC Health Lenoir (Kinston) 

Ohio

Top teaching hospitals 

The Ohio State University Hospital East (Columbus) 

Top general hospitals 

Mount Carmel New Albany

Oklahoma

Top teaching hospitals 

Hillcrest Hospital South (Tulsa)

Top general hospitals 

Tulsa Spine & Specialty Hospital

Top rural hospitals 

Hillcrest Hospital Pryor

Pennsylvania

Top teaching hospitals 

Jefferson Einstein Montgomery Hospital (East Norriton) 

Jefferson Frankford (Philadelphia) 

Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (Hershey)

St. Luke’s Hospital—Allentown Campus

St. Luke’s Hospital—Easton Campus

St. Luke’s Sacred Heart Campus (Allentown) 

St. Luke’s University Hospital—Bethlehem Campus

WellSpan York Hospital

Top general hospitals 

Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center

UPMC Carlisle

Top rural hospitals 

St. Luke’s Monroe Campus

Top children’s hospitals 

UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh

South Carolina

Top teaching hospitals 

Prisma Health Laurens County Hospital

Prisma Health Patewood Hospital

Top general hospitals 

Naval Hospital Beaufort

Roper Hospital

Roper St. Francis Healthcare—Berkeley Hospital

Roper St. Francis Healthcare—Mount Pleasant Hospital

Top rural hospitals 

MUSC Health—Marion Medical Center 

Prisma Health Oconee Memorial Hospital

Tennessee

Top teaching hospitals 

Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women and the Spence and Becky Wilson Baptist Children’s Hospital (Memphis) 

Top children’s hospitals
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital (Memphis) 

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt (Nashville)

Texas

Top teaching hospitals 

Baylor Scott and White The Heart Hospital Dallas

Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital

Seton Medical Center Harker Heights

Top rural hospitals 

AdventHealth Rollins Brook (Lampasas) 

UT Health Carthage 

UT Health Pittsburg

Utah

Top general hospitals 

CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital – Jordan Valley (West Jordan) 

Virginia

Top teaching hospitals 

Inova Fair Oaks Hospital (Fairfax) 

Inova Loudoun Hospital (Leesburg) 

Top general hospitals 

Fauquier Health (Warrenton) 

Washington

Top teaching hospitals 

St. Clare Hospital (Lakewood) 

Virginia Mason Medical Center (Seattle) 

Top general hospitals 

MultiCare Valley Hospital (Spokane Valley) 

Top children’s hospital 

Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital Health Network (Tacoma) 

The post Leapfrog’s 151 top hospitals in 2025  appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Hospitals nationwide are facing intensifying staffing pressures, rising patient acuity and growing demands for more sustainable care delivery. At Cleveland-based University Hospitals, a new virtual nursing initiative is offering an effective, systemwide solution.

During an October webinar hosted by Becker’s Healthcare and Vitalchat, Brian Nelson, RN, program lead and Lauren Yanus, RN, platform lead, at the University Hospitals Veale Healthcare Transformation Institute, shared how their team scaled virtual nursing across an entire facility and why clinical co-design is central to the program’s success.

Here are four key takeaways from the session:

1. Virtual care’s critical impact

Nelson and Yanus emphasized that virtual nurses are an extension of the bedside team, not a substitute.

Virtual team members assist with admissions, discharges, medication verification, fall prevention and patient and family education. Cameras and audio are activated only with permission and not used for surveillance, a distinction reinforced in patient-facing videos and messaging.

“Our virtual nurse is an integral team member,” said Mr. Nelson. “They are there to support our bedside caregivers and connect our patients with their loved ones or other care providers so that they can either get home or get further care.”

2. Scaling systemwide

University Hospitals’ virtual nursing journey began with five units across four hospitals in May 2024. These included medical-surgical floors, an ICU and a pediatric unit.

After testing workflows and stabilizing technology, the team launched a full-hospital implementation at Lake West in July 2025, activating virtual care across 146 rooms, including emergency, ICU and step-down units. Rapid infrastructure updates helped minimize disruption and enabled swift deployment.

“We ran that pilot to look at how we stabilize technology.” Mr. Nelson said. “It started with the very basic use cases of admissions and discharges and really left the other side to be open, teach us what we don’t know, let the nurses be innovative and let’s add additional use cases.”

3. ‘The secret sauce’

A central theme of the program is empowering frontline nurses.

“The managers, the CNOs, the bedside staff are the ones who help build all these use cases,” Nelson said. “They’re the innovative ones. We provide the platform. They teach us what we don’t know.”

Ms. Yanus described design sessions that included operations leaders, educators and nurses, where “no idea was off the table.” That collaborative spirit has been key to acceptance and sustainability.

“I refer to this as our secret sauce,” said Ms. Yanus. “Having all of these team members come together at the beginning helps keep them engaged throughout the process.”

4. Measurable results

The program has already shown quantifiable benefits. In September alone, virtual nurses completed 513 of 616 admissions, giving back over 250 hours to bedside teams. They also handled 291 discharges, returning another 135 hours.

Lake West’s caregiver engagement scores have improved across the board and the hospital is seeing earlier discharges and faster post-discharge processing. An internal study also showed a 78% reduction in patient falls on units with virtual nursing.

As the program grows, University Hospitals is piloting virtual patient observers, expanding cross-coverage staffing and exploring use cases from family visitation to specialty consults.

“Virtual care platforms allow us to build safer hospitals, more efficient teams and make the patients part of our team,” Mr. Nelson said. “It’s making the caregivers feel like they are heard and that’s important to really drive innovation as we look at how we scale across the system.”

To listen to a recording of the Webinar, click here or visit www.vitalchat.com.

The post University Hospitals scales virtual nursing model to full-hospital deployment appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Fitch Ratings has issued a ‘neutral’ outlook for the U.S. healthcare provider sector in 2026, pointing to stable credit trends, modest revenue growth, and potential margin pressure from rising labor costs and policy shifts.

Here are five key takeaways from the report.

1. Hospital ratings stabilizing: Fitch Ratings assigned a “neutral” outlook for U.S. healthcare providers in 2026, citing issuer resilience and sector stability. Most credit ratings are expected to remain balanced for the next 12 months.

2. Revenue to grow modestly: Fitch projects mid-single-digit revenue growth in 2026, driven by low-single-digit increases in volumes and low- to mid-single-digit mix-adjusted reimbursement gains, according to the report. Merger and acquisition activity is also expected to rise as consolidation continues.

3. Margins to flatten: EBITDA margins are expected to level off after recent improvements. Staffing costs are forecast to rise at mid-single-digit rates, and medical professional fees could increase by about 10%, reversing prior tailwinds from lower temporary staffing expenses.

4. Medicaid changes may increase uninsured population: The 2025 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will tighten Medicaid eligibility and intensify annual redeterminations in 2026, likely reducing Medicaid enrollment. Fitch expects this to push more people into the uninsured population and affect hospital payer mix, ultimately placing more pressure on overall margins.

5. Policy shifts favor outpatient care: Medicare’s 2026 Outpatient Prospective Payment System rule will cut reimbursement for drug administration at some off-campus hospital outpatient departments to 40% of prior OPPS rates. The inpatient-only list will also be phased out by year-end 2027, sustaining volume and margin growth for ambulatory surgery centers.

The post 5 predictions on hospital financial performance in 2026 appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Nearly one in three nonfederal acute care hospitals in the U.S. reported using generative artificial intelligence integrated into their electronic health record in 2024, according to a national survey analysis published Dec. 12 in JAMA Network Open.

The findings are based on a survey of 2,174 nonfederal U.S. acute care hospitals using data from the 2024 American Hospital Association Information Technology Supplement, fielded from April through September.

Key findings from the survey include:

• Thirty-one point five percent of hospitals reported current use of generative AI integrated into the EHR, while 24.7% said they planned to adopt it within a year — suggesting about half of U.S. hospitals could be using the technology by the end of 2025.
• Forty-three point seven percent of hospitals were classified as delayed adopters, meaning they reported no plans to implement generative AI, expected adoption in five years or were unsure.
• Adoption was more common among health system–affiliated and teaching hospitals, as well as hospitals using Epic EHRs. Independent hospitals and those with a high share of Medicaid discharges were somewhat less likely to report adoption or near-term plans.
• Hospitals with prior experience using predictive AI were significantly more likely to adopt generative AI, though those with the most robust AI evaluation practices tended to move more cautiously.

The post ​​Half of US hospitals to adopt generative AI by end of 2025, study finds appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Medscape has published a report on the best cities for young physicians to start their career, based on an analysis of factors ranging from compensation to local cultural life.

The ranking, published Dec. 12, also took into account job opportunities, malpractice rates, professional development and outdoor recreation. Austin, Texas, topped the list for its strong job market, quality of life and favorable financial environment.

