Healthcare

Dementia is becoming one of healthcare’s most difficult problems to ignore. As the population ages, more families are finding themselves responsible for loved ones who can no longer manage their own care, communicate symptoms clearly, or navigate the healthcare system. Research shows that people living with dementia are hospitalized far more often than those without it—even…

Sterile Processing Departments (SPDs) remain the backbone of safe surgical care, yet across the country, they’re still routinely left out of early decision-making around products, construction, staffing, and case planning. As hospitals juggle tighter margins, higher patient acuity, and growing procedural demands, the consequences of excluding SPD voices become unmistakably real—showing up in daily…

In healthcare, patient safety and operational efficiency often depend on invisible systems working perfectly in the background. One of those systems—water quality—has quietly become a defining factor in sterile processing success. With new standards such as AAMI ST108 setting stricter expectations, hospitals, and SPDs (Sterile Processing Departments) are rethinking how they monitor, manage, and measure…

Across America, rural hospitals are facing an existential crisis. From physician burnout and recruitment struggles to malpractice insurance woes and shrinking OB units, the challenges facing small health systems are multiplying. According to the National Rural Health Association, roughly 190 rural hospitals have closed down or discontinued inpatient care since 2010 — and many more…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just a buzzword in healthcare — it’s becoming a real partner in how providers care for patients and improve everyday experiences. With rising patient expectations, limited resources, and mounting administrative complexity, hospitals and insurers alike are turning to AI to improve efficiency, communication, and satisfaction. In fact, Citi research…

The U.S. healthcare system is at a crossroads — facing rising costs, limited competition, and a widening gap between innovation and accessibility. According to projections from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), national health spending is expected to grow faster than the overall economy over the next decade — about 5.8% per year…

Hospitals today are fighting a two-front battle — one against increasingly sophisticated payers armed with automation and AI, and another to meet patients’ rising expectations for clarity and convenience. A recent joint study by Knowtion Health and the Healthcare Financial Management Association found that nearly one in two revenue cycle executives now identify payer denials…

Healthcare is evolving faster than ever—from the surge of AI-driven automation to rising patient expectations for seamless, consumer-style care. Amid this transformation, leaders face the challenge of keeping technology human. According to Deloitte’s 2025 Global Health Care Outlook, seven in ten C-suite healthcare executives across five countries say improving operational efficiency and productivity is a…

As healthcare continues to transform faster than ever — shaped by post-pandemic burnout, staffing shortages, and the rise of AI — leaders are being forced to rethink what it truly means to deliver both value and compassion in medicine. With the U.S. expected to face a shortage of 64,000 nurses in 2030, healthcare leaders are…

The Care Anywhere podcast is spotlighting a new global partnership designed to strengthen pediatric nursing education and recognition worldwide. In this episode, host Lea Sims sits down with leaders from TruMerit and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) to unpack a new pediatric nursing micro-credential pathway launching in 2026, and why it…

As healthcare systems worldwide face rising costs, workforce shortages, and increasing pressure to balance quality with financial sustainability, traditional classroom-based management education is struggling to keep pace. According to the World Economic Forum, healthcare spending now accounts for nearly 10% of global GDP, making leadership decision-making more consequential—and more complex—than ever. At the same…

Insurance denials aren’t new, but they’re hitting a breaking point right now. As prior authorizations surge and patients face longer delays for everything from imaging to specialty drugs, more providers are realizing that the “payer” on the card often isn’t the one truly holding the reins. A growing share of Americans are covered…

The rise of artificial intelligence in medicine is reshaping how orthopedic surgeons diagnose, plan, and deliver care. From robotics in the operating room to AI-driven diagnostics and bone segmentation tools, orthopedic innovation is advancing rapidly. Yet, adoption in everyday surgical practice has been more measured. For example, in 2022, robot-assisted technology accounted for…

