While many hospitals have bounced back from the financial challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic—namely inflation and staffing costs—CFOs are still dealing with an evolving financial landscape filled with lots of ups and downs.

Whether it’s tariffs, uncertainty around Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans, or implementing new AI technologies…everywhere, making a hospital budget is, well, hard.

Notably, hospital leaders continue to raise concerns about reimbursement rates, which is what insurance companies or public plans pay for care. The American Hospital Association (AHA) reported in April 2025 that Medicare reimbursed 83 cents for every dollar hospitals spent in 2023.

But there’s one thing for sure, Reed Hurley, EVP and CFO at University Health System in Texas, told us: “If there’s any surprises—we don’t like those.”

Keep reading on Healthcare Brew.—CM

The Producer Price Index, which measures wholesale inflation, jumped 0.5% in December, according to the most recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is more than double what was predicted, according to a Reuters survey of economists that forecast a 0.2% PPI hike.

This is a signal that business might be passing on tariff costs down the supply chain. A few weeks ago, the consumer price index increased a little less than some macroeconomists expected.

The increase in the PPI was driven mostly by a 0.7% spike in service costs, which increased in large part because of higher machinery and equipment wholesale prices. Goods prices were flat compared with November.

Keep reading.—JK

Streaming was hot. Payments ARE hot.

AMC Networks’ former CFO Patrick O'Connell on Thursday was named the new CFO of OnePay, the digital banking and payments platform.

At OnePay, he will oversee finance, strategy, and long-term planning.

In a press release, OnePay CEO Omer Ismail said of O’Connell: “He’s exactly the kind of CFO you want when you’re building something that matters at scale.”

OnePay was founded by Walmart and Ribbit Capital. Earlier this year, the consumer-focused fintech hit a valuation of $4 billion, just a year and change after it secured a $2.5 billion valuation via a $300 million investment round led by Walmart and Ribbit.

Keep reading.—DL