Here are the top cities for early-career physicians, per Medscape’s latest ranking:

1. Austin, Texas

2. Salt Lake City

3. Charlotte, N.C.

4. Orlando, Fla.

5. Raleigh, N.C. 

6. Denver 

7. Houston

8. Minneapolis

9. San Jose, Calif. 

10. Jacksonville, Fla. 

11. Seattle 

12. St. Louis 

13. Phoenix 

14. Cincinnati 

15. Green Bay, Wis. 

The post 15 top cities for early-career physicians  appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

The FDA is considering adding a black box warning to COVID-19 vaccines — the latest development in a broader shift in how the agency approaches vaccine oversight and safety communication, according to a Dec. 12 CNN report. 

Here are seven things to know:

1. The proposal signals a more aggressive regulatory stance.

A black box warning is the FDA’s most serious labeling designation, reserved for life-threatening or disabling risks. If finalized, it would mark a rare move for vaccines and a significant departure from the agency’s prior messaging on COVID-19 shot safety, according to CNN.

2. The push follows an internal memo linking pediatric deaths to vaccines.

Vinay Prasad, MD, the agency’s chief medical and scientific officer and director of its vaccine division, cited “at least 10” pediatric deaths in a November memo. The agency expanded its review to include adult cases but has not released supporting data, prompting criticism from internal staff and public health groups.

3. FDA expanded myocarditis warnings in May.

Current labels note increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis among males ages 12 to 24, according to CNN. A black box warning would elevate that risk to the agency’s highest alert level.

4. Critics say the changes risk eroding trust.

Groups like the Infectious Diseases Society of America warn that the proposed changes lack transparency and could undermine public confidence in vaccines that have been extensively studied and monitored.

5. This ties into broader FDA plans to slow vaccine approvals.

Dr. Prasad has also proposed requiring longer trials and full disease-reduction data for vaccine approvals. This move would delay updates for vaccines like flu and pneumococcal shots.

6. Other federal shifts around vaccines are underway.

President Donald Trump recently ordered a review of the U.S. childhood immunization schedule, and the CDC has paused universal birth-dose recommendations for hepatitis B.

7. The exact timeline and scope are unclear.

The FDA has not said whether the boxed warning would apply to all COVID-19 vaccines or age groups, or whether the change will undergo public advisory committee review.

The post FDA weighs black box warning for COVID-19 vaccines: 7 notes appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

In the One Big Beautiful Bill era, capacity is more than a scheduling concern for hospitals and health systems — it’s a financial imperative. During a recent Becker’s Healthcare webinar hosted by LeanTaaS, executives from University Hospitals (Cleveland), Sutter Health (Sacramento, Calif.) and Scripps Health (San Diego) shared how their systems are leveraging predictive analytics, real-time data and cultural accountability to navigate tightening margins and rising demand.

Panelists shared their strategies in leveraging real-time data and visibility to boost operational agility, unlock capacity and ultimately safeguard access to care amid escalating financial headwinds. At University Hospitals, for example, smarter OR utilization efforts have raised productivity from 50% to 85%, translating into significant margin improvement.

Below are five key takeaways from the session.

1. Real-time data is essential to bridging capacity and access.

At Sutter Auburn (Calif.) Faith Hospital, data has become a strategic foundation for managing capacity and demand. “We are approaching [capacity and access] through a lens of data-driven agility,” said CEO Shanthi Margoschis, MSN, DHA, NEA-BC, FACHE. She emphasized the importance of real-time operational insights to anticipate bottlenecks, align staffing and maintain care quality.

The hospital has also prioritized data fluency among leaders. “Behind every story, there’s numbers, and every number needs to lead to a story,” Ms. Margoschis said. A recent initiative trained teams to interpret and act on data with confidence — a shift that has empowered better balancing of clinical and operational goals.

2. Systems are making ‘hidden’ capacity visible and profitable.

University Hospitals is managing complexity by making capacity optimization a core tenet of its clinical transformation strategy. Peter Pronovost, MD, PhD, FCCM

, the system’s chief clinical transformation officer, noted that value-based and fee-for-service models can coexist when capacity is leveraged effectively.

Using LeanTaaS’ playbooks, the system increased OR utilization from 50% to 85% and boosted physician productivity to around 80%. The key was making capacity visible and manageable. Additionally, the team used data to convert inpatient units into higher-margin service lines by shifting four patients per day to ambulatory care settings.

“Access problems, so often, are our own making,” Dr. Pronovost said. “There is capacity — it just isn’t leveraged.”

3. Systemwide coordination enables proactive resource planning.

Scripps Health has centralized operations through a corporate command center and transfer hub. “We’re using predictive analytics at a system level to look six to eight weeks ahead, and sometimes even six months ahead, to determine what our staffing needs are,” Chris Van Gorder, MPA, FACHE, president and CEO of Scripps, said. These forecasts guide decisions on hiring, training and ICU staffing, making the system more responsive and resilient.

The health system has also rolled out standardized models of care across facilities using lean principles. Front-line staff now welcome these efforts as tools for improvement rather than top-down mandates. “People are applauding the fact that it’s finally their turn to have a hand in systemwide change management,” Mr. Van Gorder said.

4. Accountability and culture change drive sustained improvements.

All three health system executives emphasized that data alone isn’t enough; culture and accountability are essential. Dr. Pronovost described a “handshake, not hammer” approach to shared accountability, reinforced by clear expectations and run charts that reflect performance over time. “If you can show me a run chart of a measure that matters, that has a slope other than zero, you have a management system,” he said.

By embedding these principles into daily workflows, systems are making capacity optimization a strategic lever, not a reactive fix.

5. Forward-looking organizations are preparing for financial pressures ahead.

Hospitals face growing financial challenges stemming from site-neutral payments, potential 340B cuts and reimbursement pressures. Leaders warned that organizations slow to adapt may face consolidation or service line closures.

“We message to the front-line staff that we need to get our cost structure down so we’re profitable on Medicare-level payments,” Dr. Pronovost said.

Mr. Van Gorder added: “We have a crisis that’s going to create opportunity for those who view it as an opportunity to become better.”

Building contingency plans and shifting from reactive to predictive operations are now table stakes for resilience. “We have to move from reactive problem-solving to becoming more proactive,” Ms. Margoschis said. “We need to invest in predictive and AI-driven insights — that’s the only way we’ll be able to anticipate demand and optimize resources.”

Through strategic use of technology and disciplined management practices, health systems are converting capacity challenges into opportunities for margin recovery and care continuity. AI-driven solutions such as LeanTaaS’ iQueue suite are helping hospitals meet the moment — not only to survive, but to evolve.

The post Preparing for the storm: How 3 health systems are making capacity work harder appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

As policy uncertainties, reimbursement pressures and continued cuts and closures weigh on hospitals and health systems heading into 2026, third-quarter operating margins showed wide variation. 

Several systems, such as UnityPoint, Montefiore Health System and Providence, saw operating losses or near-break-even results, while others like Allegheny Health Network, UPMC and Northwell Health saw only modest gains. On the stronger end, Tenet Healthcare led all systems with a 16.8% operating margin, followed by HCA Healthcare at 12.6% and Universal Health Services at 11.6%. 

Below is a ranking of 20 health systems based on their operating margins for the third quarter of 2025.

Editor’s note: This is not an exhaustive list. The following financial results are for the three months ended Sept. 30, 2025, unless otherwise stated.

1. Tenet Healthcare (Dallas)

Revenue: $5.3 billion

Expenses: $4.5 billion

Operating income: $889 million

Operating margin: $16.8%

2. HCA Healthcare (Nashville) 

Revenue: $19.2 billion

Expenses: $16.7 billion

Operating income: $2.4 billion

Operating margin: 12.6%

3. Universal Health Services (King of Prussia, Pa.)

Revenue: $4.5 billion

Expenses: $4 billion

Operating income: $521.7 million

Operating margin: 11.6%

4. BayCare (Clearwater, Fla.)

*For the nine months ending Sept. 30

Revenue: $5.2 billion

Expenses: $4.3 billion

Operating income: $543.5 million

Operating margin: 10.5%

5. Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.)

