Becker’s Hospital Review - Latest News and Information
Technology Pulse
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
North Star Health Alliance announced additional job cuts as part of its Chapter 11 restructuring, following a January reduction of more than 100 positions. The health system did not disclose the exact number of employees affected in this latest round. North Star continues to work with the New York State Department of Health, which has already provided over $170 million since fiscal year 2022, to stabilize finances and maintain payroll. All facilities remain open, emphasizing safe, reliable care during the transition.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek sent a letter to PeaceHealth demanding a 180‑day delay in the system’s plan to shift emergency‑room staffing from its long‑standing local physicians to Atlanta‑based ApolloMD. The request follows concerns that the deal may breach Oregon’s strict...
A recent JAMA Health Forum viewpoint warns that upcoming federal budget changes could cripple the U.S. nursing faculty pipeline. Proposed cuts to the Nurse Faculty Loan Program and a new $200,000 cap on federal loans for professional degrees threaten to...
CMS finalized a rule that phases out fax machines and snail‑mail for healthcare claims documentation, establishing national standards for electronic exchange of clinical records. The Administrative Simplification Final Rule is projected to save the industry about $781 million each year, though...
Healthcare IT teams are increasingly pivotal in software assessment, purchase, and implementation, yet friction often arises when clinical and IT priorities clash. Early involvement of IT can surface technical constraints—such as data transfer protocols—before contracts are signed, avoiding costly redesigns....
Artificial intelligence is gaining traction in hospital pharmacy operations, yet many health systems remain stuck in small pilots. Dr. Bickkie Solomon argues that treating AI as a narrow IT project overlooks broader operational and governance needs, causing initiatives to stall....
ECU Health in Greenville, North Carolina, received conditional state approval for a $138 million expansion of its medical center. The project will add five new operating rooms—four dedicated to C‑sections and one trauma suite—and renovate existing surgical spaces. The expansion is...
A University of Pennsylvania study links higher hospital advertising spend to increased emergency‑department visits and Medicare costs. A 10 percent rise in ad impressions—about 150 extra spots—adds nine admissions per 100,000 beneficiaries, indicating a 6 percent advertising elasticity. The research combines traditional...
University of Missouri System has appointed Jody Mitori as its chief marketing and communications officer. Mitori, who most recently served as executive director of strategic communications at Washington University School of Medicine and previously held five years of marketing leadership...
Providence, the 51‑hospital system, announced it is evaluating strategic options for its insurance subsidiary, Providence Health Plan, including a possible sale. The move comes as the plan reported a $102 million loss on $2.5 billion revenue last year and a dip to...
Aspen Valley Health, a Colorado critical access hospital, has become an Epic host for other rural providers through Epic’s Community Connect program. After abandoning a large‑system partnership in 2017, the hospital implemented Epic independently and now ranks near the top...
Fitch Ratings upgraded Tenet Healthcare’s credit rating to BB from BB‑, citing a stronger competitive position and improved liquidity. The for‑profit system posted double‑digit revenue growth in its high‑margin ambulatory surgery segment and sold 14 hospitals, funding a $2.1 billion debt...
Health systems face a "perfect storm" of falling reimbursements, rising costs and physician burnout, prompting leaders to seek new revenue streams. Keith Elgart of Concierge Choice Physicians explained that flexible, hybrid concierge programs can generate additional income while fitting into...
Mission Hospital in Asheville received its third immediate jeopardy designation from CMS within two years, prompting the submission of an enhanced plan of correction. The plan, accepted by CMS on February 2, 2026, calls for a root‑cause analysis, a review...
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ COVID‑19 Immunization Workgroup has recommended three federal actions to address post‑acute COVID‑19 vaccination syndrome (PACVS), a condition marked by multisystem symptoms persisting beyond 12 weeks after vaccination. The proposals include creating new ICD‑10...
Stefan Strein, who served as Cleveland Clinic’s inaugural chief investment officer for more than a decade, will leave the health system on April 10. He is moving to UNC Management Co., where he will assume the roles of president, CEO...
