The Detroit Medical Center has ended its kidney transplant program, the hospital confirmed to Becker's Dec. 6.

Several healthcare organizations have closed medical departments or ended services at facilities to shore up finances, focus on more in-demand services or address staffing shortages. 

Two prominent Albuquerque, N.M.-based hospitals are operating significantly over capacity, with University of New Mexico Hospital at 140 percent capacity and Presbyterian Hospital at 120 percent, Fox affiliate KRQE reported Nov. 30. 

COVID-19 hospitalizations reached an all-time high in three states this week as cases rise nationwide.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Missouri are rising, increasing 16 percent over the last 14 days, according to HHS data cited by The New York Times Nov. 30. 

The federal government is sending medical teams to Michigan to help hospitals respond to surging COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the state.

Mercyhealth, which has seven hospitals in Wisconsin and Illinois, filed an application with the Illinois Health and Services Review Board to end inpatient services at Javon Bea Hospital-Rockton next year, local news station WTVO reported Nov. 24. 

The number of hospitalizations and new daily COVID-19 cases in New Hampshire is at the highest level since the pandemic began. 

Massachusetts is ordering hospitals with limited capacity to reduce elective procedures amid workforce shortages and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Five hospitals recently announced they are temporarily or permanently closing services as staffing problems persist during the COVID-19 pandemic:

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare deactivated crisis standards of care Nov. 22 for hospitals and health systems across the state, with the exception of north Idaho.

Amid a COVID-19 surge, health officials in Central California are pleading with state officials to send patients to other, less affected areas such as Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles Times reported Nov. 23.

Mount Sinai South Nassau said it is temporarily closing the freestanding Long Beach (N.Y.) Emergency Department beginning Nov. 22 because of nursing staff shortages caused by the state COVID-19 vaccination mandate.

COVID-19 hospitalizations are steadily increasing in Maine and now are at the highest level seen during the pandemic, The Portland Press Herald reported Nov. 21.

West Reading, Pa.-based Tower Health will temporarily close its urgent care centers on Sundays starting Nov. 28 because of staffing shortages, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Nov. 19.

Hospital readmissions are a significant driver of healthcare costs and inefficiencies. Addressing this issue is a challenge, however, because of the fragmented nature of the healthcare ecosystem.

Healthcare providers today face an environment of extraordinary uncertainty. From the spread of the Delta variant to the growing labor shortage, the strains on the nation’s healthcare system are unlike anything we’ve seen in the past 50 years. During a time when so much is unknown, however, one thing is clear: in a volatile healthcare climate, it is vital to provide your patients and staff with a safe digital experience. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous influence on surgical services, which is one of the most critical financial engines for hospitals and ASC’s.

The past eighteen months has been evidence that, as a country, we have no connected health data infrastructure. 

Filling unexpected open appointment slots left by sudden cancellations is critical to keeping practice schedules full and ensuring that patients quickly get the care they need.