CMS has advanced a range of coverage, payment and program integrity changes under President Donald Trump’s administration, including several major policies that have taken shape throughout 2026. The agency’s actions span Medicare and Medicaid payment reforms, ACA marketplace oversight, prior…

DRG downgrades, clinical validation denials and medical necessity denials — the denials now filling most queues — share a trait: none of them dispute the care delivered. They dispute how the record reads once the case is closed, which means…

At least 10 health systems have cut leadership or management roles in 2026 as financial pressures and realignments push organizations to restructure for long-term sustainability. Becker’s covered four hospital layoffs involving leaders in September and six earlier in the year,…

Buffalo, N.Y.-based Catholic Health plans to eliminate 40 positions systemwide amid staffing changes to adapt to evolving patient needs and ensure the system’s long-term sustainability. The affected positions include union and non-union employees at Catholic Health’s Administrative & Regional Training…

Oracle Health unveiled five AI capabilities for its revenue cycle management portfolio Sept. 23. The tools are designed to flag denials, authorization problems and charge errors early in the patient and payment journey, before they delay reimbursement. The company announced…

Contract breaks between major health systems and certain Medicare Advantage insurers are continuing in 2026. Providers dropping plans often cite prior authorization denials and slow reimbursement; in other cases, insurers are terminating the contracts themselves. MA now covers more than…

The University of Oklahoma’s Oklahoma City health campus will be renamed after a $150 million gift from energy executive Harold Hamm, the largest single gift in the university’s history, according to a Sept. 22 news release shared with Becker’s. The…

As the healthcare industry continues to face financial and policy shifts, hospital bankruptcies show no signs of slowing. Becker’s covered 20 healthcare organization bankruptcies in 2025, up from 15 in 2024, suggesting  financial pressures from healthcare workforce shortages, rising operational…

CMS said Sept. 22 that it canceled plan year 2026 ACA policies covering 760,000 people. CMS canceled 315,000 policies covering these individuals Aug. 31. According to federal rulemaking records — set to publish in the Federal Register on Sept. 23…

Ember AI, a Burlingame, Calif.-based, AI-powered revenue integrity platform, said the company achieved 433% growth of its customer base over the past year while maintaining 100% customer retention, according to a Sept. 22 news release shared with Becker’s. The platform…