Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) News

Below are links to AHA Today stories on novel coronavirus (COVID-19). For all coronavirus resources and news updates, visit our COVID-19 page.

Latest

The Department of Health and Human Services issued a clarification to its Oct. 22 reporting requirements for providers that received Provider Relief Fund payments.
For the last several months, disturbing and unproven theories have gained attention about the death count for COVID-19.
by Rick Pollack
For the last several months, disturbing and unproven theories have gained attention about the death count for COVID-19. We find these erroneous and egregious charges leveled against doctors – which have been repeated during the past few weeks – dismaying, disconcerting and disturbing.
by Melinda L. Estes, M.D.
Some health care needs are predictable but some are not. We can plan around giving birth, having a heart bypass, or scheduling a colonoscopy. But there are also surprises, such as injuries from accidents, or a cancer that appears with no family history … or COVID-19.
by Rick Pollack
We’ve been discussing for months how hospitals and health systems are contending with the worst financial crisis in their history as they continue to serve on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a final rule updating the home health prospective payment system for calendar year 2021.
The Federal Reserve Board reduced the minimum loan size for three Main Street Lending Program facilities from $250,000 to $100,000 and adjusted associated fees to support smaller organizations facing continued revenue shortfalls due to the pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has proved that crisis tends to be a driver of innovation,” writes Jonathan Bandel, vice president of strategy and innovation for New York’s White Plains Hospital.
The Food and Drug Administration updated its guidance on enforcement policy for non-invasive remote monitoring devices that support patient monitoring during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Over 10,000 eligible nursing homes, or 76% of the field, will receive a portion of $333 million in COVID-19 Provider Relief Funds for meeting infection control and mortality criteria in effect from August through September.
The departments of Health and Human Services and Defense have agreed to purchase the first 300,000 doses of the investigational antibody drug bamlanivimab, also known as LY-CoV555, which state and territorial health departments will distribute to health care facilities for use in COVID-19 outpatients if the Food and Drug Administration authorizes the drug.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced an interim final rule establishing additional Medicare hospital payment to support Medicare beneficiaries’ access to COVID-19 vaccines and new treatments when they become available.
by Jonathan Bandel
White Plains Hospital in Westchester County, New York, found itself at the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis. A team led by our chief information officer began to investigate more efficient methods to automate temperate screenings, including using thermal cameras to take temperatures. They went with a self-service cart with a thermal camera imbedded in it.
In partnership with the AHA’s Center for Health Innovation and other national health care organizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched Project Firstline, a national training collaborative to help every health care worker understand and adhere to recommended infection control practices to respond to COVID-19 and protect their health.
The Food and Drug Administration released an updated template for developers requesting emergency use authorization for antigen tests for the COVID-19 virus.
As physician practices reopen and hospitals around the country prepare for a second wave of COVID-19 infections coinciding with cold and flu season, the AHA and AMA have released a new resource to help them keep patients’ protected health information private and secure.
The AHA released a new public service announcement emphasizing the importance of wearing a mask to help Americans get back to doing the things they love.
The Department of Health and Human Services released initial data on how states and territories plan to use their share of 100 million rapid point-of-care tests for the COVID-19 virus, which the agency began distributing last month.
According to an analysis of COVID-19 hospitalization data from 13 states, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6% of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 between March 1 and May 31 were health care personnel.
The Food and Drug Administration approved Veklury (remdesivir) to treat COVID-19 patients age 12 and older who are hospitalized and weigh at least 40 kilograms (about 88 pounds).