Average provider charges have been growing faster than Medicare payment rates, according to a report from the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy, especially in two specialties: emergency medicine and anesthesiology.

Boston-based Partners HealthCare saw its revenue and operating income rise in fiscal year 2019, according to financial documents released Dec. 6.

St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis failed to comply with Medicare billing requirements for 58 of 145 inpatient and outpatient claims reviewed by HHS' Office of Inspector General, according to an OIG report.

Four hospital CEOs discussed how they're addressing growing scrutiny around patient debt collection while juggling the unique difficulties that healthcare businesses face, according to the Commercial Appeal.

An update on credit rating activity since Nov. 29 at eight hospitals or health systems:

Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health won The Bond Buyer's 18th Annual "Deal of the Year" award for its $6.5 billion debt restructuring, which drew demand from investors and support from financial analysts.

Although total operating revenue climbed a record 12 percent in fiscal year 2019, Chicago-based Anne and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital saw its net income drop year over year, according to recently published financial documents.

Philadelphia-based Thomas Jefferson University has recieved a $70 million gift to support construction of a 12-story biomedical research facility, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal. 

Pittsburgh-based UPMC will close its hospital in Sunbury, Pa., on March 31, 2020, according to The Daily Item.

After it was ordered to cease inpatient and emergency services by the Pennsylvania Health Department, Ellwood City (Pa.) Medical Center has laid off 92 employees, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

National healthcare spending hit a record $3.6 trillion in 2018, which equates to roughly $11,172 per person, according to an analysis from CMS' Office of the Actuary published in Health Affairs.

While a law addressing balance billing has helped California patients avoid surprise out-of-network bills, physicians argue the regulation has put them at an unfair disadvantage in insurance negotiations, according to California Healthline. 

Some hospitals in Connecticut are becoming more aggressive in their balance billing tactics, and their policies should be examined, according to an op-ed published by the editorial staff of the Stamford Advocate.

Patient financial engagement has become increasingly important at hospitals and health systems, as Americans have become financially responsible for a larger portion of their medical bills.

In a survey of healthcare CEOs, CFOs and CIOs conducted by HIMSS and released in June 2019, 90 percent of respondents indicated that revenue cycle management was one of the top strategic technology initiatives at their organization.

Murray (Ky.)-Calloway County Hospital terminated its contract with Anthem and is attempting to negotiate a new one with the health insurer before a February deadline, according to local news station WPSD.

More than 200 students in Vermont will be repaid for claims denied by their health insurer, according to the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation.

Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network saw its net income more than triple from $35.1 million in fiscal year 2018 to $115.3 million in fiscal year 2019, according to financial documents released Dec. 4. 

UPMC Susquehanna Lock Haven (Pa.) has appealed a county board's decision to deny it tax-exempt status, according to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. 

When incumbent CEOs hire a new CFO, their compensation, on average, increases 10 percent, according to a study to be published in Management Science.