News

Hospitals and health systems can apply to participate in the Million Hearts Hospitals & Health Systems Recognition Program, which will recognize organizations working to improve cardiovascular health in their communities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced.

An estimated 14.2% of U.S. residents said they or a family member had problems paying medical bills in 2018, down from 19.7% in 2011, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The AHA has launched its 2020 Innovation Challenge – a leading competition to accelerate health care innovation. This year’s challenge asks AHA members and their partners to help make behavioral health care more accessible and affordable.

The AARP’s Livability Index acts as a useful tool for health care organizations and communities working on innovative, place-based solutions that improve health outcomes for all, writes Shannon Guzman, senior strategic policy advisor at the AARP Public Policy Institute.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said new reagents will be manufactured and sent to state laboratories that reported inconclusive results using the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) test kit sent by CDC.

The AHA invites rural hospitals and health systems to participate in the Better Maternal Outcomes Rapid Improvement Network — a free, six-month program focused on maternal outcomes and respectful care.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of Minority Health seeks public input through April 12 on opportunities to improve health care access, quality and outcomes before, during and after pregnancy for women and infants in rural communities.

The House Ways and Means Committee favorably reported out, as amended, the Consumer Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills Act (H.R. 5826), AHA-supported legislation to address surprise medical bills. 

The Minnesota Hospital Association named as its president and CEO Rahul Koranne, M.D., who has served as senior vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer for the association since 2015.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear oral arguments April 17 in the Department of Health and Human Services’ appeal of a district court ruling in favor of the AHA and hospital organizations that found the agency could not reduce calendar year 2019 payments for hospital outpatient services provided in grandfathered off-campus provider-based departments.

The House Education and Labor Committee voted 32-13 to report out an amended version of the Ban Surprise Billing Act (H.R. 5800), legislation to address surprise medical bills. The bill relies on a median in-network rate to resolve out-of-network payments.

As hospitals and health systems raise concerns over possible shortages of personal protective equipment, including respirators, the CDC continues to update its guidance and provide strategies that health care providers can use during the novel coronavirus outbreak now and in the event of a shortage of N95 respirators.

President Trump today submitted to Congress his budget request for fiscal year 2021.

The Department of Health and Human Services will create a Foundry for American Biotechnology to produce technological solutions to address health security threats and enhance daily medical care, the agency announced.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to withdraw its proposed rule on Medicaid program financing and supplemental payments.

The AHA expressed support for the Consumer Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2020, bipartisan legislation released last week by leaders of the House Committee on Ways and Means.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance and resources for U.S. health care personnel working in environments possibly exposed to the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

When physicians bring those same clinical skills and perspectives into leadership roles, it often leads to healthier patients and thriving hospitals and health systems. With that in mind, two years ago the AHA launched its AHA Physician Alliance to help hospitals more effectively partner with physicians.

The House of Representatives voted 224-193 to pass a non-binding resolution denouncing recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services guidance that gives states the option to request a defined amount of federal Medicaid funding to cover certain healthy adults.

The American Organization for Nursing Leadership on March 19 will present its 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award to Ann Marie T. Brooks, president of the Mount Carmel College of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio.