Hospitals appear to be rebounding from the economic recession, according to a study released Wednesday. The development could spare patients the higher fees hospitals may otherwise have had to charge to keep their books balanced, the Dallas Morning News reports. More than half of the nation's hospitals lost money last summer, but as of earlier this year, only one-third of facilities remained in the red (Roberson, 8/18).

The report, by Thomson Reuters, found that "all classes and sizes of hospitals, including large community hospitals and teaching hospitals, had better margins," Reuters/ABC News reports. A Thomson Reuters research executive said, "Through a combination of aggressive cost controls and overall improvement in the economy, we're beginning to see a recovery, but it will be critical to watch these metrics to make sure that recovery is sustainable" (8/19).