Healthcare is at a critical turning point, where staffing pressures, shrinking reimbursements, and rising patient expectations are reshaping the future of healthcare. According to the AACN Nursing Workforce Fact Sheet, the federal government projects more than 203,000 new registered nurse positions will be created annually from 2021 to 2031, reflecting high demand from an…

Hospitals are juggling shrinking margins and rising costs while denial volumes remain stubbornly high. In the revenue cycle alone, hundreds of billions are lost annually to preventable errors and inefficiencies—in fact, Access Healthcare CEO Shaji Ravi cites more than $250 billion wasted each year. Meanwhile, payers have accelerated their use of AI to adjudicate…

Health systems across the U.S. are staring down a stubborn talent gap—one that COVID-era lessons, hybrid training models, and employer partnerships are beginning to reshape. In Detroit, Houston and beyond, multi-billion-dollar expansions are colliding with persistent shortages, forcing new pathways into care careers. Meanwhile, loan-repayment and incumbent-worker funds are emerging as powerful levers to…

Healthcare systems continue to face intense workforce challenges, with nursing at the center of concern. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of registered nurses is expected to grow 5% between 2024 and 2034—faster than the average growth across all jobs in the U.S. economy. While this growth reflects rising demand for…

The landscape of employee benefits has undergone a seismic shift in the last decade. From the rise of telemedicine to the introduction of lifestyle spending accounts and stipends for services like DoorDash and HelloFresh, employers are reimagining how they support workers in a post-pandemic, inflation-conscious world. With healthcare costs rising and talent competition intensifying,…

Episode 4 of The Future of Patient Monitoring takes a step back from infrastructure and innovation to explore something deeper: the people behind the technology—and what they’ve learned through years of building smarter systems. Part of the Health and Life Sciences at the Edge podcast series, this conversation is led by Intel’s Kaeli Tully,…

The Care Anywhere podcast is spotlighting a new global partnership designed to strengthen pediatric nursing education and recognition worldwide. In this episode, host Lea Sims sits down with leaders from TruMerit and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) to unpack a new pediatric nursing micro-credential pathway launching in 2026, and why it…

As hospitals look beyond the ICU to improve outcomes across the entire continuum of care, a key question emerges: how do you expand patient monitoring without overwhelming clinicians with more alarms, more noise, and more work? This episode—part three of a five-part Health and Life Sciences at the Edge series exploring The Future of…

Denials are no longer a slow leak in the revenue cycle—they’re a fast-moving, rule-shifting game controlled by payers, and hospitals that don’t model denial patterns in real time end up budgeting around losses they could have prevented. PayerWatch’s four-digit, client-verified ROI in 2024 shows what happens when a hospital stops reacting claim by…

Health insurers love to advertise themselves as guardians of care, but the real story often begins when a patient’s life no longer fits neatly into a spreadsheet. In oncology especially, “coverage” isn’t a bureaucratic checkbox—it’s the fragile bridge between a treatment that finally works and a relapse that can undo years of grit…

In “Fighting for Coverage,” a patient describes a double war: the physical fight to stay alive and the bureaucratic fight to prove to an insurer that her life is worth the cost. Her account spotlights a core tension in the U.S. system—coverage decisions are increasingly shaped by prior authorizations and desk-based reviewers who…

Patients shouldn’t have to become their own case managers just to access a hip replacement, transplant, or any other life-changing procedure; the moment they’re pushed into a paperwork fight, the system has already shifted its burden onto the sick. In a functional healthcare model, clinicians and their teams handle the insurer negotiations behind…

Physician advisors are becoming the quiet linchpin of hospital resilience in a reimbursement environment where insurers increasingly treat care like a spreadsheet exercise. As payers tighten criteria and automate denials, the gap between clinical reality and business logic widens—and without a skilled physician advisor (and a disciplined appeals pathway), health systems risk watching…

Payer denials used to feel like a series of personal affronts—clinicians and administrators trading war stories in hallways, certain they were being shortchanged but lacking the proof to do more than fume. Today, that fog should be lifting: with data warehouses, smarter analytics, and years of claims history, hospitals can pinpoint which payers…