Patrick O'Rourke, executive vice chancellor and COO at the University of Colorado Boulder, is leaving the university at the end of the semester to take on a position as senior vice president and chief legal officer at Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora.

In the last three years, U.S. hospitals performed more than 200,000 unnecessary back surgeries on Medicare beneficiaries, according to a Nov. 14 report by the Lown Institute Hospital Index.

Mary Leahy, MD, will retire in early 2025 after serving as president and CEO of Valhalla, N.Y.-based Bon Secours Charity Health System since 2015.

BJC Health System and Washington University School of Medicine, both based in St. Louis, have established a joint Center for Health AI.

St. Louis-based Ascension's nurse-led clinical research efforts saved an estimated $3.4 million in costs in fiscal year 2024, according to the system’s inaugural Clinical Research Institute Report released Nov. 12.

Four leaders from U.S.-based healthcare organizations were featured in Fortune's "100 Most Powerful People in Business" list, released Nov. 12.

An $8.5 million donation to the Tampa General Hospital Foundation will fund a breast cancer center within the TGH Cancer Institute.

Between 1999 and 2020, obesity-related deaths from heart disease deaths in the U.S. increased by 180%, according to a preliminary study to be presented at the American Heart Association's annual Scientific Sessions, set for Nov. 16-18. 

After experiencing significant turnover in the wake of COVID-19, NYC Health + Hospitals adopted a series of effective solutions to attract and retain nursing talent, while building a sustainable and supportive work environment.

The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association recently published updated guidelines for the prevention of stroke. Some of the key updates include the utilization of GLP-1 medications and an emphasis on prevention of stroke in women. 

Bethlehem, Pa.-based St. Luke's University Health Network's planned acquisition of Grand View Health in Sellersville, Pa., is underway.

Richard Fogel, MD, executive vice president and chief clinical officer at St. Louis-based Ascension, will transition to the new role of chief health outcomes officer.

A diagnostic test developed by researchers at the University of California San Francisco aims to help physicians identify causes of severe infections by analyzing DNA and RNA to detect a range of pathogens. 

Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health has teamed up with a new women's sports channel founded by actor and TV host Whoopi Goldberg.

The hospital workforce is critical to the care process and is most often the largest expense on a hospital or health system's balance sheet. Even before the pandemic, labor expenses — which include costs associated with recruitment and retention, employee benefits and incentives — accounted for more than 50 percent of hospitals' total expenses, according to the American Hospital Association. 

Bradenton, Fla.-based MCR Health, a nonprofit medical group, sought Chapter 11 protection Nov. 11, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported Nov. 13. 

The Joint Commission issued a sentinel event alert Nov. 13, urging hospitals to ensure they have sufficient plans in place to protect patients and staff during weather- and climate-related emergencies.

The Illinois Nurses Association, representing about 1,700 registered nurses at Chicago-based UI Health, launched a strike on Nov. 13 — the second nurse strike at the health system since August.

A jury found that Boston Children's Hospital retaliated against a former employee by firing her after she sued for gender discrimination, The Boston Globe reported Nov. 11.

A new $11 million federal contract to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill aims to strengthen healthcare workforce training programs.