Citing community transmission and record high cases of COVID-19 as the omicron variant spreads, U.S. hospitals and health systems are urging patients and visitors to opt for medical-grade face masks instead of cloth versions.

Sustainability is becoming a top priority for chief information officers and cloud migration is proving to be an important role in sustainability efforts, reports The Wall Street Journal.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Jan. 5 announced a $10 billion, multiyear investment in healthcare, which includes $4 billion for wages and bonuses for healthcare workers.

Todd Forkel has been appointed CEO of Grand Forks, N.D.-based Altru Health System.

The American Medical Association and leaders of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals are condemning and questioning revisions the CDC recently made to the federal agency's COVID-19 isolation guidance. 

Ten transactions involving health systems and hospitals have been announced, advanced or finalized since Dec. 22.

Amid COVID-19 restrictions and safety measures, healthcare leaders have become even more knowledgeable about what patients encounter at the hospital, based on firsthand experiences as patients themselves and through the experiences of their family members.

Pfizer and BioNTech are collaborating to create a new mRNA vaccine, this time for shingles.

A new trend in patient-centered hospital design centers on making spaces more welcoming and comfortable through natural light, Wired reported Jan. 5.

Humana is indefinitely postponing a return to in-person work for employees around the country as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise, a spokesperson told Becker's. 

René Quashie, vice president of policy and regulatory affairs for digital health at the Consumer Technology Association, discussed with Politico the three most pressing digital health questions in 2022.

Though the concept isn't new, concurrent COVID-19 and flu infections have been dubbed "flurona" as more cases have been publicly reported, according to The Washington Post. 

Bosch and Highmark Health are partnering for a research collaboration that will explore the use of sensor technology to capture audio to detect pediatric pulmonary conditions such as asthma.

Here are five hospitals, health systems and cancer treatment centers that have expanded their cancer care facilities, opened new facilities, or shared plans to open new centers since Dec. 13. 

Two Anthem employees filed a lawsuit Jan. 3 alleging that the insurer refused to pay enrollment employees overtime compensation despite being required to work more than 40 hours during a week to meet quotas. 

Following the end of a three-month agreement with the federal government to sell at-home COVID-19 tests at a lower price, Walmart and Kroger have raised the prices of Abbott Laboratories' BinaxNow testing kits, NBC News reported Jan. 4. 

Healthcare Anchor Network — a collaboration of healthcare systems working to make healthcare more inclusive — has become an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Clearwater, Fla.-based BayCare Health System has appointed Kidada Hawkins president of its Winter Haven (Fla.) and Winter Haven Women's Hospitals, effective Feb. 21.

Hattiesburg, Miss.-based Forrest General Hospital has acquired Richton, Miss.-based Perry County General Hospital, a 22-bed critical access facility, after Forrest Health signed a letter of agreement.

San Francisco is the best U.S. city for an active lifestyle, according to an analysis by WalletHub, a personal finance website.