Healthcare finance news for hospital and health system leaders

As many hospitals and health systems face margin pressure from rising expenses, growing bad debt and shifting payer mix, some have made operational decisions that keep them on solid financial footing, from squeezing more capacity out of operating rooms and…

Carson City, Nev.-based Carson Tahoe Health and UnitedHealthcare reached an agreement to restore in-network access to Carson Tahoe Health physicians, clinics and hospital services for eligible UnitedHealthcare commercial and Medicare Advantage members. The agreement takes effect Nov. 1. The agreement…

Here are 27 health systems that have had their credit ratings upgraded by Fitch Ratings or Moody’s Investors Service in 2026: Broward Health’s credit rating was upgraded to “A2” from “A3” by Moody’s. The upgrade reflects the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based…

For several large health systems, the selling phase is ending. In May, Becker’s reported that Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, St. Louis-based Ascension and Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems were shedding hospitals and putting the proceeds into surgery centers. Five months later,…

As more patients flood King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services’ acute care hospitals, fewer are heading to the operating room. Same-facility surgeries decreased 0.7% compared with the third quarter last year, Steve Filton, CFO of UHS, said during the…

Forty percent of providers surveyed said 10% or more of their claims are denied, essentially flat from 41% in 2025 but up from 31% in 2022, according to an Oct. 28 report from Experian Health. Experian’s 2026 “State of Claims”…

Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare is the largest U.S. health system by net patient revenue, generating $60.3 billion during the most recent 12-month period tracked in Definitive Healthcare’s database, according to an Oct. 23 report from the healthcare data company.  Oakland,…

Thirteen Senate Democrats are demanding answers from the largest ACA marketplace insurers  about their involvement in recent coverage terminations that cut more than 760,000 people from their health plans. The Oct. 26 letters, led by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and…

King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services reported an operating income of $454 million (9.6% margin) in the third quarter of 2026, down from a $522 million operating income (11.6% margin) during the same period last year, according to financial…

Moody’s affirmed Oklahoma City-based Integris Health’s “A3” credit rating and raised its outlook to positive from negative, citing its Oct. 21 definitive agreement to join Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente’s Risant Health.  Integris’ planned combination with Risant is a “significant credit…