Revenue: $5.2 billion

Expenses: $5 billion

Operating income: $442 million

Operating margin: 8.1%

6. Community Health Systems (Franklin, Tenn.) 

Revenue: $3.087 billion

Expenses: $2.8 billion

Operating income: $243 million

Operating margin: 7.9%

7. Advocate Health (Charlotte, N.C.)

*For the nine months ending Sept. 30

Revenue: $28.8 billion

Expenses: $27.5 billion

Operating income: $1.3 billion

Operating margin: 4.5%

8. Cleveland Clinic

Revenue: $4.5 billion

Expenses: $4.1 billion

Operating income: $206.2 million

Operating margin: 4.5%

9. NewYork-Presbyterian (New York City)

Revenue: $2.9 billion

Expenses: $2.8 billion

Operating income: $115 million

Operating margin: 3.9%

10. BJC Health System (St. Louis)  

*For the nine months ending Sept. 30 through the third quarter

Revenue: $8.9 billion

Expenses: $8.6 billion

Operating income: $335.5 million

Operating margin: 3.8%

11. Intermountain Health (Salt Lake City)

*For the nine months ending Sept. 30

Revenue: $13.8 billion

Expenses: $12.7 billion

Operating income: $442 million

Operating margin: 3.2%

12. Banner Health (Phoenix) 

*For the nine months ending Sept. 30

Revenue: $11.9 billion

Expenses: $11.6 billion

Operating income: $338 million

Operating margin: 2.8%

13. Sanford Health (Sioux Falls, S.D.)

*For the nine months ending Sept. 30

Revenue: $8.5 billion

Expenses: $8.4 billion

Operating income: $93.3 million

Operating margin: 1.1%

14. Kaiser Permanente (Oakland, Calif.)

Revenue: $31.8 billion

Expenses: $31.6 billion

Operating income: $218 million

Operating margin: 0.7%

15. Allegheny Health Network (Pittsburgh)

Revenue: $1.4 billion

Expenses: $1.4 billion

Operating income: $7 million

Operating margin: 0.5%

16. Northwell Health (New Hyde Park, N.Y.)

Revenue: $5 billion

Expenses: $5 billion

Operating income: $26.9 million

Operating margin: 0.5% 

17. UPMC (Pittsburgh)

Revenue: $8.5 billion

Expenses: $8.5 billion

Operating income: $45.6 million

Operating margin: 0.5%

18. Providence (Renton, Wash.)

Revenue: $8 billion

Expenses: $7.9 billion

Operating income: $21 million

Operating margin: 0.3%

19. UnityPoint Health (West Des Moines, Iowa)

*For the nine months ending Sept. 30

Revenue: $1.4 billion

Expenses: $1.5 billion

Operating loss: $17 million

Operating margin: -1.3%

20. Montefiore Health System (New York City)

*For the nine months ending Sept. 30

Revenue: $6.5 billion

Expenses: $6.6 billion

Operating loss: $103.7 million 

Operating margin: -1.6%

The post From -1.6% to 16.8%: 20 health systems ranked by operating margins appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Healthcare continues to pay a significant financial toll for ransomware attacks, the U.S. Treasury Department found.

Here are four things to know from the December report, where the U.S. Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network analyzed Bank Secrecy Act data involving cyberattacks:

1. From January 2022 through December 2024, U.S. companies paid $2.6 billion to ransomware hackers, of which healthcare accounted for 11.6%.

2. Financial services, manufacturing and healthcare were the industries most affected by ransomware, both by the number of incidents and aggregate payments.

3. Healthcare had 389 ransomware incidents in that time, trailing only financial services (456) and manufacturing (432) and ahead of legal services (334).

4. Healthcare organizations paid about $305.4 million to ransomware groups during that period, behind only financial services ($365.6 million) and ahead of manufacturing ($284.6 million), science and technology ($186.7 million), and retail ($181.3 million).

The post The financial impact of healthcare ransomware attacks: 4 notes appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

More than 100,000 students were enrolled in U.S. medical schools in 2025 — a record high, according to data released Dec. 9 by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Total enrollment reached 100,723 students in 2025, with the largest-ever incoming class of 23,440 first-year students.

Here are three other key findings:

1. 54,699 people applied to medical school in 2025, a 5.3% increase from 2024.
2. First-time applicants accounted for 76.5% of the total; women made up 57.2%.
3. Medical schools in California, Texas and Florida had the most applicants.

Learn more about the data here.

The post Medical school enrollment surpasses 100,000 in 2025: AAMC appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Ten hospitals and health systems were included on Forbes’ “America’s Best Companies 2026″ list, published Nov. 19.

The list features 500 public and private companies, all evaluated on more than 100 metrics across 11 categories, including employee ratings, financial performance and sustainability. To be eligible, companies had to be headquartered in the U.S. and have more than 7,000 U.S.-based employees. Companies did not pay a fee to be considered or selected.

Here are the health systems that made the list, along with their overall ranking:

275. Northside Hospital (Atlanta)

309. Main Line Health (Radnor, Pa.)

374. Oklahoma Heart Hospital (Oklahoma City)

452. Sharp HealthCare (San Diego)

464. Carle Health (Urbana, Ill.)

468. Henry Ford Health (Detroit)

469. Sutter Health (Sacramento, Calif.)

475. Virtua (Marlton, N.J.)

484. Cincinnati Children’s

492. Harris Health (Houston)

The post 10 health systems named among America’s best companies: Forbes  appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

U.S. News & World Report released its 2026 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care ratings Dec. 9, which also recognize hospitals providing services to underserved communities.

The media company used self-reported maternity care data to identify 147 hospitals as Maternity Care Access Hospitals for providing maternity services in areas that would otherwise lack adequate access to such care.

Hospitals were eligible if they met geographic and quality criteria. They met geographic criteria if they were the only hospital providing maternity care within their county and the county had fewer than 60 obstetric providers per 10,000 births. Alternatively, hospitals qualified if they were the only facility within a 15-mile radius and were located in a county with fewer than 128 obstetric providers per 10,000 births.

In terms of quality, these hospitals also demonstrated performance above the lowest normalized values for severe unexpected newborn complications, C-sections or episiotomy rates. Read more about the methodology here.

Here are the 147 Maternity Care Access Hospitals, listed alphabetically by state:

Alabama 

North Baldwin Infirmary (Bay Minette) 

California 

Enloe Health (Chico) 

Adventist Health and Rideout (Marysville) 

Sutter Lakeside Hospital (Lakeport)

Colorado 

Montrose Regional Health 

UCHealth Parkview Medical Center (Pueblo) 

Connecticut 

Sharon Hospital

Florida 

Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast (Miramar Beach) 

Orlando Health South Lake Hospital (Clermont) 

NCH Baker Hospital (Naples) 

Parrish Medical Center (Titusville) 

Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, (Vero Beach)

Georgia 

Northeast Georgia Medical Center (Gainesville) 

Northside Hospital Cherokee (Canton) 

Tanner Medical Center-Carrollton

Piedmont Newton Hospital (Covington) 

Northside Hospital Forsyth (Cumming) 

Northeast Georgia Medical Center (Habersham) 

WellStar Douglas Hospital (Douglasville) 

Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin (Milledgeville) 

Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center (Rome) 

Idaho 

Cassia Regional Hospital (Burley) 

St. Joseph Regional Medical Center (Lewiston) 

Illinois 

Alton Memorial Hospital

Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital (DeKalb) 

Northwestern Medicine McHenry

Indiana 

Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center (Jasper) 

Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital (Muncie) 

Indiana University Health Paoli Hospital

Ascension St. Vincent Randolph (Winchester) 

Iowa 

Shenandoah Medical Center 

Kansas 

Ascension Via Christi Hospital (Manhattan)

Amberwell Health (Atchison) 

Coffeyville Regional Medical Center

Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital (El Dorado) 

Amberwell Hiawatha

Labette Health (Parsons) 

Mercy Hospital Pittsburg

Kentucky 

Owensboro Health Regional Hospital

Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan Hospital (Stanford) 

Louisiana 

St. Tammany Health System (Covington) 

North Oaks Medical Center (Hammond) 

Maine 

Central Maine Medical Center (Lewiston) 

Maryland 

UPMC Western Maryland (Cumberland) 

University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center (Bel Air) 

Meritus Health (Hagerstown) 

Garrett Regional Medical Center (Oakland) 

Carroll Hospital (Westminster) 

Massachusetts 

Southcoast Hospitals Group (Fall River) 

Michigan 

Trinity Health Muskegon Hospital

MyMichigan Medical Center Alma

Corewell Health Lakeland Hospitals (St. Joseph) 

Corewell Health Big Rapids Hospital

Corewell Health Gerber Hospital (Fremont) 

Corewell Health Pennock Hospital (Hastings) 

Henry Ford Jackson Hospital

Corewell Health Ludington Hospital

Memorial Healthcare (Owosso) 

MyMichigan Medical Center Sault (Sault Sainte Marie) 

Minnesota 

M Health Fairview Lakes Medical Center (Wyoming) 

Mayo Clinic Health System—Albert Lea and Austin (Albert Lea) 

Mercy Hospital (Coon Rapids) 

Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital (Grand Rapids) 

Missouri 

St. Luke’s North Hospital—Barry Road (Kansas City) 

Parkland Health Center—Farmington Community (Farmington) 

Mercy Hospital Aurora

Mercy Hospital Jefferson (Festus) 

Mercy Hospital Washington

Mississippi 

Singing River Health System (Pascagoula) 

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County (New Albany) 

Montana 

SCL Health MT—St. James Healthcare (Butte) 

Nebraska 

Columbus Community Hospital

Nevada 

Renown Regional Medical Center (Reno) 

New Hampshire 

Cheshire Medical Center (Keene) 

New Jersey 

Hackensack Meridian Health Southern Ocean Medical Center (Manahawkin) 

Newton Medical Center

New York 

Putnam Hospital (Carmel) 

Nicholas H. Noyes Memorial Hospital (Dansville) 

Cayuga Medical Center at Ithaca

UPMC Chautauqua (Jamestown) 

North Carolina 

Cone Health Moses Cone Hospital (Greensboro) 

Atrium Health Stanly (Albemarle) 

Cone Health Alamance Regional Medical Center (Burlington) 

Cape Fear Valley Medical Center (Fayetteville) 

Watauga Medical Center (Boone) 

Sentara Albemarle Medical Center (Elizabeth City) 

