Hospitals across the country are finalizing staffing plans and issuing public warnings on fireworks safety ahead of the July Fourth holiday, when an average of around 91,000 patients visit emergency departments. 

Imagine uncovering significant hidden potential within your hospital’s surgical services. What could you do? How could this impact strategic planning and case volume growth potential?

By 2034, the number of adults 65 and older is expected to grow 40%, yet today, the geriatric care field is already short-staffed.

Two wildfires in Southeastern New Mexico have caused the deaths of two people, the evacuation of 5,000 people and closed a hospital, Source New Mexico reported June 18.

An innovative concept that started in urban centers is making its way into the heart of rural America: hospital-at-home (H@H) care. The idea stemmed from the realization that patients in rural areas often face significant barriers to accessing regular treatment.

Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital in Palos Heights, Ill., plans to permanently discontinue pediatric services, citing a low daily census and related hiring challenges, according to an application the hospital filed with the Illinois Health Facilities & Services Review Board. 

As of July 1, Alameda (Calif.) Hospital is ending elective surgeries and relocating them to the Wilma Chan Highland Hospital Campus in Oakland, Calif., and San Leandro (Calif.) Hospital.

Chicago-based Community First Medical Center has placed its emergency department on bypass due to high temperatures in the hospital, CBS reported June 13.

Marietta, Okla.-based Mercy Health Love County is reopening its clinic June 11 — more than a month after the clinic and hospital temporarily closed after being struck by a tornado.

Utica, N.Y.-based Wynn Hospital is no longer allowing physician assistants to perform invasive procedures, the Daily Sentinel reported June 10.

Readmission rates for patients in rural areas of San Diego County have increased at La Mesa, Calif.-based Sharp Grossmont Hospital, but those rates were reduced by 10% for patients enrolled in a new program, KPBS reported June 4.

Many hospitals struggle to discharge patients into post-acute care in a timely manner, but at Bon Secours Richmond (Va.) Health, three small operational changes dropped their mean length of stay from 2.21 to 1.95 days.

Eldorado, Ill.-based Ferrell Hospital is resuming some outpatient services after flooding forced the facility to shut down.

In 2015, two nurses created a program to help medically complex children during emergencies. What they did not know at the time is the program would go on to improve care for those patients as well as save hospitals hundreds of millions of dollars.

A series of water main breaks disrupted care at several Atlanta hospitals over the weekend and prompted city officials to declare a state of emergency, CNN reported June 2.

Starting later this summer, UC Davis Health will establish a comprehensive trauma recovery center to ensure patients who are victims of crime have access to appropriate mental health services, marking a first-of-its-kind program in Sacramento. 

SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital in Wentzville, Mo., has expanded capacity in its emergency department as the county's population grows. 

By many measures, the nation's mental health crisis is growing and with a lack of access to appropriate care, hospital emergency departments are often where patients seeking behavioral care show up. 

Cincinnati Children's Hospital announced May 29 that it will put $60 million toward establishing a new 111,000-square-foot applied gene and cell therapy center in Sharonville, Ohio.

Peggy Duggan, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer of Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital, discourages employees from asking "How can I get patients out of the hospital sooner?"