Erik Summers, MD, chief medical officer of MUSC Health’s division in Charleston, S.C., is focused on strengthening patient flow and empowering frontline teams. He joined the Charleston-based health system in October 2024 after nearly 15 years as CMO of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., where he spearheaded efforts to improve […]
Continue ReadingTallahassee (Fla.) City Commissioners accepted a proposed memorandum of understanding between the city and Florida State University that would convert a city‑owned hospital into a full academic medical center under the FSU Health umbrella. A third and final public hearing on the proposed deal will be held on March 11, according to a Jan. 14 […]
Continue ReadingSeveral hospital and health system CEOs have recently exited their roles, including through retirements and transitions to new organizations. CEO turnover has remained high, with hospitals reporting 107 CEO exits between January and November 2025 — a nearly 6% increase over the same period in 2024. Some executives have cited heightened burnout stemming from evolving […]
Continue ReadingJust hours after Rhonda Swaney left a prenatal appointment for her first pregnancy, she felt severe pain in her stomach and started vomiting. Then 25 years old and six months pregnant, she drove herself to the emergency room in Ronan, Montana, on the Flathead Indian Reservation, where an ambulance transferred her to a larger hospital […]
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When the head of the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan worries about the looming federal cuts to Medicaid, it’s not just her job. It’s personal. Martha Santana-Chin, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, grew up on Medi-Cal, California’s version of Medicaid, the government-run health care program for people with low incomes and disabilities. Today, she […]
Continue ReadingLivonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health is transitioning certain nonpatient-facing revenue cycle functions to an external partner, resulting in a 10.5% reduction in positions across the department, the health system confirmed in a statement shared with Becker’s. Trinity Health declined to provide further details, including how many employees will be affected. Local news outlet WOOD reported the […]
Continue ReadingAs states finalize plans to administer billions of dollars through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, rural hospital leaders are beginning to articulate what they hope the funds will enable, from shoring up fragile service lines to building long-term infrastructure that could determine whether their organizations remain viable. CMS awarded $50 billion across all 50 […]
Continue ReadingNashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt Transplant Center completed 960 solid organ transplants in 2025 — the most ever performed by a single center in one year — making it the largest transplant center by volume in the U.S. In addition to the record number of solid organ transplants, the center set a world record for the performing […]
Continue ReadingThe typical working family in the U.S. spent $3,960 on healthcare-related costs in 2024, including premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, according to a Jan. 13 report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research. The report analyzed 2024 data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey and found a high cost burden among working families, defined […]
Continue ReadingThe American Hospital Association is supporting a bill designed to increase the healthcare cybersecurity workforce in rural America. The Rural Hospital Cybersecurity Enhancement Act, led by U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., would direct HHS to create a strategy to train more professionals and enact partnerships to boost rural […]
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