Major for-profit hospital operators reported mixed financial results in the third quarter of this year.

HHS will begin distributing $333 million in performance payments to nursing homes that reduced COVID-19 infections and deaths between August and September. 

Indiana University Health, a 17-hospital system based in Indianapolis, saw its net income dip 63 percent through the first nine months of the year, according to unaudited financial documents released Oct. 29.

A surge of hospital bankruptcies looms as federal aid that gave a lifeline to healthcare providers dries up, according to Bloomberg Law. 

King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services saw its net income increase nearly 150 percent in the third quarter of 2020, compared to the third quarter of 2019, according to financial documents released Oct. 29.

Shares of Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems soared 30 percent Oct. 28 after the for-profit hospital chain said its longtime CEO would step down and it released better-than-expected financial results for the third quarter. 

CMS unveiled a final rule Oct. 29 that requires health plans to disclose the rates they negotiate with hospitals and other healthcare providers. 

Nearly 1 in 5 Americans live in rural areas and depend on their local hospital for care. Over the past 10 years, 133 of those hospitals have closed. 

Minneapolis-based Children's Minnesota will lay off 150 employees, the system told Becker's Hospital Review.  

Identifying and prioritizing denials is one of the biggest pain points for health systems today, according to Rob Stucker, senior vice president of revenue cycle management at Experian Health.

LabCorp will return $132 million in funding it received from the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act this spring, the diagnostic testing company revealed Oct. 27 in its third-quarter financial results. 

Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare has closed its public offering of $700 million in senior secured notes with a 7.25 percent interest rate due in 2025. 

R1 RCM will provide revenue cycle services to more than a third of Brentwood, Tenn.-based LifePoint Health's hospitals under an agreement the organizations announced Oct. 28. 

CMS released preliminary Quality Payment Program data for the 2019 performance year on Oct. 27. 

Las Vegas is the city with most people in financial distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis by WalletHub, a personal finance website. 

Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems saw its revenue decline in the third quarter of 2020, but ended the period with a $112 million profit, according to financial documents released Oct. 27. This compares to a net loss of $17 million in the third quarter of 2019. 

Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital has ended its fundraising campaign after raising more than $1.75 billion for the organization.

Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare's profit climbed to $668 million in the third quarter of this year, but the for-profit hospital operator is planning for a small drop in admissions next year, according to the Nashville Post. 

The following nine hospital and health system credit rating downgrades occurred in the past three months. They are listed in alphabetical order. 

Various industry trends, including the growing number of patients with high-deductible health plans, made delivering more personalized and consumer-centric care a priority for health systems before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, this type of care is even more important given the acceleration of virtual services and as consumers reprioritize their healthcare in the wake of a public health crisis.