UNC Health Southeastern (Lumberton) 

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Wilkes Medical Center (North Wilkesboro) 

UNC Health Nash (Rocky Mount) 

Novant Health Rowan Medical Center (Salisbury) 

Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center (Bolivia) 

Atrium Health Cleveland (Shelby) 

Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center 

Ohio 

Trinity Health System (Steubenville) 

Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital (Dover) 

Licking Memorial Hospital (Newark) 

Oklahoma 

Mercy Hospital Ardmore

St. Francis Hospital Muskogee

Oregon 

Asante Three Rivers Medical Center (Grants Pass) 

Mercy Medical Center (Roseburg) 

Pennsylvania 

WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital (Lebanon) 

UPMC Northwest (Seneca) 

UPMC Horizon (Farrell) 

UPMC Altoona  

UPMC Carlisle

WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital

Lehigh Valley Hospital—Pocono (East Stroudsburg) 

Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital (Greensburg) 

Lehigh Valley Hospital—Hazleton

Lehigh Valley Hospital—Schuylkill (Pottsville) 

Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital (Sayre) 

UPMC Williamsport

South Carolina 

MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center (Lancaster) 

Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital (Summerville) 

Prisma Health Oconee Memorial Hospital (Seneca) 

Spartanburg Medical Center—Church Street Campus

Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital (Sumter) 

Colleton Medical Center (Walterboro) 

Tennessee 

Vanderbilt Tullahoma Harton Hospital

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union City

Texas 

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Stephenville 

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center—Temple

Utah 

Cedar City Hospital (Cedar City) 

Delta Community Medical Center

Heber Valley Hospital (Heber City) 

Sanpete Valley Hospital (Mount Pleasant) 

Sevier Valley Hospital (Richfield) 

St. George Regional Hospital 

Ashley Regional Medical Center (Vernal) 

Garfield Memorial Hospital (Panguitch) 

Vermont 

Rutland Regional Medical Center

Virginia 

Centra Lynchburg General Hospital

UVA Health Culpeper Medical Center

Centra Southside Community Hospital (Farmville) 

Sentara CarePlex Hospital (Hampton) 

UVA Health Prince William Medical Center (Manassas) 

Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center

Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center (Woodbridge) 

Washington 

St. Michael Medical Center (Silverdale) 

Providence Centralia Hospital

Samaritan Healthcare (Moses Lake)

West Virginia 

WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center (Parkersburg) 

Wisconsin 

ThedaCare Medical Center-Berlin

Tamarack Health Hayward Medical Center (Hayward) 

Aurora Medical Center—Bay Area (Marinette) 

Marshfield Medical Center

ThedaCare Medical Center—Shawano 

The post US News’ 147 maternity care access hospitals appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

U.S. News & World Report released its 2026 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care ratings Dec. 9.

To compile the list, U.S. News evaluated a record-breaking 901 hospitals providing labor and delivery services. Hospitals submitted detailed data, which were examined based on quality measures, such as C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies; severe, unexpected newborn complication rates; routine vaginal birth after cesarean delivery rates; exclusive breast milk feeding rates; episiotomy rates; birthing-friendly practice; and reporting on outcomes disparities.

For its latest ratings, U.S. News asked hospitals to submit data from 2024 — the calendar year immediately before the survey. Previously, hospitals submitted data from two years prior.

The media company said hospitals could also submit electronic clinical quality measures instead of chart-abstracted perinatal care measures for cesarean birth, exclusive human milk feeding and severe unexpected newborn complications.

Overall, 495 hospitals made the final list, and 20 metropolitan areas had the greatest number of hospitals recognized for maternity care. These areas, listed in alphabetical order, are:

• Boston
• Charlotte, N.C
• Chicago 
• Cincinnati 
• Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas 
• Denver 
• Detroit 
• Houston 
• Indianapolis 
• Kansas City, Mo., and Kan.
• Los Angeles 
• Milwaukee 
• New York 
• Philadelphia 
• Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif. 
• San Diego 
• San Francisco 
• Seattle 
• St. Louis 
• Washington, D.C. 

The following list is the number of hospitals in each state included in the ratings:

California — 80

Texas — 31

New Jersey — 27

New York — 25

Illinois — 23

North Carolina — 22

Pennsylvania — 21

Wisconsin — 21

Utah — 18

Indiana — 16

Colorado — 15

Ohio — 15

Virginia — 15

Missouri — 14

South Carolina — 14

Florida — 13

Michigan — 11

Kansas — 10

Massachusetts — 10

Georgia — Seven

Kentucky — Six

Maryland — Six

Minnesota — Six

Oklahoma — Six

Iowa — Five

Louisiana — Five

Nevada — Five

Connecticut — Four

Montana — Four

Oregon — Four

Alabama — Three

Arizona — Three

Tennessee — Three

Arkansas — Two

Hawaii — Two

Idaho — Two

New Hampshire — Two

West Virginia — Two

Wyoming — Two

Alaska — One

District of Columbia — One

Maine — One

Mississippi — One

Nebraska — One

New Mexico — One

North Dakota — One

Delaware — Zero

Rhode Island — Zero

South Dakota — Zero

Vermont — Zero

View the full ratings here. More information about the methodology is available here.

The post Best hospitals for maternity care: US News appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Workers with a strong sense of purpose in their roles are more likely to be engaged at work and less likely to feel burned out or search for a new job. Yet only 30% of hiring managers consider purpose to be a key predictor of success, according to Gallup survey results published Nov. 11.

Here are four findings from the Aug. 18-25 survey of 4,475 adults employed in the U.S.:

1. Employees with a strong sense of purpose at work are 5.6 times more likely to be engaged than those with a low sense of purpose. 

2. Among workers with a strong sense of work purpose, 50% are engaged, 41% are looking for new roles and 13% report frequent burnout. Among those with a low sense of purpose, just 9% are engaged, 68% are job hunting and 38% feel burned out often.

3. Hiring managers ranked communication skills as the top factor in determining a new hire’s success (77%), followed by a desire to learn and grow (66%) and alignment with company culture (55%). They ranked a strong sense of personal purpose lower, at 30%, ahead of ambition to advance (26%) and experience, education or training level (25%).

4. Forty-five percent of respondents said they work primarily for pay and benefits. Only 18% said their work has a purpose they believe in, and 12% said their job allows them to pursue purpose in other areas outside of work.

While survey respondents’ ages were not available, hospital and health system leaders have recently highlighted Generation Z’s focus on purposeful work — a priority executives said is shaping workforce planning.

“The Gen Z workforce is our future, and we need to shift our value proposition and workforce planning approach to attract and engage this dynamic generation,” LeAnne Andersen, chief people officer of Green Bay and La Crosse, Wis.-based Emplify Health, said in August. “Gen Z has taught us that it is not only acceptable but important to openly discuss purpose, highlighting the difference between being mission-driven and purpose-driven, with a growing emphasis on emotional connection and a desire to make a positive impact in the world.”

The post The employee gap fueling disengagement: Gallup appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

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

To develop the ranking, WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 38 key indicators in three categories: caring for the community, caring for the vulnerable and caring in the workforce. Metrics included nurses per capita, poverty rates, availability of paid family leave and share of income donated to charity.

10 most caring

1. Virginia Beach, Va.

2. Boston

3. Scottsdale, Ariz.

4. Gilbert, Ariz.

5. Fremont, Calif.

6. San Diego

7. Chesapeake, Va.

8. Colorado Springs, Colo.

9. St. Paul, Minn.

10. Madison, Wis.

The bottom 10

100. Birmingham, Ala.

99. Baton Rouge, La.

98. Memphis, Tenn.

97. Detroit

96. New Orleans

95. Cleveland

94. Tulsa, Okla.

93. San Bernardino, Calif.

92. Houston

91. Greensboro, N.C.

The post 10 most caring US cities appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

The FDA has recalled multiple lots of a blood pressure medication sold under the brand name Ziac, according to a Dec. 6 report from USA Today. 

The medication — bisoprolol fumarate and hydrochlorothiazide tablets — is manufactured by Glenmark Pharmaceuticals and may have been cross-contaminated with cholesterol drug ezetimibe, the report said. 

The Class III recall affects 2.5-mg to 6.25-mg dosages from the following lots, according to USA Today:

• 30-tablet bottles, NDC-68462-878-30. Lot 17232401, exp. 11/2025.
• 100-tablet bottles, NDC-68462-878-01. Lot 17232401, exp. 11/2025.
• 500-tablet bottles, NDC-68462-878-05. Lot 17232401, exp. 11/2025 
• 500-tablet bottles, NDC-68462-878-05. Lot 17240974, exp. 05/2026.

The post Blood pressure medication recalled: What to know appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

More than 2 in 5 primary care physicians in the U.S. are experiencing burnout, according to survey results published Nov. 20 by the Commonwealth Fund.

The 2025 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of Primary Care Physicians drew responses from 10,985 physicians. The survey was conducted between March 12 and Sept. 22 across 10 countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S.

Here are seven findings from the survey:

1. U.S. respondents were the most likely to report burnout, at 43%. Physicians in Canada and New Zealand followed, each at 38%.

