News

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services intends to propose adding a “birthing-friendly” hospital designation on its Care Compare website to drive improvements in perinatal health outcomes and maternal health equity, the Department of Health and Human Services announced.

The White House hosted a summit to mark the first federal Maternal Health Day of Action. The summit highlighted actions the federal government is taking to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity. 

In recognition of National Influenza Vaccination Week, AHA is partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on a series of resources encouraging families to take steps to protect themselves and their loved ones from seasonal flu and remind everyone that still needs to get vaccinated against flu and COVID-19, if eligible, to be protected during the upcoming holidays and winter months.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will host a Special Open Door Forum Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. ET on provider requirements effective Jan. 1 under the No Surprises Act.

A legislative package could be voted on in the House that would stop upcoming Medicare cuts to hospitals, physicians and other providers that are scheduled to kick in early next year.

Learn how hospital and health system leaders such as Brian Miller, M.D., chief medical informatics officer and vice president of the Telehealth Institute at ProMedica Health System, are using artificial intelligence and other technology to improve quality and manage population health through early identification of risk and proactive care management.

AHA issued a statement on the legacy of former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., following his death at age 98.  

The number of Medicare visits conducted through telehealth surged 63-fold during the pandemic, from about 840,000 in 2019 to 52.7 million in 2020, according to a report released by the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized administering bamlanivimab and etesivimab together to treat or prevent COVID-19 in all pediatric patients exposed to or testing positive for the virus who are at high risk for progressing to severe disease.

The AHA submitted comments on the Food and Drug Administration’s revised draft guidance on hospital and health system compounding under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. 

Reps. Cynthia Axne, D-Iowa, and Susan Wild, D-Pa., and 16 other House Democrats urged President Biden and congressional leaders to take “quick and decisive action” to prevent the 2% Medicare sequester cuts and 4% statutory Pay-As-You-Go sequester from taking effect Jan. 1.

AHA strongly urged the departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury and Office of Personnel Management to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations.  

Although the COVID-19 marathon is not yet over, it’s a good time to pause and consider the health care landscape ahead. 

With the calendar turning to December, Congress finds itself in a familiar position: a long to-do-list, impending deadlines and facing uncertainty over how things will play out. 

Learn how Wisconsin-based Froedtert is consolidating bills from across the continuum of care to make the process more patient-friendly.

Employment at hospitals and health systems decreased by nearly 4,000 jobs in November, as U.S. jobs overall increased by 210,000, according to preliminary data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The White House released an updated national plan to combat human trafficking, which identifies priority actions to enhance the federal response over the next three years.

The House passed the Maternal Vaccination Act (H.R. 951), an AHA-supported provision from the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act that would direct the Health and Human Services Secretary to carry out a national campaign emphasizing the importance of maternal vaccinations.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will not enforce its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers while enjoined by district courts in Missouri and Louisiana, the agency confirmed in a memorandum.

The AHA provided comments to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission on several topics covered during the commission’s November meeting.