In January, a law went into effect in California requiring hospitals to post their financial assistance policies on their websites. More than nine months later, some still had not complied, the Los Angeles Times reported Nov. 29. 

Rochester,Minn.-based Mayo Clinic reported a strong third-quarter operating margin despite widespread challenges, while Banner Health and SSM Health posted operating losses that were due in part to staff shortages, inflation, and increased labor and supply costs.

Americans' health can be negatively affected by redirecting financial resources — a symptom of inflation that is on the rise, according to a Nov. 29 Harvard Business Review article. 

The Department of Health and Human Resources awarded CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs (Ark.) the largest grant it has ever received, The Sentinel-Record reported Nov. 29.

Staffing shortages in Vermont nursing homes are leading to rising costs for Vermont hospitals who are forced to care for patients turned away from nursing home facilities, Maine Public reported Nov. 29.

UNC Health Southeastern, which fully completed its transition under the Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health umbrella during fiscal year 2022, reported a $74 million loss for the period ending June 30, admitting the year had been "difficult" as it struggled to recover from the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cornerstone Specialty Hospitals West Monroe (La.) has selected digital revenue company CareCloud to handle its revenue cycle management services.

When the next Congress begins its first session in January, it has the opportunity to strengthen healthcare price transparency laws, patientrightsadvocate.org founder Cynthia Fisher said in a Nov. 27 opinion piece in the Dallas Morning News. 

A Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council study found that healthcare has a $38.4 billion economic impact on the region, D Magazine reported Nov. 28.

Since 2005, 183 rural hospitals across 36 states have closed, leaving many people in those communities without timely access to essential medical services and often leading to a decline in the number of healthcare providers in those counties.

Layoffs can take two or three months when orchestrated well, but pressure to move quickly in a weakening economy can leave companies at odds with employees and at greater risk of giving improper notice, The Wall Street Journal reported Nov. 28. 

Halstead (Kan.) Hospital, which closed 20 years ago, is up for auction with adjacent parcels of land and property, NBC affiliate KSNW reported Nov. 28.

Milwaukee and Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Aurora Health is to increase the price of overnight patient stays at its Milwaukee locations by up to 5.5 percent to counter inflation and other pressures such as staffing costs, according to a Nov. 28 WTMJ report citing the Milwaukee Business Journal.

Five health systems recently posted job listings seeking revenue cycle vice presidents. 

The Texas Medical Association's lawsuit challenging the validity of the No Surprises Act's independent dispute resolution could increase an already lengthy backlog, Bloomberg Law reported Nov. 28. 

New York City-based Montefiore Health System exacerbated losses in the first nine months of 2022 even as its operating revenues increased and expenses were largely stable. 

Redge Campbell, former director of rehabilitation at Silverdale, Wash.-based Harrison Medical Center, wrote a Nov. 27 op-ed in the Kitsap Sun denouncing the closure of Silverdale, Wash.-based St. Michael Medical's outpatient rehabilitation center.

Hospitals and health systems across the country are doubling down on digital transformation efforts by creating new tools and launching innovative programs to improve workflows, boost efficiency and better serve patients where they are.

Phoenix Children's Hospital reported a nine-month loss of $120.5 million even as its revenues stayed robust and contributed to an overall positive operating income of $88 million. The overall decline was a result of investment challenges that resulted in $207.5 million of losses for the period ended Sept. 30.

Hospitals and health systems are "gouging" Americans with their anti-competitive behaviors, and more steps must be taken to reverse such policies, especially at a time of rising inflation and economic pressures, experts said in a Nov. 28 opinion piece in The Hill.