Epic and Oracle Health made waves in the first half of 2024 by incorporating artificial intelligence further into their offerings and forging strategic partnerships with healthcare organizations and industry alike.

The frequency of nurse rounding can significantly affect hospitals' patient experience performance, though preferences still vary by unit and patient type, according to a June 26 report from Press Ganey.

Since January 2005, 192 rural hospitals have closed or converted, according to data compiled by the University of North Carolina's Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. 

Since 2010, 149 rural hospitals across the nation have closed or stopped providing inpatient care, leaving local communities to grapple with what to do with the buildings, KFF Health News reported June 26.

Multiple hospitals and health systems have suffered downgrades to their financial ratings this year amid rising expenses, ongoing operating losses and challenging work environments.

The final days of the first half of 2024 saw several hospital merger and acquisition deals move forward.

Springfield, Ill.-based Hospital Sisters Health System has eliminated the role of president and CEO at Holy Family Hospital in Greenville, Ill.

Tampa, Fla.-based Moffitt Cancer Center's vice president of revenue cycle, Lynn Ansley, said her more than 600-person department has seen an increase in overall productivity and engagement since it shifted to fully remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective July 1, Doug Leonardo will join Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital as president and CEO of a new behavioral health hospital slated to open in 2025. 

Median total compensation for executive management positions in healthcare grew nearly 6% from 2022 to 2023, and Wisconsin is the highest-paying state for the roles, according to a new report from the Medical Group Management Association. 

Hackathons — events wherein programmers come together for days at a time to solve a problem — are a staple in the technology community. Durham, N.C.-based Duke Health is using a similar model to get high school students excited about the medical field.

Miami-based Jackson Memorial Hospital has reduced its hospital acquired infections by 40% in about nine months with two changes.

Following a successful pilot, Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health is taking its hospital-at-home program systemwide. 

The Justice Department has filed criminal charges against 193 defendants for their alleged participation in healthcare fraud schemes that involved around $2.75 billion in intended losses and $1.6 billion in actual losses.

Unionization continues to gain traction among physicians as they seek representation at the bargaining table.

An inhalable drug treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease received FDA-approval June 26, drugmaker Verona Pharma announced.

After piloting new Clostridioides difficile guidelines for nine months, Memorial Healthcare System reduced unnecessary treatments by 20.1%, according to a study published June 27 in the American Journal of Infection Control. 

On June 25, the U.S Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, rightly declared gun violence a public health threat. Every day 117 Americans lose their lives to gunshot wounds, which are also the number one killer of children and adolescents, surpassing car accidents. With more guns than people in the U.S., this is an epidemic that is not waning.

Nineteen independent Minnesota hospitals have launched Headwaters High-Value Network, a collaborative aimed at strengthening rural healthcare and helping its members maintain their independence.

St. Louis-based Ascension will no longer offer individual health plans on the Texas ACA marketplace past 2024.