2. Among U.S. physicians reporting burnout, 44% cited time-consuming administrative tasks as the primary driver.

3. Burned-out physicians in the U.S. also reported the following:

• 85% were somewhat or very dissatisfied with the amount of time spent on administrative tasks.

• 65% said time spent on insurance-related tasks is a major problem.

• 57% said time spent on patient care or visit documentation is a major problem.

• On average, physicians spent 23% of their time on administrative tasks.

4. Just 14% said burnout was primarily due to a patient panel that is too large or complex. Another 17% cited feeling their work is not valued.

5. More than half of physicians experiencing burnout said they were very or somewhat dissatisfied with the amount of time they can spend with each patient. 

6. Nearly 70% of U.S. physicians with burnout said they were very or somewhat dissatisfied with their daily workload and work-life balance. Eighty-four percent said their job is extremely or very stressful.

7. To address burnout, the report recommends reducing administrative burdens, aligning patient panel size with available time for clinical and administrative tasks, and improving clinical leadership and ethical frameworks to enhance physicians’ sense of value and pride in their work.

The post More than 2 in 5 US primary care physicians report burnout: Survey appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

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

Researchers at Penn Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research surveyed nearly 900 in-hospital nurses across 10 states to understand how virtual nursing programs affect workloads and quality of patient care. The survey was conducted from December 2023 to March 2024. 

Here are five key findings from the study, published Dec. 5 in JAMA Network Open: 

1. Fifty-seven percent of bedside nurses reported that working with virtual nurses did not reduce their workload. Among this group, 10% said virtual nurses increased their workload.
2. Fifty-three percent of respondents said working alongside virtual nurses improved quality of care, though only 11% reported quality improved by “a lot.”
3. Bedside nurses cited patient observation, admission and discharge activities, and patient education as the top uses of virtual nursing.
4. In-person nurses identified virtual nursing’s strengths as monitoring and documentation, addressing staffing limitations, mitigating patient distrust and improving workflow inefficiencies.
5. Taken together, the findings suggest hospital leaders should carefully evaluate virtual nursing models before broad implementation. While virtual nurses may ease administrative burdens in some cases, study authors say the programs are unlikely to meaningfully improve workload or care quality without sufficient bedside staffing and clearly defined roles.

   “The data is mixed as to whether virtual nursing programs offer relief to in-hospital nurses and enhance the quality of patient care, which suggests hospitals should proceed cautiously in the absence of strong evidence about whether and under which conditions virtual nursing programs are safe and effective,” Karen Lasater, PhD, RN, study co-author and associate professor of nursing at Penn Nursing, said in a news release.  

   “While there is mixed evidence about the value of virtual nursing programs, there is strong evidence that staffing more nurses at the bedside is linked to better outcomes for patients and nurses alike,” Dr. Lasater added.

The post Virtual nursing draws mixed reviews from bedside nurses: 5 study findings appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Becker’s has compiled a list of the hospitals patients would recommend in each state using Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems data from CMS.

CMS created 10 HCAHPS star ratings based on publicly reported HCAHPS measures. The patient recommendation star rating combines data from three HCAHPS survey questions and summarizes if patients would recommend the system to their friends and family.

The star rating is based on survey data collected from hospital patients between Jan. 1, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2024. The figures are from CMS’ Provider Data Catalog and were released Nov. 26. 

Last year, 464 hospitals received a five-star rating for patient recommendation.

Here are the 747 hospitals patients would recommend:

Jump to state: Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Massachusetts | Maryland | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming |

Alabama

Baptist Medical Center East (Montgomery)

Fayette Medical Center 

Helen Keller Hospital (Sheffield)

Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital (Phenix City)

Lakeland Community Hospital (Haleyville)

Northwest Medical Center (Winfield)

Prattville Baptist Hospital

St. Vincent’s Chilton (Clanton)

St. Vincent’s St. Clair (Pell City)

Troy Regional Medical Center

University of Alabama Hospital (Birmingham)

Alaska

Central Peninsula General Hospital (Soldotna)

Providence Alaska Medical Center (Anchorage)

Arizona

Arizona Orthopedic and Surgical Specialty Hospital (Phoenix)

Arizona Spine and Joint Hospital (Mesa)

Banner Goldfield Medical Center (Apache Junction)

HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center

HonorHealth Scottsdale Thompson Peak Medical Center

HonorHealth Sonoran Crossing Medical Center (Phoenix)

Mayo Clinic Hospital (Phoenix)

Oasis Hospital (Phoenix)

VA Northern Arizona Healthcare System (Prescott)

Western Regional Medical Center (Goodyear)

Arkansas

Arkansas Heart Hospital (Little Rock)

Arkansas Heart Hospital-Encore (Bryant)

Arkansas Surgical Hospital (North Little Rock)

Baptist Health Medical Center-Conway

Baptist Memorial Hospital Jonesboro

Conway Regional Medical Center

Fayetteville AR VA Medical Center

Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas (Rogers)

Piggott Community Hospital

 

California

60th Medical Group (Travis Air Force Base)

Adventist Health Howard Memorial (Willits)

Adventist Health St. Helena

Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (Oakland)

California Pacific Medical Center-Van Ness Campus (San Francisco)

Casa Colina Hospital (Pomona)

Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula

Community Memorial Hospital-Ventura

El Camino Hospital (Mountain View)

Fresno Surgical Hospital

Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital (Santa Barbara)

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach)

Hoag Orthopedic Institute (Irvine)

John Muir Medical Center-Concord Campus

Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Orange County-Anaheim

Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Redwood City

Kaiser Foundation Hospital Fontana/Ontario

Keck Hospital of USC (Los Angeles)

Loma Linda University Medical Center 

Loma Linda VA Medical Center

Mammoth Hospital (Mammoth Lakes)

Mercy General Hospital (Sacramento)

NMC San Diego

Novato Community Hospital

Palo Alto VA Medical Center

Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame)

PIH Health Hospital-Whittier

Providence Redwood Memorial Hospital (Fortuna)

Providence St. Jude Medical Center (Fullerton)

Redlands Community Hospital

Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital

Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center & Orthopaedic Hospital

Scripps Green Hospital (San Diego)

Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (San Diego)

Sequoia Hospital (Redwood City)

Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center

Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego)

Stanford Health Care 

Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley (Pleasanton)

Sutter Amador Hospital (Jackson)

Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz

Sutter Roseville Medical Center

Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital

Tahoe Forest Hospital (Truckee)

Torrance Memorial Medical Center

UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco)

Colorado

AdventHealth Castle Rock

Animas Surgical Hospital (Durango)

Aspen Valley Hospital

Boulder Community Health 

Community Hospital (Grand Junction)

Good Samaritan Medical Center (Lafayette)

Grand Junction VA Medical Center

HCA HealthOne Presbyterian St. Luke’s (Denver)

HCA HealthOne Rose (Denver)

Longs Peak Hospital (Longmont)

Medical Center of the Rockies (Loveland)

Montrose Regional Health

OrthoColorado Hospital at St. Anthony Medical Campus (Lakewood)

Saint Joseph Hospital (Denver)

Southwest Memorial Hospital (Cortez)

St. Anthony Summit Medical Center (Frisco)

UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital

UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center (Steamboat Springs)

University of Colorado Hospital Authority (Aurora)

VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System (Aurora)

Vail Health Hospital

Valley View Hospital Association (Glenwood Springs)

 

Connecticut

John Dempsey Hospital (Farmington)

Sharon Hospital 

Florida

96th Medical Group (Eglin Air Force Base)

AdventHealth Wesley Chapel

Ascension St. Vincent’s St. Johns County (St. Johns)

Baptist Hospital (Pensacola)

Baptist Medical Center Beaches (Jacksonville Beach)

Baptist Medical Center-Nassau (Fernandina Beach)

Bartow Regional Medical Center

Bay Pines VA Medical Center

BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel

Cleveland Clinic Hospital (Weston)

Gulf Breeze Hospital

HCA Florida Twin Cities Hospital (Niceville)

Jupiter Medical Center

Mayo Clinic (Jacksonville)

Mease Countryside Hospital (Safety Harbor)

Mease Dunedin Hospital

Morton Plant Hospital (Clearwater)

Morton Plant North Bay Hospital (New Port Richey)

Orlando VA Medical Center

Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast (Miramar Beach)

Sarasota Memorial Hospital

Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice (North Venice)

St. Anthony’s Hospital (St. Petersburg)

St. Joseph’s Hospital (Tampa)

Tampa VA Medical Center

Viera Hospital (Melbourne)

 

Georgia

Bacon County Hospital (Alma)

Burke Medical Center (Waynesboro)

Dwight Eisenhower Army Medical Center (Fort Gordon)

Emory University Hospital (Atlanta)

Evans Memorial Hospital (Claxton)

Martin Army Community Hospital (Fort Benning)

Northeast Georgia Medical Center Lumpkin (Dahlonega)

Northside Hospital Cherokee (Canton)

Northside Hospital Forsyth (Cumming)

Optim Medical Center-Tattnall (Reidsville)

Piedmont Columbus Regional Northside

Southeastern Regional Medical Center (Newnan)

