Hospitals in Missouri are seeing their charity care and bad debt rise as more services aren't paid for, according to a community investment report from the Missouri Hospital Association. 

The Metro Nashville finance director is accusing Nashville (Tenn.) General Hospital of concealing $9.4 million in federal grants so the funds wouldn't be considered during budget talks, according to the Nashville Tennessean.

Shore Medical Center, a nonprofit community hospital in Somers Point, N.J., says it is being left out of the federal aid allocated to hospitals to cover expenses or lost revenues from the COVID-19 pandemic. And Shore Medical Center says it is not alone. 

Here are 14 health systems with strong operational metrics and solid financial positions, according to reports from Fitch Ratings, Moody's Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings.

U.S. primary care practices are projected to lose up to $15.1 billion, or $67,774 per full-time physician, this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published in Health Affairs. 

Admissions were down about one-third in April for HCA Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare and Community Health Systems compared to the year prior, with even higher declines recorded in surgeries and emergency department visits.

Of about 14,000 Lee Health employees, 873 have applied for voluntary buyouts and signed up for a summer leave program offered by the Fort Myers, Fla.-based health system.

CMS has released its proposed Home Health Prospective Payment System rule for 2021, which would boost Medicare home health reimbursement. 

The AMA added a new Current Procedural Terminology code for reporting antigen testing of patients who are thought to have COVID-19. 

Hospital billing policies for virtual visits are changing, and some patients without insurance could see their out-of-pocket costs increase significantly as hospitals become contractually required to charge virtual visits at rates that look more like in-person charges.

Mayo Clinic will restore pay to pre-COVID-19 levels for staff and call back furloughed workers months sooner than anticipated, the Rochester, Minn.-based system said June 24.

Children's hospitals across the U.S. say that they are being left out of another round of COVID-19 relief aid, according to Bloomberg Law. 

The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine is furloughing 940 employees to help reduce a budget deficit linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Cincinnati Business Courier.

Medical costs could grow between 4 percent and 10 percent for employers in 2021, depending on how the COVID-19 pandemic plays out, according to a report from PwC.

Congress passed legislation in March and April that provided a combined $175 billion in funding for hospitals and other healthcare providers to help offset lost revenue and expenses linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. HHS has yet to distribute $72 billion, or 41 percent, of the approved funds, according to a report released June 23 by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee. 

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced June 24 that 54 rural hospitals in Kentucky have settled a 13-year-old dispute regarding Medicaid reimbursement rates. 

The first signs of financial improvement are being recorded at hospitals, according to Kaufman Hall's June Flash Report. 

Burlington-based University of Vermont Health Network is cutting physicians' vacation and retirement benefits to help offset losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to VTDigger.

Physicians say prior authorizations continue to interfere with patient care, causing treatment delays and adverse events, according to new survey data from the American Medical Association. While health plans agree the process is burdensome, they argue it adheres to clinical guidelines and is used in selective circumstances.

Iowa City-based University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is requiring employees to either give up paid vacation time or take unpaid furlough to help offset financial losses linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to TV station KCRG.