Hospitals today face many challenges including an economic recession, increases in uninsured care and growing competition for outpatient services. However, there are still many steps hospitals can take to increase their profitability amid these economic conditions.

Washington County Memorial Hospital in Salem, Ind., has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy while the hospital tries to reorganize its finances and considers making an operating agreement with an outside company, according to a report in Business First of Louisville.

Statewide Medicare cuts and the bankruptcy of automobile manufactures, such as General Motors, are expected to increase the amount of patient debt and uncompensated care shouldered by Michigan hospitals, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press.

Pres. Obama has identified an additional $313 billion in cuts to government healthcare spending over the next 10 years, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Boca Raton (Fla.) Community Hospital reported $8,434 in earnings on $96 million in revenue for its fiscal third quarter that ended in March, up from the $20.9 million loss on $92.5 million in revenue it posted for the same quarter…

Several major healthcare organizations outlined their plans to cut $1.7 trillion in healthcare costs of the next 10 years, in fulfillment of a promise the groups made to Pres. Obama, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Here are 10 statistics on the impact of the economy on hospitals in the United States, according to a survey by the American Hospital Association.

A report by UnitedHealth Group's Center for Health Reform and Modernization has released a report that identifies 15 cost-savings measures estimated to save the federal government $540 billion, according to a UnitedHealth news release.

State lawmakers agreed to give Hawaii public hospitals more money to help with their current financial crisis and more flexibility to meet the healthcare needs of their communities, according to a report in the Honolulu Advertiser.

California Health Officials have unveiled an Internet tool to help consumers compare the costs of 28 different procedures at hospitals in the state, according to a report in the Sacramento Business Journal.