Columbia-based University of Missouri Health Care is eliminating five hospital leadership positions across the organization, spokesperson Eric Maze confirmed to Becker's March 20. 

The landscape for specialty pharmacy has evolved tremendously, as the number of breakthrough medications approved each year continues to grow. These specialty drugs bring hope for many patients but add cost and complexity for payers and providers. In this increasingly complex environment, health system specialty pharmacies must find ways to measurably demonstrate outcomes and value.

Many of us have aging family members and friends who suffer from cognitive impairment and its impact on memory, language, thinking and judgment.

Carson Valley Medical Center in Gardnerville, Nev., has changed its name to Carson Valley Health.

It is time for health systems to reconsider their strategy. Cars might offer some clarity, according to Kenneth Kaufman, managing director and chair of KaufmanHall. 

Baptist Health — a nine-hospital system currently based in Louisville, Ky. — is relocating its headquarters, Louisville Business First reported March 14. 

Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine is eliminating administrative positions as part of a reorganization plan to save the health system $40 million annually, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported March 13. 

An old adage about clinical documentation states, "If you didn't document it, it didn't happen." Despite the importance of documentation as the data source for quality metrics, reimbursement and continuity of care, clinicians are frustrated and overwhelmed by administrative work. Responding to clinical documentation integrity queries is the last thing that many clinicians want to deal with.

Artificial intelligence (AI), if it hasn’t already, is on the brink of transforming many industries, and based on the significant increase in the number of FDA-approved AI medical devices and algorithms in recent years, this trend is finding a foothold in healthcare too. While embracing artificial intelligence within physician workflows and clinical pathways is a learning curve, it also presents an opportunity to “superpower the data,” driving value in care for patients, physicians and hospitals/health systems, particularly to meet the population health challenges of today.

Valley Health, a six-hospital health system based in Winchester, Va., has eliminated 31 administrative positions, according to a statement shared with Becker's. 

With the growth of high-deductible health plans, patients' financial responsibility for care has increased significantly.

On the journey to providing safer care, decision makers often prioritize efforts to reduce medical harm incidents. However, as we look across the continuum of care, we must consider that the single biggest clinical risk to any organization is, in fact, its workforce — and one of the most consequential items impacting the workforce is administrative harm.

For years, emergency medicine providers have watched the number of patients who are self-pay or on high-deductible health plans (HDHP) grow. Now, with the end of the public health emergency (PHE) on the horizon and the subsequent shrinking of COVID-era Medicaid coverage, providers anticipate that trend will continue. 

UC San Diego Health is stepping in to stabilize El Centro (Calif.) Regional Medical Center — a 161-bed hospital whose acting CEO and CFO resigned in January. 

Hospitals and health systems continue to grapple with financial challenges, forcing some organizations to close medical departments or end services at facilities. Now more than ever, leaders must stay focused on service lines with the most potential growth. 

In May 2022, SI-BONE® launched the iFuse Bedrock Granite® Implant System, intended to provide sacropelvic fixation and sacroiliac joint fusion when connected to compatible pedicle screw systems.

The nation's healthcare delivery system is changing fast because of retail disruptors like CVS and Optum, and hospitals need to be asking themselves how to stay relevant with patients and leverage new partnerships with emerging players.

People are turning to ChatGPT for guidance in a variety of situations, including for healthcare needs. Medium reported earlier this month ChatGPT listed questions about health and medicine, including symptoms and treatments, were among the most asked  questions of the artificial intelligence-powered chat bot.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, elective procedures and other noncritical patient visits decreased to almost zero. This gave administrative teams at hospitals and health systems an opportunity to take a long, hard look at how they were handling the revenue cycle. Today, elective procedures and routine visits have resumed but healthcare organizations continue to experience intense financial stress and many wonder whether operations will soon become unsustainable.

Patient refunds from providers are on the rise. Unfortunately, refund processes tend to be manual, complex and time-consuming for both providers and patients alike, with traditional paper-based methods no longer matching the needs of consumers. As the number of patients paying out of pocket for healthcare services grows, refunds are taking on even greater importance. Patients often have multiple provider encounters that involve selfpay. Ensuring those dollars are posted accurately and appropriately is important in the provider’s relationship with the patient and in the patient’s overall journey and experience.