A recent study in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship found that breast cancer patients who used telehealth were 58% more likely to stay adherent to endocrine therapy than those who did not. Researchers examined claims data for over 1,100 commercially...
The Lown Institute released its 2025‑26 ranking of the top 20 U.S. hospitals for community benefit spending, highlighting eight New York and four Texas facilities among the leaders. The methodology blends CMS cost‑report data on financial assistance and Medicaid revenue with...
Researchers at GovAI and the Brookings Institution released an AI‑exposure tool that ranks more than 350 healthcare occupations by vulnerability to automation. The analysis shows healthcare support workers and physician assistants face the lowest risk, while medical secretaries and administrative...
Northwestern Medicine and Techstars have announced the five startups joining the 2026 class of their health‑care accelerator. The 13‑week, mentorship‑driven program will run at Northwestern’s Mansueto Innovation Institute in Chicago, focusing on clinical care, digital health, therapeutics and AI. Selected...
Blue Cross Blue Shield’s new study links hospital AI billing tools to a sharp rise in maternity‑related costs. Analyzing tens of thousands of inpatient claims, the research found acute post‑hemorrhagic anemia diagnoses tripled at the top 10% of hospitals without...
CMS announced that the third round of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program will proceed with full manufacturer participation, covering 15 high‑cost, single‑source drugs and one drug slated for renegotiation. The agency will issue initial price offers by June 1, 2026,...
HCA Healthcare reported $6.8 billion net income on $75.6 billion revenue in 2025, driving a $0.7 billion rise in total executive compensation to $32.9 billion. CEO Sam Hazen’s pay jumped $2.7 million, reaching $26.46 million, while the five highest‑earning officers collectively earned over $53 million. The company...
Health system CEOs are increasingly choosing to deepen services within their existing footprints rather than pursue cross‑market mergers. California’s stringent oversight and seismic safety mandates make out‑of‑state acquisitions financially risky for Scripps Health. Valleywise Health and Saint Francis Health System...
Tom Morris has been appointed chief executive officer of Eastside Rehabilitation Hospital, a 40‑bed inpatient rehab facility under construction in Loganville, Georgia, slated to open in June. The hospital is a joint venture between Encompass Health and Piedmont, marking Encompass’s...
The International Union of Operating Engineers reached a tentative contract with Kaiser Permanente covering about 600 maintenance workers across Southern California, the Mid‑Atlantic and Colorado. The agreement, involving IUOE Locals 501, 99 and 1, provides a 21.5% wage increase over...
Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, will retire on Dec. 31 after 17 years as president and CEO of Vanderbilt Health and dean of Vanderbilt University’s School of Medicine. During his tenure the system grew from a four‑hospital, $2.3 billion revenue network to...
U.S. hospitals entered 2026 with operating margins at a 12‑month low, slipping to –0.6% for health systems and a 3.1‑point decline for individual hospitals. Patient demand and revenue growth slowed, especially in inpatient and emergency settings, while expense growth outpaced...
A Stanford study using ADP payroll data finds that workers aged 22‑25 in occupations most exposed to generative AI saw a 16% relative employment decline, while older workers in the same roles remained stable. By contrast, younger workers in healthcare...
A data breach at NADAP, a care‑management partner of NYC Health + Hospitals, exposed protected health information for 5,086 patients. The unauthorized access occurred around Nov. 26, 2025 and was discovered on Jan. 10, 2026, with the health system notified...
MSU Health Care’s new chief medical officer, Dr. Mark Smith, says clinician burnout and disengagement are the biggest barriers to sustained quality and safety improvements. He emphasizes that addressing workforce wellness, building a culture of trust, and reducing administrative burdens...
Heather Hornbuckle, RN, has been appointed chief nursing officer of Southwest Arkansas Regional Medical Center, a 25‑bed critical access hospital in Hope, Arkansas. Hornbuckle brings more than two decades of nursing leadership and bedside experience to the role. She will...
UF Health appointed Janice Walker as its inaugural chief nursing officer and introduced a seven‑day recruitment cycle to prevent losing qualified nurses. Walker frames slow hiring as a "never event," shifting the process from employer‑centric to candidate‑centric. The model relies...
