Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "A2" rating for the Baltimore-based University of Maryland Medical System, affecting $1.1 billion of outstanding debt. By Leo Vartorella - 1/14/19

A Colorado lawmaker wants to make changes that would shed more light into how hospitals are spending state and federal dollars, The Denver Post reported.  By Kelly Gooch - 1/14/19

Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "B1" rating for Sauk Prairie Healthcare in Prairie du Sac, Wis., affecting $38 million of fixed rate bonds. By Leo Vartorella - 1/14/19

Moody's Investors Service affirmed Greensburg, Pa.-based Excela Health's "A3" rating, affecting $72 million of outstanding debt. By Leo Vartorella - 1/14/19

Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "A2" rating for Arlington Heights, Ill.-based Northwest Community Hospital, affecting $194 million of rated debt. By Leo Vartorella - 1/14/19

Riverton, Wyo.-based SageWest Health Care faces allegations that the two-hospital system and its owners overcharged Eastern Shoshone Tribe members to boost profits, according to a Casper Star-Tribune report.    By Kelly Gooch - 1/14/19

Four major for-profit hospital operators saw their stock prices rise last week.  By Kelly Gooch - 1/14/19

U.S. senators on both sides of the aisle sent separate letters to HHS expressing their different views on a proposed rule regarding billing for abortion coverage, according to a Roll Call report.  By Kelly Gooch - 1/11/19

Implementing an efficient process to manage low-balance patient accounts can help ensure a hospital receives full reimbursement for its services, said James Dressman, executive director at Professional Medical Services, a Fort Worth, Texas-based claims-management company.  By Kelly Gooch - 1/11/19

Hillsboro (Kan.) Community Hospital will not have its utilities shut off after all, according to a Hillsboro Free Press report.  By Kelly Gooch - 1/11/19

From 1995 to 2015, the change in inflation-adjusted dollars spent on treating six of the top seven patient conditions associated with the highest mortality and morbidity rates in the U.S. likely was cost-effective and created value, according to a study published in Health Affairs.  By Morgan Haefner - 1/11/19

The primary reason the U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other country is still prices, according to an updated study published in Health Affairs.  By Morgan Haefner - 1/11/19

Newly elected California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a $144.2 billion general fund budget that increases state spending on healthcare, according to a Reuters report.  By Kelly Gooch - 1/11/19

Healthcare attorney Bobbie Celler's Rev Cycle GPO is a group purchasing organization that aims to reduce healthcare costs.  By Kelly Gooch - 1/11/19

After a physician ordered a breast MRI for a Pennsylvania woman, she used her insurance company's online price tool to estimate her bill. While UnitedHealthcare's tool estimated she may have to pay between $783 and $1,375, her share of the bill from an in-network facility was initially $3,237, according to The Inquirer.  By Morgan Haefner - 1/11/19

CMS Administrator Seema Verma took to Twitter Jan. 10 to address the agency's new requirement for hospitals to post their standard charges online.  By Kelly Gooch - 1/11/19

Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems has sold 43 hospitals over the past two years to help reduce its heavy debt load, and the company plans to continue its divestiture spree this year.  By Ayla Ellison - 1/11/19

Elkton, Md.-based Union Hospital eliminated 32 positions Jan. 10, including senior staff roles, as part of efforts to reorganize operations, according to a Cecil Whig report.  By Kelly Gooch - 1/11/19

CMS set its application deadline for its overhauled Medicare Shared Savings Program for Feb. 19, two months after it published a 267-page rule on the ACO program.  By Morgan Haefner - 1/10/19

Hillsboro (Kan.) Community Hospital, a critical access facility, must settle a payment to avoid having its utilities shut off at noon on Jan. 11, according to a Marion County Record report.  By Kelly Gooch - 1/10/19