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High-ranking hospital system disengages from U.S. News listing

Jun 26, 2023
University of Pennsylvania Health System stops participation in U.S. News’ rankings. But the list does influence some patients and insurers.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System's hospitals were often ranked in the top 20.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Despite nurse shortage, tens of thousands are turned away from training programs

Jun 9, 2023
Bolstering educational infrastructure for prospective students can address the worsening nursing shortage.
Students at the University of Houston campus in Katy, Texas, train on a manikin.
Elizabeth Trovall/Marketplace

America’s rural hospitals are in the red

May 17, 2023
A new federal program is dropping rural hospitals a lifeline to keep emergency services available as they struggle to turn a profit.
Battle-tested nurse practitioner Peni Russell is among the bare-bones staff responsible for stabilizing sick and injured patients who come into the rural emergency hospital in San Augustine, Texas.
Elizabeth Trovall/Marketplace

Congress is looking at changes to Medicare. Hospitals aren't thrilled

A little-known payment change could save the federal government $150 billion over the next 10 years.
Right now, there are cases where Medicare pays hospitals more than double what it pays independent doctors for the same care.
sshepard via Getty Images

Some hospitals struggle as borrowing gets more expensive

May 8, 2023
Cash-strapped rural and medium-size hospitals are less prepared to absorb higher interest rates.
“Wages and labor pressures are increasing in hospitals unless they're able to find ways to cut back on staff or cut other expenses," said Krutika Amin of KFF.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Strapped emergency services struggle to answer 911 calls

Feb 9, 2023
Health care staffing shortages and high turnover rates means patients end up waiting longer to get through emergency departments.
New Orleans EMS Lt. Noah Feldman helps his team members load a patient into an ambulance in November.
Shalina Chatlani/Gulf States Newsroom

China's big question after ending "zero-COVID" rules: How many have died?

Feb 7, 2023
David struggled to help his 83-year-old father before he died of COVID. Will his father's death be counted in China's official toll?
Hundreds of millions of people in China were infected within weeks of the abrupt end to "zero-COVID" rules, experts say. Above, patients are cared for by relatives and medical staff in the atrium of a busy hospital on Jan. 13 in Shanghai.
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

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When should patients be admitted to a hospital through the ER?

Oct 20, 2022
A hospital giant faces questions about whether it's been too quick to admit patients to the hospital from the emergency room.
HCA is based in Nashville and has hospitals around the country. A member of Congress has asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to open an investigation into questions about its practices around hospital admissions.
Blake Farmer/WPLN News

Lab billing operations add to rural hospital woes, leaving some on life support

Jul 18, 2022
For rural communities, the loss of hospitals means no access to nearby emergency care and the loss of health care jobs.
Rural hospital closures have increased during the pandemic. Many hospitals were run by  lab companies that left difficult financial and legal problems behind.
David McNew/Getty Images

Mall-to-medicine transitions make health care more convenient for suburban patients

Apr 13, 2022
With abundant parking and layouts that are easy to navigate, one-time shopping malls are attractive to some medical facilities looking to expand.
More than a decade ago, Vanderbilt University Medical Center moved 22 specialty clinics to a former mall, now taking up 440,000 square feet of One Hundred Oaks in Nashville.
Blake Farmer/WPLN News

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