The new rural emergency hospital designation went into effect Jan. 1, but some critics argue the program is based on a longstanding misconception about rural healthcare, The Washington Post reported Jan. 17. 

Several hospitals and health systems are trimming their workforces or jobs due to financial and operational challenges. 

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas has approved El Segundo, Calif.-based Pipeline Health System's Chapter 11 plan, which will trim $330 million in debt, according to law360.com.

Pipeline Health is to assume the master lease of four Los Angeles area hospitals as well as two medical office buildings as part of its emergence from bankruptcy, real estate investment trust Medical Properties Trust said Jan. 13.

While hospitals largely avoided the growing trend of healthcare bankruptcies in 2022, the ending of COVID-19 protections will add to ongoing labor expense and inflationary challenges and mean much of the sector will remain under pressure, according to a report from restructuring firm Gibbins Advisors.

After stimulus packages powered a frenetic housing market early in the pandemic, 2022 saw high home prices and mortgage rates push prospective buyers out.

Phoenix-based Valleywise Health had its credit rating on various bonds affirmed by Fitch at "AA-," several notches above its general rating of "BBB," given a strong tax revenue base supported by the local government in fast-growing Maricopa County.

In the wake of cryptocurrency exchange FTX's collapse, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said the industry should have been regulated to protect investors.

Healthcare mergers and acquisitions are expected to rebound in the Southeast in 2023, and the Carolinas stand to be a premiere arena for that activity, JDSupra reported Jan. 11.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission on Jan. 12 recommended that Congress provide hospitals with a 1 percent increase over current Medicare rates in 2024 to offset inflationary pressures and maintain access to care for Medicare beneficiaries, Axios reported. 

Large bankruptcy filings in the healthcare sector increased 84 percent in 2022 over the previous year, but the hospital sector managed to escape relatively unharmed, according to a Jan. 12 report from restructuring firm Gibbins Advisors.

Hollister, Calif.-based Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital has received a $3 million loan from the California Health Facilities Financing Authority that will extend the estimated time it will run out of funds to mid-March, CBS affiliate KION reported Jan. 12. 

Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica plans to lay off 262 employees, a move tied to its exit from a skilled-nursing facility joint venture late last year. 

Here are 10 health systems with strong operational metrics and solid financial positions, according to reports from credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings and Moody's Investors Service.

Community hospital networks that merge with academic medical centers can support various strategic goals for the larger entity and its community hospitals partners, Kaufman Hall outlined in a Jan. 12 analysis.

Many Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, and find themselves choosing food, mortgage/rent and utilities over unbudgeted, unplanned medical care.

Community hospital USC Arcadia (Calif.) had both its bonds and overall rating affirmed Jan. 12 at "BBB+" by Fitch amid expectations it will improve its operating profitability. The group's recent affiliation with the USC Keck School of Medicine will also benefit both entities strategically, Fitch said.

Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, the country's largest hospital operator, is accused of understaffing its hospitals and facilities at the expense of patient care and focuses more on making a profit, a new report claims. HCA disputes the claims.

Community members in Toppenish, Wash., are looking into creating a public hospital district to restore labor and delivery services to Astria Toppenish Hospital, YakTriNews reported Jan. 11.

Memphis, Tenn.-based Baptist Memorial Health Care, one of the larger healthcare systems in the U.S., reported an audited net loss of $275.4 million for fiscal 2022 as it struggled with higher expenses and losses on its investment portfolio. The loss compared with a net gain of $186 million in 2021.