The American Hospital Association recently testified at an Internal Revenue Service hearing, which covered Section 501(r) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Two of the biggest stockholders of Nashville, Tenn.-based Hospital Corporation of America — Bain Capital Partners and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. — said they plan to sell roughly 32 million shares of HCA's common stock in an underwritten secondary…

In October, national health expenditures grew by 3.5 percent compared with October 2011 — the sixth straight month the growth rate has fallen below 4 percent, according to a report from the Altarum Institute's Center for Sustainable Health Spending (pdf).

HHS and CMS have given final approval for Kansas' new Medicaid program design, which will go live Jan. 1, 2013.

The American Hospital Association sent a letter (pdf) last week to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), urging Congress to preserve the charitable tax deduction as Congress and President Barack Obama continue their talks to avoid the "fiscal cliff."

Most shares of for-profit hospital companies fared well during the week of Dec. 3 — with one notable exception.

Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems will pay its shareholders a special cash dividend of $0.25 per share Dec. 28.

Here are 16 issues dealing with Medicare or Medicaid that occurred in the past week, starting with the most recent.

Terri Newsom joined Greenville (S.C.) Hospital System in March 2011 as vice president of financial services and CFO. Since that time, the health system has expanded its leading market share and is forging ahead with major portions of healthcare reform.

Yesterday, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission released draft recommendations to Congress, including a proposed 1 percent increase to inpatient and outpatient hospital payments in fiscal year 2014, according to an AHA News Now report.