The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has outlined payment update recommendations for 2027. Four things to know:  1. For 2027, the chair’s draft recommendation calls for Congress to update 2026 Medicare base payment rates for general acute care hospitals by the…

Hospitals have long operated in a payment landscape shaped by reimbursement differentials, with hospital-based outpatient departments receiving higher rates for many services compared to freestanding physician offices or ambulatory centers. But that model is quickly shifting as momentum builds behind…

A new analysis from researchers at Providence, R.I.-based Brown University’s Center for Advancing Health Policy through Research found Oregon’s 2019 hospital payment cap, limiting what the state employee health plan pays hospitals to no more than 200% of Medicare, resulted…

Indianapolis-based IU Health has shed light on a common question in the healthcare industry: the reasons behind nonprofit hospitals often keeping a year or more of extensive cash reserves on hand.  “At IU Health, we target about 365 days of…

Revenue cycle improvements are a priority focus for Chicago-based CommonSpirit in 2026, Benjie Loanzon, senior vice president and corporate controller, said during the system’s Dec. 3 investor call.  “Although we have seen improvements in our revenue realization goals, we are…

Steve Leffler, MD, began serving as interim CEO of Burlington-based University of Vermont Health in October, when Sunny Eappen, MD, stepped down. Coming into the role, Dr. Leffler recognized the need for financial trade-offs. “In our rural region, as across…

North Star Health Alliance, a regional health system in Ogdensburg, N.Y., is facing a financial challenge that could result in program cuts, job losses and facility closures, without funding support from the state.  “As the New York State Department of…

Amid ongoing financial challenges, workforce shortages and declining birth rates, many hospitals and health systems are being forced to close maternity services in 2025.

New York City-based NewYork-Presbyterian recorded an operating income of $115 million (3.9% operating margin) in the third quarter of 2025, down from an operating income of $123 million (4.5% margin) during the same period last year, according to its Nov.…

Major shifts to Medicaid eligibility and financing set to take effect under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in 2026 and beyond are emerging as a top concern for revenue cycle leaders, who say the changes could further intensify financial…