CMS approved a critical access hospital designation for Oneida, Tenn.-based Big South Fork Medical Center, the facility's owner, Rennova Health, said Dec. 3. 

About 60 million people — nearly 1 in 5 Americans — live in rural areas and depend on their local hospitals for care. More than 70 of those hospitals have ended all services since 2011, according to the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research.

The bill passed by the House and Senate on Dec. 2 to avert a government shutdown does not address billions in Medicare cuts slated to take effect next year. 

The American Medical Association is slamming the inaction of Congress on looming Medicare payment cuts, saying that allowing them would be "reckless during a public health emergency."

Nurses who work at a California hospital that is slated to be closed without a sale are demanding that the facility stay open, the unions that represent them said Dec. 1. 

While the pandemic has remained the top story in healthcare over the past year, several other trends have been at play related to provider compensation.

CMS won't terminate the Medicare contract of San Jose, Calif.-based Good Samaritan Hospital, part of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, according to NBC Bay Area.

Ten hospitals and health systems recently posted job listings seeking revenue cycle management expertise.

CMS has withdrawn the seriously ill population component of the Primary Care First payment model. 

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

CMS has released 11 documents that serve as guidance for providers as they work to comply with the No Surprises Act.

Several justices on the Supreme Court seemed reluctant Nov. 29 to reinstate changes HHS made to how Medicare payments are calculated for hospitals that serve a disproportionate number of low-income patients, according to Bloomberg Law. 

U.S. hospitals and health systems saw a second consecutive month of margin declines as labor expenses continue to pressure providers, according to a Nov. 30 report from healthcare consulting firm Kaufman Hall. 

Watsonville (Calif.) Community Hospital said it will be forced to shut down if it is not able to secure a buyer by Jan. 28, according to Good Times Santa Cruz. 

Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare Foundation proposed a deal that could save the aging Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, Calif., from closing, according to the Daily Press. 

Phoenix-based Banner Health saw its revenue, operating income and net income grow in the first nine months of 2021 when compared to the same period last year, according to its recently released financial report. 

In a Nov. 29 letter, eight organizations representing hospitals and health systems across the U.S. urged Congress to prevent more than $14 billion in Medicare payment cuts. 

Below are 10 hospitals and health systems that recently posted job listings seeking CFOs.

HHS on Nov. 23 started distributing $7.5 billion in payments to rural healthcare providers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cleveland Clinic ended the third quarter of this year with higher revenue and operating income than in the same period a year earlier.