CMS' move to cancel major bundled payment initiatives, the unexpected closure of a Dallas hospital and President Donald Trump's ACA executive order were among the news stories that most captured Becker's Hospital Review readers this year.
Here are 17 of the most-read stories published by Becker's in 2017.
1. 14 hospitals with the most ER visits | 2017
Here are the 14 hospitals in America with the most annual emergency room visits for fiscal year 2016. Totals represent the amount of emergency room visits tallied for a single facility, rather than total ER visits for a whole health system.
2. CMS will cancel major bundled payment initiatives
CMS has proposed canceling the cardiac and expanded joint replacement bundled payment models.
3. CRNA average hourly wage & salary for all 50 states — Montana tops the list at $243k
On average, certified registered nurse anesthetists in the U.S. make $160,250 annually, but CRNAs in some states make much more than the mean annual wage, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
4. Dallas hospital unexpectedly closes
Walnut Hill Medical Center, a for-profit 100-bed hospital in Dallas, closed in June.
5. These 53 hospitals have the best organ transplant outcomes
The number of organ transplants performed in the U.S. hit a record high in 2016, with 33,606 transplants performed, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. But not all transplant centers were created equal — some have much better patient outcomes than others.
6. Trump's executive order on the ACA: 5 things to know
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January aimed at immediately lessening the economic burden of the ACA as Republican lawmakers work on a repeal and replacement plan.
7. Hospital industry's highest-paid CEO made more than $51M in 2016
King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services Chairman and CEO Alan Miller made more than $51.3 million last year, according to the company's annual proxy filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
8. HCA to change its name — again
Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Holdings' board of directors voted last week to rework the company's name, CEO Milton Johnson said on an earnings call in May.
9. 8 things to know about nurse bullying
The nursing profession has consistently ranked No. 1 in Gallup's annual poll of Honesty and Ethical Standards in Professions for the past 15 years — which makes the rampant bullying and hazing that persists among nurses that much more surprising.
10. Health system CEO pulls out $6M check to pay debts during budget hearing
Daniel Snyder, CEO of Shreveport, La.-based University Health System, stunned senators in May when he brought a check for $6.2 million to a budget hearing to pay debts owed to Baton Rouge-based Louisiana State University.
11. Cleveland Clinic's operating income plummets 71%
Cleveland Clinic saw revenues increase in 2016, but higher labor, supplies and pharmaceutical costs dragged down the 14-hospital system's operating income.
12. Which states will have the biggest nursing shortages by 2025?
In 2025, states on the East and West coasts will likely have nursing shortages, while states in the middle of the country will have a surplus of nurses, according to Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies.
13. CHS to sell 25 hospitals as net loss swells to $1.7B in 2016
Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems continued selling off hospitals this year after ending 2016 with a net loss.
14. Hospitals face unprecedented turnover, attrition rates: 4 survey findings
Hospitals today are facing higher turnover and attrition rates than ever before, according to a survey report from Leaders for Today, a hospital management staffing firm. What's more, increasing turnover isn't limited to certain healthcare jobs — it is affecting every role from the C-suite to the front desk and the front lines.
15. Trump appoints nurse to serve as acting surgeon general
Rear Adm. Sylvia Trent-Adams, PhD, RN, was installed as acting surgeon general in April after the Trump administration asked Vivek Murthy, MD, to resign.
16. Amazon reportedly launched a secret healthcare team called 1492
Amazon reportedly has a secret healthcare team exploring new technology opportunities in healthcare, including both hardware and software projects.
17. US News releases 2017-18 Best Hospitals rankings
Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic earned the top spot on U.S. News & World Report's 2017-18 Best Hospitals rankings for the second year in a row.