Renton, Wash.-based Providence posted an operating loss of $123 million in the second quarter of 2024, a $79 million improvement from the $202 million loss the 51-hospital system posted during the same period last year.

The American Hospital Association is once again in conflict with Arnold Ventures LLC, a billionaire-backed organization that the AHA accuses of spreading misinformation about hospitals.

Health system C-suites are thinking differently about growth and finding new ways to pursue the premium dollar as margins remain tight and care moves out of the hospital.

As Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare has sold off hospitals in 2024, its Conifer subsidiary has struck contracts to provide revenue cycle management services for the offloaded hospitals. 

Cheryl Sadro, senior vice president and CFO of Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine and executive vice president and CFO of Johns Hopkins Health System, has been in her dual role since early January. Now nearly eight months in, one of Ms. Sadro's many goals for the health system is to focus on margin improvements post-pandemic.

Cleveland-based University Hospitals has signed a definitive agreement to sell some lab assets to Quest Diagnostics for improved efficiency and affordability of services.  

Jellico (Tenn.) Regional Hospital is one step closer to reopening after the Jellico Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 3-2 to install Community Hospital Management LLC as the new operator of the city's hospital, the LaFollette Press reported Aug. 20.

Houston-based Texas Children's operating losses have snowballed to $354.8 million (-7.8% margin) for the nine months ending June 30, a striking drop from the $139.1 million operating gain (2.9% margin) the system posted in the previous nine-month period, according to financial documents published Aug. 20. 

Robbinsdale, Minn.-based North Memorial Health's flagship Robbinsdale Hospital has projected $124 million in losses related to government programs in 2024 due to a financial crisis brought on by the payer mix in its service area, a spokesperson for North Memorial Health said in an Aug. 20 statement shared with Becker's. 

Former R1 RCM CEO Joe Flanagan will return to the role after two private equity firms complete their acquisition of the revenue cycle management company. 

Integrating artificial intelligence and automating workflows can significantly improve hospital operations, particularly in revenue cycle management, and many providers are developing AI tools to help with third-party payer denials and the rising cost of collections, among other areas. 

Nonprofit hospital operating margin increased on average year over year in June, according to Kaufman Hall's National Hospital Flash Report, released Aug. 5.

Payers are delaying billions of dollars in payments by increasingly using requests for more information to initially deny claims from health systems and medical practices, according to a report from Kodiak Solutions. 

Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic reported an operating income of $449 million (8.9% margin) in the second quarter, a substantial improvement on the $300 million operating gain (5.9% margin) it posted in the same period last year.

Oneida, Tenn.-based Big South Fork Medical Center missed payroll Aug. 16, an issue the hospital has experienced previously, the Independent Herald reported Aug. 17.

Contrary to the rumors, there are no plans to close Asante Ashland (Ore.) Community Hospital, a spokesperson for the hospital told Becker's. 

Employers are facing legal pushback over high healthcare costs, the Medicare Advantage landscape is getting more tricky, and alternative payment models are growing in popularity.

Phoenix-based Banner Health reported an operating income of $182.7 million (2.4% margin) for the first six months of 2024 ended June 30, compared to a $162.7 million operating gain (2.3% margin) during the same period in 2023, according to the health system's Aug. 19 financial report.

Philadelphia-based Thomas Jefferson University, owner of Jefferson Health, reported a $1.3 million operating income (0% margin) in fiscal year 2024, up from a $78.5 million loss (-0.8% margin) over the same period last year. 

Chicago-based Ascension Saint Elizabeth will close and be repurposed as a community asset amid Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare's recent plans to acquire the hospital and eight other Midwest St. Louis-based Ascension hospitals in the first quarter of 2025.