As the results of Avanza's third annual survey of senior healthcare executives on ambulatory surgery center (ASC) joint ventures reveal, a growing number of hospitals are planning to expand their investments in ASCs.

As the foundation of America’s healthcare system, hospitals have been central to the nation’s COVID-19 response. These challenging times call for approaches to care that create opportunities for care to be more accessible and patient-centric than ever before.

The inaugural Pediatric Leadership Forum debuted Wednesday, Nov. 11, as part of Becker's 2020 CEO + CFO Roundtable. A collaboration between Becker’s Hospital Review, healthcare’s most trusted information platform, and Phoenix Children’s, one of the nation’s top pediatric health systems, the informative session brought together four leading experts in children’s healthcare to discuss “Unique Challenges Faced by Pediatric Leadership and What to do About Them.”

With an aging grid infrastructure, increasing severe weather events and wildfires, what are leading healthcare facilities doing to proactively plan for potential power outages that affect the safety of the community as well as the bottom line? To address this timely subject, an industry panel shared how they are managing power resiliency. The online roundtable event was hosted by Becker’s Hospital Review and sponsored by Enchanted Rock.

The current pandemic has showed that healthcare is ever-changing.

Two hospitals in Kansas and Montana are adopting new names in January. 

Delta is partnering with the CDC to launch a COVID-19 contract tracing program for international travelers, the airline announced Dec. 3. 

Two Walmart Health centers opened in Chicago Nov. 20 adjacent to newly remodeled Walmart supercenters. 

Aided by relaxed regulations, many hospitals and health systems launched and expanded telehealth programs in a matter of days in response to COVID-19. The quick demand in access often meant using platforms such as FaceTime and Skype for virtual visits covering a wide range of conditions, from urgent care, primary care, medication follow-up and COVID-19 screenings.

As health systems grow, new opportunities for standardization and investment can materialize. But reaching operational excellence isn't a guarantee, especially as environmental factors like the pandemic hamper operations.

The economic downturn from the COVID-19 pandemic is placing new strain on health systems' relationships with employers, especially amid unemployment challenges and insurance changes.

The concept of health systems successfully operating a health plan while coexisting with physicians in an integrated delivery model has been an alluring proposition in our industry for decades. The goal is for integrated systems to be purveyors of population health and assume risk while delivering excellent clinical care.

As the healthcare industry manages quarantines, temporary care locations and more, a flexible and portable solution is a must.

Even before COVID-19, health systems were experiencing reduced fee-for-service margins. In 2019, median Medicare margin nationally decreased 2.2 percent while hospital costs rose 2.5 percent per year. With Medicare as the fastest growing segment of the patient population, the majority of geographies will see their Medicare payer mix increase substantially moving forward – a shift that will further compress margins. 

Patients and travelers in New York City will receive free dog-walking and drop-in services under a new partnership to help people who need to safely separate from others to combat COVID-19.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame's new entity, Hall of Fame Health, has partnered with 12 U.S. healthcare providers to offer medical services to any former NFL player or team employee, and their families.

Between shifting patient flow, the need to expand capacity for COVID-19 patients and revenue losses from shutting down services early on, the pandemic has caused numerous challenges and disruption for health systems across the country. For Gary Kaplan, MD, chairman and CEO of Virginia Mason Health System in Seattle, these challenges have underscored the importance of being open to new ideas and using lessons learned during the public health crisis to improve patient care. 

The board of Blue Mountain Hospital District in John Day, Ore., is weighing the possibility of parting ways with its management company, according to The Blue Mountain Eagle.

Adventist Health, a 23-hospital health system based in Roseville, Calif., is creating a division to promote community well-being, the organization announced in an Oct. 20 news release. 

The data on COVID-19 doesn't look good. A recent USA Today analysis showed that nearly 80% of the states reported more coronavirus cases than they had in the week before.