The weekly rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations was nearly three times lower at the end of December compared to the same period a year prior, CDC data shows.

Hospital clinical leaders know the value of accreditation, whether from The Joint Commission or another organization. They know a commitment to meeting standards and emphasizing a consistent approach to care is essential to achieving desired ratings and ultimate accreditation.

Fewer than one-third of U.S. employees are engaged at work, according to a new Gallup report. This marks the second consecutive year the measure has dropped, falling from 36 percent in 2020 to 32 percent in 2022. 

Health systems will continue to see increased rising permanent labor costs for the next 12 months while contract labor trends down, according to a report from Moody's Investment Service Healthcare Quarterly report.

Cleveland Clinic began billing patients for electronic messages through Epic's MyChart patient portal in November. Since then, it has charged fees for responses to less than 1 percent of the 110,000 weekly emails its providers received, The New York Times reported Jan. 24.

Robert Hadden, former New York City gynecologist, was convicted of four counts of enticing his former patients into the state to engage in illegal sexual activity, The New York Times reported Jan. 24.

The U.S. is facing a dire shortage of infectious disease specialists and some experts point to a complex web of issues that currently face the specialty as drivers of the shortage, Fox News reported Jan. 25.

Depression is prevalent among nurse practitioners, but these burned out professionals are reluctant to reach out for mental healthcare — instead choosing to embrace "maladaptive" personal coping skills including drinking and binge eating, according to a Medscape report.

Despite the increase in adolescent and teen opioid-related deaths, the dispensing rate of buprenorphine decreased by 45 percent between 2015 and 2020 in individuals younger than 19, according to a study published Jan. 24 in Pediatrics. 

Pittsfield, Mass.-based Berkshire Health Systems saw its credit rating affirmed at "AA-" as it continues to recover from COVID-19 pandemic effects with relatively robust results, Fitch Ratings said Jan. 24.

Julie Miller-Phipps is retiring as president of Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente's Southern California and Hawaii markets. 

Long COVID-19 is keeping a significant number of Americans out of the workforce, according to a Jan. 24 report from the New York State Insurance Fund.

Consolidated health systems have led to "marginally better care at significantly higher costs," according to a study published Jan. 24 in JAMA. 

Central Health — Travis County, Texas' public hospital district — has filed a lawsuit against Ascension Texas alleging Ascension "failed to meet contractual obligations" to provide services to low-income residents." Ascension responded by filing a lawsuit against Austin, Texas-based Central Health.

Kate Walsh, CEO of Boston Medical Center Health System, is headed to lead Massachusetts' health department, with her appointment announced Jan. 25 by Gov. Maura T. Healey.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is increasing salaries and starting pay at state hospitals and state-supported living centers to address staffing shortages, maintain competitive wages and bring hospital beds back online. 

HSHS St. Mary's Hospital in Decatur, Ill., is seeking state approval to discontinue the service lines of advanced inpatient rehabilitation, obstetrics and newborn nursery, pediatrics and inpatient behavioral health services, according to a Jan. 23 news release shared with Becker's.

CMS updated its Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings on July 27, recognizing 192 hospitals with one star.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, will hire new leadership and reshape parts of the agency in an effort to gain more visibility and direct oversight into key areas, according to a Jan. 24 Bloomberg report.

Researchers at Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford Medicine have developed a Theranos-like test that screens for health measures using a single drop of blood.