Richard Pizzi

Fitch Ratings says that after nearly a half-decade of consistent improvement or stability in hospital financial metrics, the 2009 medians for acute care hospitals showed declines for most financial indicators.

According to two studies published in the journal Health Affairs, health policy research is too often flawed and poorly targeted toward the questions that are most important to decisionmakers.

Researchers at Indiana University have found that support for government-sponsored health insurance for individuals under age 65 remains virtually the same regardless of how the plan is described or how involved the government would be.

The research and consulting firm Thomson Reuters has released a benchmarking study identifying the top 10 U.S. health systems based on their hospitals' clinical performance.

Central Washington Hospital has initiated a $118 million expansion that will add a five-story tower with 174 private patient rooms.

AnMed Health, a three-hospital system based in Anderson, S.C., and Cannon Memorial Hospital, based in Pickens, S.C., have signed an affiliation agreement with the Carolinas HealthCare System.

Employment in the U.S. healthcare sector increased by 20,000 jobs in July, although the national unemployment rate was little changed at 9.4 percent, according to recent data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics have cut 285 jobs because of budget problems caused by the economic downturn.

The American College of Physicians waded further into the healthcare reform debate this week, releasing three policy papers addressing individual mandates, tax exclusion and a public plan option.

In 2003, the state of Maine enacted one of the most significant healthcare reform plans of any state. A new report examines Maine's experience and how it can inform the national debate.