Cincinnati-based UC Health is partnering with a private equity group for it to consult with current management over operations at the system's Daniel Drake Center for Post-Acute Care, according to a Dec. 28 report in the Cincinnati Business Courier.

Below is a summary of some of the credit ratings assigned during 2022 to the top 10 healthcare companies in terms of the amount of hospitals they operate. The hospital groups are listed alphabetically.

Several organizations — ranging from churches to local governments — have partnered with RIP Medical Debt to relieve millions of dollars worth of medical debt. Here are eight RIP Medical Debt partnerships Becker's has reported since Oct. 3. 

Donalsonville (Ga.) Hospital named Katie Hatcher its new CFO, the Donalsonville News reported Dec. 28.

Hospitals around the country are seeking CFOs, including several owned by Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare and Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems. Here are 17 recently-posted hospital CFO openings, by state:

Hospital and health system salary budgets are seeing the biggest increases in 20 years, according to SullivanCotter's "2022 Health Care Staff Compensation Survey."

Marietta, Ga.-based Wellstar Health System closed its 460-bed Atlanta Medical Center Nov. 1, a move deemed abrupt by many community stakeholders. On Dec. 27, the health system announced plans to partner with a health system 150 miles away to "expand access to quality care for all Georgians."

Doylestown Health (Pa.) group, which operates Doylestown Hospital and several other clinics and urgent care facilities, is undergoing a strategic review as it faces "extraordinary and unprecedented financial hardship."

Rural hospitals and health centers face a myriad of challenges. The University of North Carolina's Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research in Chapel Hill compiled a list of rural hospital closures since 2005, including the 25 rural hospital closures since January 2020.

Becker's has reported on 17 health systems that have opted to outsource finance jobs or other revenue cycle functions since Jan. 1:

Dallas-based Steward Health Care extended their asset-based lending agreement through December 2023.

Maryville, Tenn.-based Blount Memorial Hospital has filed a lawsuit declaring independence from local government after weeks of fighting over the troubled hospital, local news station WBIR reported Dec. 21.

The cost of care increasingly outweighed concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic as the top reason patients defer healthcare, according to a study published by Qualtrics, an experience management company.

A number of health systems experienced downgrades to their financial ratings in recent weeks amid ongoing operating losses, declines in investment values and challenging work environments.

From leadership appointments at newly formed health systems to financial experts stepping into CEO positions and the end of some decades-long healthcare careers, here are 10 CFO moves that captured the attention of Becker's Hospital Review's readers this year:

Minneapolis.-based Allina Healthcare was downgraded one spot from "Aa3" to "A1" and its financial outlook was revised from "stable" to "negative," Moody's said Dec. 21.

Most health systems — whether religious, secular, for-profit or nonprofit — have a mission statement that outlines their ideology and goals. Defining a system's mission, vision and values can increase staff engagement, boost participation in hospital initiatives and provide a clear message to the community about the organization's direction.

Rashard Johnson is the CEO of three hospitals within Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare with more than $1 billion in fiscal responsibility, but his path first wound through Orlando-based University of Central Florida, where he played football on scholarship as a defensive back.

The San Mateo County (Calif.) Board of Supervisors has approved an agreement with RIP Medical Debt that will eliminate debt for 72,399 residents, Climate Magazine reported Dec. 20. 

Lawmakers rolled out a roughly $1.7 trillion year-end spending bill Dec. 20, with funds earmarked for health agencies and some new investments that intersect with the work of hospitals and health systems.