St. Joseph’s Hospital-Savannah

St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital (Greensboro)

Union General Hospital (Blairsville)

Wellstar Paulding Medical Center (Hiram)

 

Hawaii

Kaiser Foundation Hospital (Honolulu)

North Hawaii Community Hospital (Kamuela)

Straub Clinic And Hospital (Honolulu)

 

Idaho

Boise VA Medical Center

Gritman Medical Center (Moscow)

Idaho Falls Community Hospital

Mountain View Hospital (Idaho Falls)

Northwest Specialty Hospital (Post Falls)

Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-Nampa

St. Luke’s McCall 

St. Luke’s Nampa Medical Center

St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center (Boise)

St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center (Ketchum)

Treasure Valley Hospital (Boise)

Illinois

Carle Hoopeston Regional Health Center

Deaconess Illinois Crossroads (Mount Vernon)

Gibson Community Hospital (Gibson City)

HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital (O’Fallon)

Marion VA Medical Center

Memorial Hospital (Carthage)

Midwest Medical Center (Galena)

Midwestern Region Medical Center (Zion)

Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers

Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital (Winfield)

Northwestern Medicine Delnor Community Hospital (Geneva)

Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago)

OSF Holy Family Medical Center (Monmouth)

OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center (Alton)

Paris Community Hospital

Red Bud Regional Hospital

St. Francis Hospital (Litchfield)

Wabash General Hospital (Mount Carmel)

 

Indiana

Ascension St. Vincent Fishers

Cameron Memorial Community Hospital (Angola)

Community Hospital East (Indianapolis)

Community Hospital of Anderson and Madison County

Community Hospital of Bremen

Franciscan Health Lafayette

Franciscan Health Orthopedic Hospital Carmel

Goshen Hospital 

Greene County General Hospital (Linton)

Hendricks Regional Health (Danville)

Johnson Memorial Hospital (Franklin)

Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center (Jasper)

Monroe Hospital (Bloomington)

Orthoindy Hospital (Indianapolis)

Orthopaedic Hospital at Parkview North (Fort Wayne)

Parkview Regional Medical Center (Fort Wayne)

Parkview Whitley Hospital (Columbia City)

Pinnacle Hospital (Crown Point)

Riverview Health (Noblesville)

St. Vincent Heart Center (Carmel)

Unity Physicians Hospital (Mishawaka)

The Women’s Hospital (Newburgh)

Woodlawn Hospital (Rochester)

 

Iowa

Broadlawns Medical Center (Des Moines)

Buena Vista Regional Medical Center (Storm Lake)

Burgess Health Center (Onawa)

Compass Memorial Healthcare (Marengo)

Floyd Valley Healthcare (Le Mars)

Iowa City VA Medical Center 

Iowa Specialty Hospital-Belmond

Iowa Specialty Hospital-Clarion 

Kossuth Regional Health Center (Algona)

Lakes Regional Healthcare (Spirit Lake)

Mahaska Health Partnership (Oskaloosa)

Mary Greeley Medical Center (Ames)

Mercy Medical Center-Cedar Rapids

MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center

Orange City Area Health System

Pella Regional Health Center

Regional Medical Center (Manchester)

Sioux Center Health

Spencer Municipal Hospital

St. Anthony Regional Hospital & Nursing Home (Carroll)

St. Luke’s Hospital (Cedar Rapids)

VA Central Iowa Healthcare System (Des Moines)

Waverly Health Center

Winnmed (Decorah)

 

Kansas

Citizens Medical Center (Colby)

Clay County Medical Center

Hiawatha Community Hospital

Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute (Leawood)

Kansas Heart Hospital (Wichita)

Kansas Spine & Specialty Hospital (Wichita)

Kansas Surgery & Recovery Center (Wichita)

Manhattan Surgical Hospital

Mercy Specialty Hospital Southeast Kansas (Galena)

Mitchell County Hospital Health Systems (Beloit)

Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center (Chanute)

Pratt Regional Medical Center

Republic County Hospital (Belleville)

Rock Regional Hospital (Derby)

Saint Luke’s South Hospital (Overland Park)

Salina Surgical Hospital

Stormont Vail Health Flint Hills (Junction City)

Summit Surgical (Hutchinson)

University of Kansas Hospital (Kansas City)

VA Eastern Kansas Healthcare System (Topeka)

Wichita VA Medical Center

 

Kentucky

ARH Our Lady of the Way (Martin)

Baptist Health LaGrange

Baptist Health Lexington

Baptist Health Louisville

Baptist Health Paducah

Baptist Health Richmond

Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan Hospital (Stanford)

Fleming County Hospital (Flemingsburg)

Harrison Memorial Hospital (Cynthiana)

Lexington VA Medical Center 

Rockcastle County Hospital (Mount Vernon)

Three Rivers Medical Center (Louisa)

University of Kentucky Hospital (Lexington)

Louisiana

Avala (Covington)

Christus Central Louisiana Surgical Hospital (Alexandria)

Christus Ochsner Lake Area Hospital (Lake Charles)

Citizens Medical Center (Columbia)

Cypress Pointe Surgical Hospital (Hammond)

Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital

Ochsner St. Anne General Hospital (Raceland)

Ochsner St. Martin Hospital (Breaux Bridge)

Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center (Lafayette)

Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital (Slidell)

Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (New Orleans)

Specialists Hospital Shreveport

St. Bernard Parish Hospital (Chalmette)

St. Charles Parish Hospital (Luling)

St. Tammany Parish Hospital (Covington)

The Spine Hospital of Louisiana (Baton Rouge)

Thibodaux Regional Medical Center

Woman’s Hospital (Baton Rouge)

 

Maine

LincolnHealth (Damariscotta)

Maine General Medical Center (Augusta)

Maine Medical Center (Portland)

MaineHealth Stephens Hospital (Norway)

Mount Desert Island Hospital (Bar Harbor)

Northern Light Health (Portland)

Northern Maine Medical Center (Fort Kent)

Redington Fairview General Hospital (Skowhegan)

St. Joseph Hospital (Bangor)

Togus VA Medical Center (Augusta)

York Hospital

Maryland

The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore)

Mercy Medical Center (Baltimore)

Suburban Hospital (Bethesda)

University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center (Towson)

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Bethesda)

Massachusetts

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston)

Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston)

Fairview Hospital (Great Barrington)

Martha’s Vineyard Hospital (Oak Bluffs)

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (Boston)

Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston)

Milford Regional Medical Center 

New England Baptist Hospital (Boston)

Newton-Wellesley Hospital 

Tufts Medical Center (Boston)

VA Boston Healthcare System-Jamaica Plain

Michigan

Bronson Lakeview Hospital (Paw Paw)

Charlevoix Area Hospital

Chelsea Hospital

Corewell Health Zeeland Hospital

Hills & Dales General Hospital (Cass City)

Holland Community Hospital

Mercy Health Lakeshore Campus (Shelby)

Mercy Health Saint Mary’s (Grand Rapids)

MyMichigan Medical Center Gladwin

MyMichigan Medical Center Midland

MyMichigan Medical Center West Branch

Oaklawn Hospital (Marshall)

Sparrow Carson Hospital (Carson City)

Sparrow Clinton Hospital (Saint Johns)

University of Michigan Health-West (Wyoming)

University of Michigan Health System (Ann Arbor)

UP Health System Portage (Hancock)

VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System

 

Minnesota 

Astera Health (Wadena)

Chippewa County Hospital (Montevideo)

Community Memorial Hospital (Cloquet)

Cuyuna Regional Medical Center (Crosby)

Glacial Ridge Hospital (Glenwood)

Glencoe Regional Health

Lakeview Memorial Hospital (Stillwater)

Maple Grove Hospital

Mayo Clinic Health System in Red Win

Mayo Clinic Health System New Prague

Mayo Clinic Hospital Rochester 

Minneapolis VA Medical Center

New Ulm Medical Center 

Northfield Hospital 

Olmsted Medical Center (Rochester)

Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital (St. Louis Park)

Perham Health

Ridgeview Medical Center (Waconia)

River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic (St. Peter)

Riverview Hospital (Crookston)

Riverwood Healthcare Center (Aitkin)

Stevens Community Medical Center (Morris)

United Hospital District (Blue Earth)

Welia Health (Mora)

 

Mississippi 

81st Medical Group (Biloxi)

Baptist Memorial Hospital North Mississippi (Oxford)

Baptist Memorial Hospital Union County (New Albany)

King’s Daughters Medical Center-Brookhaven

Merit Health Women’s Hospital (Flowood)

Methodist Healthcare-Olive Branch Hospital

North Mississippi Medical Center-Gilmore Amory

VA Gulf Coast Healthcare System (Biloxi)

 

Missouri 

Barnes Jewish Hospital (St. Louis)

Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital (Creve Coeur)

Boone Hospital Center (Columbia)

Columbia VA Medical Center

Cox Monett Hospital

Freeman Neosho Hospital

Mercy Hospital Aurora

Mercy Hospital Carthage

Missouri Baptist Medical Center (St. Louis)

