AHA Stat Blog

Latest

by Rod Hochman, M.D.
This Thursday, Nov. 18, is National Rural Health Day. It’s an opportunity to show support for our rural hospitals and health systems, and also raise awareness about their resiliency, resolve, relationships and readiness — this year’s themes for the recognition day.
by M. Michelle Hood, FACHE
The AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference – one of AHA's flagship events – will be held in person February 6-9 in Phoenix, AZ. AHA Executive Vice President Michelle Hood previews the conference designed to help rural health care leaders and trustees accelerate the transformation to a more integrated and sustainable rural health system. Read more.
Makunda Abdul-Mbacke, M.D., an obstetrician-gynecologist, shares the challenges she faces in her rural Virginia community and her hopes for the future of rural health.
by Rick Pollack
Hospitals and health systems are doing tremendous work in their communities every single day. Whether it’s caring for a sick or injured patient, supporting a healthy food program, vaccinating people against COVID-19, educating patients about health and wellness, or using new technologies to detect diseases earlier, hospitals and health systems are committed on every front to the mission of advancing health.
by Ashley Thompson - AHA Senior Vice President, Public Policy Analysis and Development
A recent piece in The Hill promoting physician-owned hospitals gives a misleading and incomplete account of these facilities and the reasons for current statutory restrictions on their growth.
by Aaron Wesolowski - AHA Vice President of Policy, Research, Analytics and Strategy
The authors of a recent analysis published in JAMA themselves acknowledge that their sample size is very small, making it hard to draw any sweeping conclusions based on their data. In addition, the study does not provide direct insight as to what hospitals actually pay to acquire these drugs.
by Aaron Wesolowski - AHA Vice President of Policy, Research, Analytics and Strategy
A white paper from the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy on a provision in the draft Build Back Better Act (BBBA) takes serious shortcuts and overlooks how certain provisions fit into a broader, much more complex set of payment policies.
by Rod Hochman, M.D.
Across the country, I see hospitals and health systems doing incredible work to improve societal factors that influence the health of individuals and communities. That’s why I’m excited that the AHA is spotlighting a number of strategies that reinforce the crucial role of hospitals and health systems in serving their communities — it’s all part of a digital campaign that launches today.
by Rick Pollack
As every health care leader today can testify, the pandemic has tested the resilience of our health care workforce like never before. And as we know, without a resilient health force, we cannot exist. Our entire health care system breaks down. It's as simple as that.
The stark differences in maternal health outcomes between Black and White women are widening at an escalating pace, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
by Rod Hochman, M.D.
The recent expansion of COVID-19 booster shots for certain adult Americans means that millions more people are now eligible to seek extra protection against the deadly virus.
by Rick Pollack
Affordable health care ranks among the top concerns for many Americans. It’s a concern that hospitals and health systems fully share … and we have been working hard to address.
by Rick Pollack
The authors of a recent study that looked at CARES Act Provider Relief Funds allocated to health care institutions made arbitrary choices about which payments to include in the analysis. This resulted in incomplete or skewed findings.
by Ashley Thompson - AHA Senior Vice President, Public Policy Analysis and Development
A recent study published in JAMA Health Forum (“Association Between COVID-19 Relief Funds and Hospital Characteristics in the U.S.”) that examines CARES Act Provider Relief Funds allocated to health care providers misses the point of those payments and makes arbitrary choices about which payments to include. 
by Rod Hochman, M.D.
On this episode, I talk with Maureen Bisognano, a prominent authority on improving health care systems. Maureen served as Institute for Healthcare Improvement president and CEO for five years and IHI executive vice president and chief operating officer for 15 years.
by Rick Pollack
Medicare Advantage plans provide essential health insurance coverage for approximately 22 million Americans, or about one-third of all Medicare beneficiaries.
by Gloria Kupferman
A recent AHA survey of hospitals and health systems found that 89% of respondents experienced an increase in payment denials over the past three years, and 51% reported experiencing a “significant” increase in denials.
by Mary Beth Kingston
Workplace violence spurred AHA’s Hospitals Against Violence advisory group to create a framework to support hospitals’, health systems’ and security leaders’ efforts to safeguard staff and patients, writes Mary Beth Kingston, R.N., chair of the group, chief nurse officer at Advocate Aurora Health and AHA Board member. Read how this new framework employs the four critical pillars necessary for implementing comprehensive violence mitigation strategies: trauma support, a culture of safety, violence intervention and risk mitigation.
by Rod Hochman, M.D.
Working in health care delivery can be stressful and tiring under normal circumstances. And the COVID-19 pandemic has exerted incredible pressures on the emotional and physical well-being of our health care professionals. 
by Rick Pollack
Cybercrimes directed against hospitals and health systems have been on a massive upswing worldwide for several years, accelerating even more during the COVID-19 pandemic.