MercyOne Primghar (Iowa) Medical Center, part of Des Moines, Iowa-based MercyOne, closed on Sept. 27, a spokesperson for the health system confirmed with Becker's.

Health systems are growing increasingly frustrated with fighting to receive payments from insurers in the Medicare Advantage program, which now provides health coverage to more than 55% of the nation's older adults, about 33.8 million people. 

Sam Hazen, CEO of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare said the hospital industry is "still a bit of a cottage industry, very fragmented, doesn't really have a lot of scale," the Nashville Business Journal reported Oct. 9. 

Hurricane Milton is expected to hit Florida on Oct. 9 and cause significant disruption as a Category 3 storm. It will be the second hurricane to hit Florida's Gulf Coast in two weeks, and hospitals have taken a variety of measures to prepare.

Fitch downgraded New York City-based Mount Sinai's rating to "BBB" from "A-" and assigned the health system a negative outlook at its new rating. 

Vice President Kamala Harris is proposing Medicare pay for at-home care. 

Health system executives are watching the federal budget deficit closely headed into 2025 as they develop their own budgets for next year.

Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente is strengthening its presence in Colorado through expanded partnerships with HCA Healthcare, the largest for-profit health system in the country, and CommonSpirit Health, one of the largest nonprofit systems. 

Chicago-based CommonSpirit is "investing significantly in high-growth markets," such as Arizona and Colorado, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the health system, CFO Dan Morissette said during the company's investor call on Oct. 4.

Four major nonprofit health systems have launched Longitude Health, which aims to "tackle head-on the most impactful challenges and opportunities in the healthcare industry." 

Durham, N.C.-based Duke University Health System and UnitedHealthcare have been in contract negotiations over the last few weeks regarding around 172,000 Duke Health patients and their care access. 

Progressive Health of Houston (Miss.) has become a designated rural emergency hospital, WTVA reported Oct. 7.

Dallas-based Steward Health Care filed a notice of closure for its already nonoperational Norwood (Mass.) Hospital and four satellite facilities. 

Cheyenne Holland has been CFO of Randolph, Vt.-based Gifford Health Care since Aug. 19, and in that time, one of her top priorities has been to recruit and retain clinical and non-clinical employees in a rural healthcare setting.

Campaign proposals from former President Donald Trump are projected to increase the national debt significantly more than Vice President Kamala Harris' plans, according to an Oct. 7 analysis from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Three of the country's largest nonprofit health systems — Ascension, CommonSpirit and Trinity Health — saw varying degrees of improvement in their fiscal 2024 results despite ongoing payer challenges and rising labor and supply costs. 

Health system CIOs and CFOs are accountable for driving forward the CEO's vision and powering strategic priorities. The most effective duos have learned to speak each others' language and respect their partner's expertise.

For the past decade, private equity firms have invested more than $1 trillion into U.S. healthcare. This meteoric rise in corporate investing in healthcare over the past 10 years may now be hitting its first real speed bump. 

Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health reported a $68.4 million operating income (0.3% margin) in the fiscal year ending June 30, compared to a $288 million operating loss (-1.3% margin) in the previous fiscal year, according to financial results published Oct. 4. 

Expenses were relatively flat for nonprofit hospitals in August compared to July, according to Kaufman Hall's National Hospital Flash Report.