Missouri Baptist Sullivan Hospital

Mosaic Medical Center-Maryville 

North Kansas City Hospital 

Saint Luke’s East Hospital (Lee’s Summit)

St. Luke’s Hospital (Chesterfield)

St. Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City

Sainte Genevieve County Memorial Hospital)

 

Montana

Community Hospital of Anaconda

Great Falls Clinic Hospital

Holy Rosary Hospital (Miles City)

Logan Health-Whitefish

St. Vincent Healthcare (Billings)

St. Patrick Hospital (Missoula)

VA Montana Healthcare System (Fort Harrison)

 

Nebraska 

Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital (O’Neill)

Beatrice Community Hospital & Health Center

Boone County Health Center (Albion)

Brodstone Healthcare (Superior)

Bryan Medical Center (Lincoln)

CHI Health Nebraska Heart (Lincoln)

Chadron Community Hospital and Health Services

Community Medical Center (Falls City)

Kearney Regional Medical Center

Midwest Surgical Hospital (Omaha)

Nebraska Orthopaedic Hospital (Omaha)

Nebraska Spine Hospital (Omaha)

Phelps Memorial Health Center (Holdrege)

St. Francis Memorial Hospital (West Point)

The Nebraska Methodist Hospital (Omaha)

York General Health Care Services 

Nevada 

Banner Churchill Community Hospital (Fallon)

Northern Nevada Sierra Medical Center (Reno)

Saint Rose Dominican Hospitals-San Martin Campus (Las Vegas)

VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System (North Las Vegas)

 

New Hampshire 

Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital (Lebanon)

Littleton Regional Healthcare

Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital (Lebanon)

New London Hospital

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital (Dover)

 

New Jersey

Deborah Heart and Lung Center (Browns Mills)

Morristown Medical Center

 

New Mexico 

Lovelace Regional Hospital-Roswell

Nor-Lea Hospital District (Lovington)

Three Crosses Regional Hospital (Las Cruces)

 

New York 

Adirondack Medical Center-Saranac Lake

Clifton Springs Hospital and Clinic

Community Memorial Hospital (Hamilton)

Elizabethtown Community Hospital

Hospital for Special Surgery (New York City)

John T. Mather Memorial Hospital of Port Jefferson 

Northern Dutchess Hospital (Rhinebeck)

Northern Westchester Hospital (Mount Kisco)

St. Anthony Community Hospital (Warwick)

St. Francis Hospital-The Heart Center (Roslyn)

White Plains Hospital Center

 

North Carolina 

AdventHealth Hendersonville

Arthur Dosher Memorial Hospital (Southport)

Asheville-Oteen VA Medical Center 

Atrium Health Lincoln (Lincolnton)

Cape Fear Valley Hoke Hospital (Raeford)

Chatham Hospital (Siler City)

Duke University Hospital (Durham)

FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital (Pinehurst)

North Carolina Specialty Hospital (Durham)

Novant Health Medical Park Hospital (Winston-Salem)

Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center (Charlotte)

Pardee Hospital Henderson County (Hendersonville)

Rex Hospital (Raleigh)

St. Luke’s Hospital (Columbus)

UNC Hospitals (Chapel Hill)

Vidant Duplin Hospital (Kenansville)

W.G. Hefner Salisbury VA Medical Center (Salisbury)

Watauga Medical Center (Boone)

 

North Dakota 

Fargo VA Medical Center

Jamestown Regional Medical Center 

Ohio

88th Medical Group (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base)

Christ Hospital (Cincinnati)

Cleveland Clinic 

Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital

Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center (Akron)

Dublin Methodist Hospital

Institute for Orthopaedic Surgery (Lima)

Kettering Health Main Campus

Kettering Health Troy

Lodi Community Hospital

McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital (Oxford)

Memorial Hospital (Marysville)

Mercer County Joint Township Community Hospital (Coldwater)

Mercy Allen Hospital (Oberlin)

Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital

ProMedica Defiance Regional Hospital (Defiance)

Selby General Hospital (Marietta)

Soin Medical Center (Beaver Creek)

Summa Western Reserve Hospital (Cuyahoga Falls)

Surgical Hospital at Southwoods (Youngstown)

UHHS Memorial Hospital of Geneva

Wyandot Memorial Hospital (Upper Sandusky)

 

Oklahoma

Bailey Medical Center (Owasso)

Chickasaw Nation Medical Center (Ada)

Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority (Talihina)

Claremore Indian Hospital 

Integris Health Edmond Hospital

McBride Orthopedic Hospital (Oklahoma City)

Muskogee VA Medical Center 

Oklahoma Heart Hospital South (Oklahoma City)

Oklahoma Heart Hospital (Oklahoma City)

Oklahoma Spine Hospital (Oklahoma City)

Oklahoma Surgical Hospital (Tulsa)

Saint Francis Hospital South (Tulsa)

Saint Francis Hospital (Tulsa)

St. John Owasso

Tulsa Spine & Specialty Hospital

 

Oregon

Asante Ashland Community Hospital

Kaiser Foundation Hospital Westside (Hillsboro)

McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center (Springfield)

OHSU Hospital and Clinics (Portland)

Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital

Providence Newberg Medical Center

Providence Portland Medical Center

Providence St. Vincent Medical Center (Portland)

Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital (Lincoln City)

Samaritan Pacific Community Hospital (Newport)

Santiam Hospital & Clinics (Stayton)

Pennsylvania

Advanced Surgical Hospital (Washington)

AHN Wexford Hospital

Bryn Mawr Hospital

Canonsburg General Hospital

Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber

Chester County Hospital (West Chester)

Conemaugh Miners Medical Center (Hastings)

Conemaugh Nason Medical Center (Roaring Spring)

Doylestown Hospital

Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital

Geisinger Medical Center Muncy

Geisinger St. Luke’s Hospital (Orwigsburg)

Hospital of University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)

James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center (Altoona)

Lebanon VA Medical Center

Lehigh Valley Hospital-Dickson City

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center 

OSS Orthopaedic Hospital (York)

Paoli Hospital

Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center (Enola)

Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center 

Pennsylvania Hospital (Philadelphia)

Physicians Care Surgical Hospital (Royersford)

Rothman Orthopaedic Specialty Hospital (Bensalem)

St. Clair Hospital (Pittsburgh)

St. Luke’s Hospital-Carbon Campus (Lehighton)

St. Luke’s Hospital-Monroe Campus (Stroudsburg)

St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital 

Surgical Institute of Reading (Wyomissing)

Titusville Area Hospital 

Troy Community Hospital

UPMC Muncy 

UPMC Passavant (Pittsburgh)

UPMC St. Margaret (Pittsburgh)

Wellspan Evangelical Community Hospital (Lewisburg)

West Penn Hospital (Pittsburgh)

Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center

 

Rhode Island

Newport Hospital 

Providence VA Medical Center

South County Hospital (Wakefield)

 

South Carolina

Bon Secours-St. Francis Xavier Hospital (Charleston)

Charleston VA Medical Center

East Cooper Medical Center (Mount Pleasant)

Lexington Medical Center (West Columbia)

Mcleod Loris Hospital

Mount Pleasant Hospital

Pelham Medical Center (Greer)

Prisma Health Patewood Hospital (Greenville)

Prisma Health Greer Memorial Hospital (Spartanburg)

Roper Hospital (Charleston)

Roper St. Francis Hospital-Berkeley (Summerville)

St. Francis-Downtown (Greenville)

 

South Dakota

Avera Heart Hospital of South Dakota (Sioux Falls)

Black Hills Surgical Hospital (Rapid City)

Brookings Health System

Dunes Surgical Hospital (Dakota Dunes)

Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital

Sioux Falls VA Medical Center 

VA Black Hills Healthcare System (Fort Meade)

Tennessee

Memorial Healthcare System (Chattanooga)

Mountain Home VA Medical Center 

Saint Thomas Hospital For Spinal Surgery (Nashville)

Unity Medical Center (Manchester)

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville)

Williamson Medical Center (Franklin)

 

Texas

Baylor Medical Center at Trophy Club 

Baylor Scott & White Heart & Vascular Hospital-Dallas

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Grapevine

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Frisco

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Marble Falls 

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Hillcrest (Waco)

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Pflugerville

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Plano

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-College Station

Baylor Scott & White Texas Spine & Joint Hospital (Tyler)

Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital-Plano 

Baylor Scott and White Medical Center McKinney 

Baylor Scott and White Orthopedic and Spine Hospital (Arlington)

Baylor Scott and White Surgical Hospital Fort Worth

Brooke Army Medical Center (Fort Sam Houston)

Childress Regional Medical Center

Christus Mother Frances Hospital-Jacksonville

Citizens Medical Center (Victoria)

Coryell Memorial Hospital (Gatesville)

Darnall Army Medical Center (Fort Cavazos)

Foundation Surgical Hospital of San Antonio

Guadalupe Regional Medical Center (Seguin)

Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital

Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital (Nassau Bay)

Houston Methodist Hospital

Houston Methodist Sugarland Hospital

Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital

Houston Methodist West Hospital

Houston Physicians’ Hospital (Webster)

