In the first quarter, Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare sold nine hospitals while its outpatient business United Surgical International Partners acquired 45 ambulatory surgery centers and added 32 service lines. 

St. Louis-based Ascension named Saurabh Tripathi executive vice president and CFO on April 29 to succeed Liz Foshage, who is retiring in September.

From updates on the Change Healthcare cyberattack to Tower Health outsourcing its revenue cycle operations, here are seven RCM headlines to know from April: 

Fort Worth, Texas-based JPS Health Network agreed to pay former CFO Sharon Clark more than $900,000 in severance after firing her in October, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported April 29. 

Despite changes from the three nationwide credit reporting companies, 15 million Americans still have medical bills on their credit reports, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare posted a net income of $2.2 billion in the first quarter of 2024 up from $143 million posted in the same period last year, according to its April 30 financial report. 

New Orleans-based Ochsner Health, a 46-hospital system, reported a $104 million operating gain in 2023, a more than $200 million improvement on the $96.4 million loss posted in 2022. 

New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health reported an operating income of $197.7 million in 2023, a 68% improvement on the $117.6 million operating gain posted the previous year.

Walmart Health is closing all 51 of its health centers across five states and shutting down its Walmart Health Virtual Care services.

Prairieville (La.) Family Hospital closed April 29 after the Louisiana Department of Health determined that the hospital violated state hospital laws and regulations, leading to the revocation of its license. 

Nearly 200 rural hospitals have closed since 2005, and some states bear the brunt of this reduction to healthcare access more than others. 

Facing an unprecedented surge in payer denials, the healthcare industry confronts a pivotal challenge that threatens its foundational mission of patient care and jeopardizes hospital stability nationwide.

Long-term debt has long been a staple in healthcare, but many hospitals and health systems are responding to the increasing cost of debt and debt service in the rising rates environment. 

Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare CFO Bill Rutherford said although it is still early, the system is starting to see "encouraging signs" from CMS' two-midnight rule. 

Sacramento, Calif.-based UC Davis Health is reducing its workforce and is eliminating 150 positions, a spokesperson for the health system told Becker's.

Burlington, Mass.-based Tufts Medicine has partnered with population health company Navvis to scale value-based capabilities across its system, which includes an academic medical center, three community hospitals, a home health organization and more than 2,300 physicians.

Indianapolis-based Indiana University Health reported $15.4 million operating income (0.7% margin) in the first three months of 2024, a 66% decrease compared to the $45.1 million (2.2% margin) for the same period in 2023, according to its most recent financial report.

Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare posted $1.8 billion in net income for the first three months of 2024, up from $1.5 billion during the same time period in 2023, according to its most recent financial report.

Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems CFO Kevin Hammons said the health system is seeing "continued progress from [its] in-sourcing and other initiatives to address medical specialist fees that have surged over the past two years." 

A number of healthcare organizations have recently closed medical departments or ended services at facilities to shore up finances, focus on more in-demand services or address staffing shortages.