Here are 12 health systems that have had their credit ratings upgraded by Fitch Ratings or Moody's Investor Services in 2024:

During the first quarter of 2024, hospitals and health systems across the nation experienced a rise in payments that were either delayed or missing, a report from Strata Decision Technology found. 

UNC Health Lenoir, a 199-bed hospital in Kingston, N.C., has appointed Bharadwaj "Brad" Mantha vice president and CFO, effective June 10, according to a news release shared with Becker's.

Unionized healthcare workers came together May 13 to address New York state's clinical staffing law, which they say is not being enforced aggressively enough by the New York State Department of Health.

Intermountain Health's central lab in Murray, Utah, has expanded and nearly doubled in size to help lower testing costs and improve lab services for patients and the system's hospitals in the region. 

As the financial struggles continue for many hospitals and health systems, C-suite leaders are honing in on capacity and lowering length of stay to improve their bottom line.

In January, Bend, Ore.-based St. Charles Health System launched a pilot program alongside the insurer PacificSource to streamline automatic coverage approval for patients needing cancer treatment.

Jacksonville, Fla.-based Baptist Health has appointed D. Brandon Chapman, MD, as the inaugural vice president of medical affairs for two hospitals.

CMS' expansion of the two-midnight rule, which could affect more than 20% of Medicare Advantage patients this year, has led to increased inpatient volumes and revenue growth for hospitals in the first quarter, according to a report published May 13 by Strata Decision Technology. 

Opelousas (La.) General Health System CFO Jim Juneau has been promoted to executive vice president of business strategy and finance. 

Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau, Alaska, is moving forward with the search for a permanent CEO, who will be the hospital's fourth leader in less than a year.

Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente plans to sell up to $3.5 billion of holdings in private-equity funds due to cash constraints, The Wall Street Journal said in a May 12 report citing unnamed sources "familiar with the matter."

The hacking group that reportedly attacked St. Louis-based Ascension typically gives victims between 10 to 12 days to pay ransom before leaking their data.

Site-neutral payment policies are a hot topic every year across the healthcare industry and in Congress. Becker's has compiled the latest updates and policy changes leaders should know in 2024.

A former executive at Loretto Hospital in Chicago faces federal charges alleging she helped embezzle nearly $500,000 from the facility amid the COVID-19 crisis, the Chicago Tribune reported May 13. 

A free speech rights lawsuit filed against Escondido, Calif.-based Palomar Health was dismissed by a federal judge due to the case not having legal standing, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported May 13. 

 Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus, N.J., has broken ground on a major emergency department expansion that will add 19 beds and create separate spaces for patients in need of mental health services.

Eli Lilly's weight loss drug Zepbound could avert up to 627,000 atrial fibrillation cases by 2030, according to Airfinity analysts. 

Michael Stewart was appointed president of Methodist Charlton Medical Center in Dallas, part of Methodist Health System.

Hospitals charged commercial insurers and employers rates 254% higher, on average, than what Medicare paid for the same services in 2022, according to a Rand Corp. report published May 13.