St. Joseph’s/Candler health system in Savannah will launch a new residency program offering 103 positions across internal medicine, family medicine, cardiovascular disease fellowship, and general surgery. The initiative is backed by nearly $17 million in state funding approved in the 2026...
American hospitals' operating expenses surged 7.5% in 2025, more than double the growth rate of hospital prices. The AHA report highlights sharp increases in drug costs (13.6%), medical supplies (9.9%), and workforce compensation, which now accounts for roughly 60% of...
Microsoft reported that its consumer AI tools, including Bing and Copilot, now field more than 50 million health‑related questions each day. An analysis of over 500,000 anonymized health conversations in January 2026 showed health is the top topic on mobile devices,...
Patrick Avila has been named president of Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan, Kansas, effective April 20, succeeding interim leader Drew Talbott. Avila arrives with more than 25 years of healthcare leadership, most recently as CEO of Northeast Regional Medical...
Healthcare chief operating officers are confronting a dramatically broader remit as care migrates to outpatient, virtual and community settings. A WittKieffer study shows 80% of COOs say their duties have surged, with 63% adding more direct reports, while operational oversight...
Oroville Hospital President and CEO Robert Wentz is retiring after more than four decades of service, with the board approving a leadership transition to COO Scott Chapple. The change will take effect once the Chapter 11 reorganization plan receives court...
Montrose Regional Health and Grand Junction’s Community Hospital have signed a letter of intent to explore forming a tax‑exempt nonprofit entity. The partnership would focus on nonclinical functions such as information technology alignment, group purchasing, long‑term planning, and revenue‑cycle optimization....
Lumina Health Partners has joined ECG Management Consultants, integrating its co‑founders into ECG’s Payer Strategy and Contracting Division. The move deepens ECG’s expertise in value‑based care, combining Lumina’s ten‑year track record advising hospitals with ECG’s national scale and tech‑enabled solutions....
Regional One Health received a certificate of need from the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission to build a $900 million hospital on the former Commercial Appeal site in Memphis. The project, slated to break ground in late September 2025, is underpinned by a...
Adventist HealthCare announced it will close the Germantown Emergency Center, a freestanding ER in Maryland, effective July 1 pending state approval. The decision follows a roughly one‑third drop in patient volume, with many visits for low‑acuity conditions that could be...
Statista projects that the U.S. pharmaceutical market will be led by ten blockbuster drugs in 2026, with Merck’s Keytruda topping the list at $12.7 billion in sales. Four oncology therapies—Keytruda, Opdivo, Imbruvica and Ibrance—are among the top ten, underscoring cancer’s continued...
Highmark Health, a Pittsburgh‑based payer‑provider, reported $27.9 million in generated value for 2025 from its Google Cloud‑built AI assistant, Sidekick. Employees have prompted the tool more than six million times, expanding active use cases to 74, up from 31 the previous...
Opelousas General Health System partnered with Triad Executive Advisors to build a shared IT infrastructure that rural hospitals can tap into without raising expenses. The model centralizes network operations, security, EMR management and a new AI‑enabled PACS system, allowing participating...
Telehealth is moving from an optional service to a routine component of clinical practice, forcing health‑care educators to rethink curricula. The 2024 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Workforce Research Recap highlights soaring telehealth utilization and a skills gap...
The FDA has classified Boston Scientific’s recall of certain Axios Stent and Electrocautery‑Enhanced Delivery Systems as a Class I recall, the agency’s most serious designation. The recall follows multiple reports of deployment and expansion failures during stent placement, resulting in...
University of Utah Health researchers are leveraging AI and machine learning to "reimagine" electronic health records (EHR) through the federally funded Reimagine EHR initiative. Backed by roughly $35 million in federal grants and corporate partnerships, the program has produced eight AI‑driven...
University of Mississippi Medical Center announced that its outpatient clinics will resume normal operations statewide on March 2, following a cyberattack that shut down its IT systems on Feb. 21. The center has regained access to patient records and will...
