Two new freestanding emergency rooms are coming to communities in Huntsville, Ala., and Decatur, Ala., as rural areas in the state turn toward freestanding emergency rooms, al.com reported March 9.

President Joe Biden proposed a $6.8 trillion budget March 9, and it includes several healthcare initiatives, including plans to extend Medicare's solvency by 25 years and making COVID-era ACA subsidies permanent. 

Portland, Ore.-based Legacy Health said it is on track to close the family birth center at its Mount Hood Medical Center on schedule even as the Oregon Health Authority said it cannot give a timeline for approval, according to multiple reports.

Below are 10 hospitals and health systems that recently posted job listings seeking CFOs.

Labor expenses in healthcare have been a bane for hospitals and health systems for a few years now, and they show no sign of abating in the first days of 2023, especially in the emergency room, a new report says.

Madera (Calif.) Community Hospital owes about $2 million to former employees the hospital couldn't pay after its recent closure, a hospital board member confirmed to The Fresno Bee. 

Colorado may not be the first in the nation to suggest it, but supporters of universal healthcare got a shot in the arm in mid-February when two local representatives introduced a bill that would study the feasibility of such a system, according to a March 9 Denver Post report.

An overwhelming majority of hospital and health systems are expecting an increase in outpatient volumes in 2023, and digital care will see the largest budget increases this year.

The president of Dorchester, Mass.-based Carney Hospital, Stan McLaren, said there are "no immediate plans" to close the primary healthcare facility despite a recent series of challenges, the Dorchester Reporter reported March 8. 

From 2019 to 2022, total contract labor expenses skyrocketed 258 percent, according to a new report based on data from more than 1,000 hospitals and health systems. 

New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health has been ahead of the outpatient migration trend, which has gathered momentum since the pandemic, and is the primary growth area that many hospitals and health systems are prioritizing for the future.

Madison-based University of Wisconsin Health had its ratings affirmed on various bonds as the system boosts its market share and continues to exhibit a strong financial profile, S&P Global said March 8.

In recent years, financial challenges have topped the list of issues that keep hospital and health system executives up at night — and 2023 is no exception.

San Antonio-based University Health will not take over local Texas Vista Medical Center after the hospital said it would close May 1 without University Health assuming operations, the San Antonio Business Journal reported March 8.

Cape Girardeau, Mo.-based Saint Francis Healthcare System has had its "AA" rating affirmed both on specific bonds and for its default rating.

North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell has called for the repeal of local certificate-of-need laws, saying that such unnecessary regulations cost the state's health plan $250 million a year, according to a March 8 The Carolina Journal report.

Public money can significantly improve the performance of emergency medical services by investing more in preventive care, Eric Yazel, MD, chief medical director for Indiana Emergency Medical Services, said in a March 6 editorial.

Healthcare advisory firm Chartis has acquired revenue cycle consultant Chi-Matic. 

Colbeck Capital Management, a middle-market private credit manager, and cofounder Jason Colodne on March 8 shared their support for Boston Children's Hospital.

Health systems across the country reported significant losses in 2022 due to inflation and the rising costs of supplies, equipment and labor, but some systems saw investment returns and enhanced revenues offset expenses for the year.