The most popular stories from Chief Healthcare Executive in the first half of 2023

The healthcare industry continues to change rapidly.

Kaiser Permanente is planning to acquire Geisinger Health, and the deal has proven to be one of the biggest stories of the year. (Photo credit: Mark Dastrup for Geisinger)

The most well-read stories of Chief Healthcare Executive® in the first half of 2023 offer a snapshot of some of the biggest trends affecting hospitals and health systems.

Here’s a rundown of the most well-read stories we’ve published in the first six months of the year.

Wisconsin hospital merger

Froedtert Health and ThedaCare announced in April that they plan to form one organization serving patients in Wisconsin. The merged system would include 18 hospitals and scores of other clinics and sites of care. The systems say they hope to launch the merged system by the end of 2023.

Kaiser Permanente-Geisinger deal: Financial details

Kaiser Permanente made the blockbuster announcement in April that it was planning to acquire Geisinger Health. The California-based health system is making it clear that it will spend billions on the effort, according to financial documents.

Kaiser Permanente is forming a new organization called Risant Health, and Geisinger, based in Pennsylvania, will be the first member. Eventually, Risant Health looks to add other hospital systems in the coming years.

Healthgrades names top hospitals

After examining nearly 4,500 hospitals, Healthgrades unveiled its picks for the best in America. The organization, which aids consumers in finding hospitals, unveiled its picks for the top 50, the top 100 and the top 250 hospitals in the country.

Beyond giving bragging rights to hospitals, Healthgrades says the rankings help consumers learn which hospitals stand out in certain procedures.

California medical group hit by ransomware attack

A medical group based in southern California said it was hit with a ransomware attack that potentially exposed the private health information of patients. Regal Medical Group posted the information on its website in February. More than 3.3 million individuals may be affected, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

It’s been one of the biggest health data breaches of 2023 (so far), but not the biggest. Check out our review of the 10 biggest health data breaches in the first half of the year.

Kaiser Permanente-Geisinger deal: ‘Art of the possible’

Clearly, readers are very interested in this deal. With Kaiser Permanente announcing its plans to acquire Geisinger Health, health industry leaders say they see intriguing potential, even if there are many questions that will only be answered with time. Analysts say the merger could accelerate the advance of value-based care.

“I think there's an incredible opportunity here for both Geisinger and Kaiser to demonstrate the art of the possible,” Sachin Jain, president and CEO of the SCAN Group & Health Plan, told Chief Healthcare Executive® in an interview.