Kell West Regional Hospital (Wichita Falls)

Legent Orthopedic + Spine (San Antonio)

Lubbock Heart Hospital

Methodist Hospital For Surgery (Addison)

Methodist Mansfield Medical Center 

Methodist McKinney Hospital

Methodist Midlothian Medical Center

North Central Surgical Center (Dallas)

Permian Regional Medical Center Andrews County Hospital 

Peterson Regional Medical Center (Kerrville)

The Physicians Centre (Bryan)

Quail Creek Surgical Hospital (Amarillo)

Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital (Sweetwater)

South Texas Spine and Surgical Hospital (San Antonio)

St. Luke’s Hospital at the Vintage (Houston)

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southlake 

Texas Health Heart & Vascular Hospital Arlington

Texas Health Hospital Frisco

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton

Texas Orthopedic Hospital (Houston)

The Heart Hospital Baylor Denton 

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler

Tops Surgical Specialty Hospital (Houston)

University Medical Center (Lubbock)

UT Health East Texas Jacksonville Hospital

UT Health East Texas Pittsburg Hospital

UT Health East Texas Quitman Hospital 

UT of Texas Southwestern University Hospital-William P. Clements Jr. (Dallas)

VA Amarillo Healthcare System

William Beaumont AMG (El Paso)

Utah

Cedar City Hospital 

Central Valley Medical Center-CAH (Nephi)

Intermountain Health Alta View Hospital (Sandy)

Intermountain Health Heber Valley Hospital (Heber City)

Intermountain Health Layton Hospital

Intermountain Health Spanish Fork Hospital

Intermountain Health Utah Valley Hospital (Provo)

Intermountain Medical Center (Murray)

Lone Peak Hospital (Draper)

Park City Hospital

Riverton Hospital 

St. George Regional Hospital

University of Utah Hospital and Clinics (Salt Lake City)

VA Salt Lake City Healthcare-George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center

 

Vermont

Copley Hospital (Morrisville)

Mount Ascutney Hospital (Windsor)

University of Vermont-Fletcher Allen Health Care (Burlington)

White River Junction VA Medical Center

 

Virginia

Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital (Rocky Mount)

Centra Bedford Memorial Hospital 

Fort Belvoir Community Hospital

Inova Fair Oaks Hospital (Fairfax)

Inova Fairfax Hospital (Falls Church)

Inova Loudoun Hospital (Leesburg)

Riverside Doctors’ Hospital of Williamsburg

Riverside Walter Reed Hospital (Gloucester)

Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital (Charlottesville)

Sentara Princess Anne Hospital (Virginia Beach)

Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center

University of Virginia Medical Center (Charlottesville)

UVA Health Haymarket Medical Center

 

Washington

Island Hospital (Anacortes)

Jefferson Healthcare (Port Townsend)

Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center (Vancouver)

Madigan Army Medical Center (McChord)

Newport Community Hospital

Overlake Hospital Medical Center (Bellevue)

Prosser Memorial Hospital

Pullman Regional Hospital

Spokane VA Medical Center 

Swedish Issaquah

Swedish Medical Center/Cherry Hill (Seattle)

Tri-State Memorial Hospital (Clarkston)

University of Washington Medical Center (Seattle)

 

West Virginia

Beckley VA Medical Center

Boone Memorial Hospital (Madison)

Clarksburg VA Medical Center 

Huntington VA Medical Center 

Martinsburg VA Medical Center

Potomac Valley Hospital (Keyser)

St Joseph’s Hospital of Buckhannon

Valley Health War Memorial Hospital (Berkeley Springs)

Wisconsin

Aurora BayCare Medical Center (Green Bay)

Aurora Medical Center (Grafton)

Aurora Medical Center-Summit

Aurora Medical Center Manitowoc County (Two Rivers)

Aurora Medical Center Oshkosh 

Bellin Memorial Hospital (Green Bay)

Columbus Community Hospital

Door County Medical Center (Sturgeon Bay)

Froedtert Community Hospital (New Berlin)

Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital (Milwaukee)

Grant Regional Health Center (Lancaster)

Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center (La Crosse)

Howard Young Medical Center (Woodruff)

Hudson Hospital

Madison VA Medical Center

Marshfield Medical Center-Minocqua 

Mayo Clinic Health System Chippewa Valley (Bloomer)

Mayo Clinic Health System Eau Claire Hospital 

Mayo Clinic Health System Oakridge (Osseo)

Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Medical Center (La Crosse)

Mayo Clinic Health System-Northland (Barron)

Mercy Walworth Hospital & Medical Center (Lake Geneva)

Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital (Franklin)

Milwaukee VA Medical Center

Oakleaf Surgical Hospital (Altoona)

Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin (Glendale)

River Falls Area Hospital

Sauk Prairie Hospital (Prairie Du Sac)

SSM Health St. Clare Hospital-Baraboo

Southwest Health Center (Platteville)

Stoughton Hospital

Tamarack Health Ashland Medical Center

Tamarack Health Hayward Medical Center

Tomah Memorial Hospital

UnityPoint Health-Meriter (Madison)

University of Wisconsin Hospitals & Clinics Authority (Madison)

Upland Hills Health (Dodgeville)

Vernon Memorial Hospital (Viroqua)

Waupun Memorial Hospital 

Westfields Hospital and Clinic (New Richmond)

Western Wisconsin Health (Baldwin)

Wyoming

Cheyenne VA Medical Center 

Memorial Hospital of Converse County (Douglas)

St. John’s Medical Center (Jackson)

Star Valley Medical Center (Afton)

The post 747 hospitals patients would highly recommend appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Colorado, Louisiana and New York — particularly New York City — reported high levels of flu-like illness during the week ending Nov. 29, according to the latest CDC data on respiratory virus trends.

The CDC’s respiratory illness activity map reflects outpatient visits among patients who present with a fever plus a cough or sore throat, meaning it captures visits for flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus. Overall, about 2.9% of outpatient visits were due to respiratory illness for the week ending Nov. 29, up from 2.2% a week prior, though still below the national baseline of 3.1%. 

Two more respiratory virus updates:

1. Flu hospitalizations jumped nearly 52% for the week ending Nov. 29 compared to the previous week, according to the CDC’s FluView report. About 4,960 patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza were admitted to a hospital for the week ending Nov. 29, up from 3,264 a week prior. Overall, the CDC estimates at least 1.9 million flu cases, 19,000 hospitalizations and 730 deaths so far this season. 

2. Flu-related emergency department visits have also been steadily rising in recent weeks. Flu accounted for about 1.4% of ED visits for the week ending Nov. 29, up from 0.6% two weeks earlier. ED visits for flu are highest among children, according to the data. 

3. This year’s virus season is shaping up to be unusually complex, unfolding alongside ongoing measles outbreaks and a second consecutive year of elevated whooping cough cases. Public health officials have attributed the rise in pertussis and measles to declining childhood vaccination rates, with most measles cases this year involving individuals who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown.

At the same time, federal officials are reviewing potential changes to the childhood immunization schedule. The FDA is also weighing sweeping changes to its vaccine approval process — including requiring larger, longer clinical trials — according to a recent internal memo obtained by The New York Times. The memo, authored by the FDA’s vaccine division head Vinay Prasad, MD, also called for revising the agency’s annual flu vaccine framework and included controversial claims about pediatric COVID-19 vaccine safety, prompting sharp pushback from public health experts.

The post 3 states with high virus levels appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

Unemployment claims nationwide have remained largely stable over the past year. However, state-level changes varied significantly, ranging from a 45% decrease to a 65% increase, according to a Dec. 4 analysis from personal finance website WalletHub. 

Alabama saw the largest week-over-week decrease, while North Dakota had the steepest year-over-year drop in claims. In total, 13 states recorded more unemployment claims last week compared to the previous week, while 19 states and Washington, D.C., reported higher claims than the same week in 2024.

WalletHub analyzed the change in initial unemployment insurance claims for the week of Nov. 24 compared to both the week of Nov. 17 and the week of Nov. 25, 2024. Data was sourced from the Labor Department.

Healthcare organizations added 42,800 jobs in September, similar to the industry’s 12-month average of 42,000. At the same time, Becker’s has reported on at least 91 hospitals and health systems that have announced job cuts in 2025, including nine in September, 10 in October and four in November.

10 states with the largest year-over-year decreases in unemployment claims

1. North Dakota (45.68%)

2. Kentucky (33%)

3. Louisiana (30.64%)

4. Idaho (30.63%)

5. New Hampshire (29.55%)

6. Alabama (25.78%)

7. Georgia (25.54%)

8. Michigan (24.25%)

9. Arizona (22.69%)

10. Massachusetts (22.33%)

10 states with the largest year-over-year increases in unemployment claims:

1. Nebraska (65.06%)

2. Virginia (40.50%)

3. Oregon (20.02%)

4. Maine (19.56%)

5. Alaska (18.24%)

6. District of Columbia (18.16%)

7. Hawaii (17.54%)

8. Colorado (14.03%)

9. Connecticut (8.76%)

10. Kansas (7.57%)

The post 10 states with biggest unemployment decreases appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.