Lifepoint chief people officer heads to UT Austin 

Traci Nordberg has been appointed CHRO of The University of Texas at Austin’s academic health system, she wrote in a Feb. 2 LinkedIn post. Ms. Nordberg joined the organization after serving as chief people officer at Brentwood, Tenn.-based LifePoint Healthcare since January 2024, according to her LinkedIn profile.  Prior to that, she was senior vice […]

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Moody’s upgrades Lee Health’s credit rating

Fort Myers, Fla.-based Lee Health’s credit rating was upgraded to “A1” from “A2” by Moody’s.  The upgrade reflects Lee Health’s successful conversion from a public entity to a private, nonprofit health system, Moody’s said in its Jan. 30 report. The transition took effect on Nov. 1, 2024, and allowed the system greater flexibility, regional growth […]

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States with the most rural hospitals per 100,000

Massachusetts has the most hospitals per 100,000 rural residents while Delaware has the fewest, according to a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill report. The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at UNC-Chapel Hill used CMS’ rural health transformation program data to determine the number of healthcare facilities and population in rural […]

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Government reopens after partial shutdown: 5 notes

President Donald Trump signed the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act into law Feb. 3 after the House voted 217-214 to approve it, ending a three-and-a-half-day partial government shutdown. The vote saw 21 Republicans reach across party lines to vote no and 21 Democrats vote yes.  The partial shutdown began […]

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Parkview gets green light for new Indiana hospital

The West Lafayette (Ind.) City Council approved a rezoning request required for Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Parkview Health to build a $200 million full-service hospital and medical building. The 8-0 vote was given at a Feb. 2 city council meeting. The 40-bed hospital will include an emergency department, four operating rooms, specialty care, outpatient services, laboratory […]

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CommonSpirit, Cigna go out of network in Tennessee, Georgia

CommonSpirit Health’s Tennessee and Georgia facilities (formerly CHI Memorial), went out of network with Cigna Healthcare on Feb. 1.  The network split affects individuals covered by Cigna’s commercial Open Access Plus PPO and its narrower-network Local Plus plan. The affected CommonSpirit facilities include three hospitals: Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, Memorial Hospital – Hixson (Tenn.) and […]

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