When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt Health's revenue cycle team was in a better position than most to stay on top of claims thanks to a shift toward a more data-driven approach, according to a Nov. 1 Healthcare Financial Management Association article. 

The Lucas County (Ohio) commissioners are seeking to partner with the city of Toledo and RIP Medical Debt and are willing to commit $800,000 to relieve medical debt, the Toledo Blade reported Nov. 1. 

State employees in Colorado can receive incentives for choosing healthcare providers that charge lower prices, Kaiser Health News reported Nov. 2. 

CMS unveiled the final rules for the Rural Emergency Hospital designation that is set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2023. 

West Reading, Pa.-based  Tower Health has for the first time revealed a selling price for its Chestnut Hill Hospital site in Philadelphia, according to a report in The Philadelphia Inquirer. The financially strapped group plans to sell the teaching hospital for $28 million, the Nov. 2 report says.

CMS has published its annual payment updates for physicians, the Medicare shared savings program and outpatient and home health services for 2023. 

Fitch Ratings has downgraded the financial outlook for Hannibal (Mo.) Regional Healthcare System amid uncertainty around the hospital group's capital spending plans.

Wisconsin hospitals made almost $4 billion in net income in fiscal year 2021 amid pandemic recovery, but 2022 is shaping up to be a whole different story in the state as it feels the effects of staff burnout, record inflation and shrinking margins, a report from the Wisconsin Hospital Association showed.

Health systems can find a balance between cost reimbursement and patient satisfaction and loyalty.

The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association has launched the On Board Virginia website to try and fill the more than 11,000 job openings at hospitals across the state.

Salary and benefits for employees are among the biggest expenses for hospitals and health systems, but in the last year overall spend in the area has been relatively flat for four of the largest health systems in the U.S.

As part of its hospital readmissions reduction program, Medicare will cut payments by the maximum of 3 percent in fiscal year 2023 to 17 hospitals across the country. That figure compares with 39 hospitals facing the maximum penalty in fiscal 2022.

CommonSpirit Health reported $33.9 billion in total operating revenue for the 2022 fiscal year ending June 30.

From a report finding that 27 percent of health system leaders have pursued outsourcing revenue cycle functions this year, to revenue cycle leaders sharing their biggest 2022 accomplishments, here are 10 RCM stories Becker's published in October:

CMS evaluated two and a half years of readmission cases for Medicare patients through the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program and penalized 2,273 hospitals that had a greater-than-expected rate of return, according to a Nov. 1 report from Kaiser Health News.

While revenues were mixed during the third quarter for the major for-profit hospital operators, net income was universally down for these companies.

Tennessee is launching a $230 million grant program to improve medical services at a wide range of facilities across the state including acute care hospitals and long-term care sites, the Tennessee Department of Health said in a release Oct. 27.

Birmingham, Ala.-based Encompass Health, the largest owner and operator of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in the United States, has reported increased operating revenue of $1.09 billion for the third quarter of 2022.

HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded $4 million in collaborative federal grants to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and community partners to expand mental health services.

There are an estimated 19,000 full-time job vacancies across Massachusetts acute care hospitals, according to a survey published Oct. 31 by the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association.