After a tough start to the year, hospital operations gained steam in March as providers chopped down stay length and, as a result, their expenses. | Hospitals' average length of stay declined 2% from February to March, fueling a 4% month-to-month decline in total daily calendar expense that outpaced a 1% dip in total daily revenue, according to healthcare advisory services firm Kaufman Hall.

Now three quarters into its fiscal year, Ascension has chopped down its operating losses by more than half and more than tripped its bottom-line gain. | The nonprofit system's…

After a tough start to the year, hospital operations gained steam in March as providers chopped down stay length and, as a result, their expenses. | Hospitals' average length of…