News

Autumn is here, and that means cooler weather and also the start of flu season.

In this Safety Speaks conversation, Hackensack Meridian Health's Avonia Richardson-Miller, senior vice president and chief diversity officer, and Rajan Gurunathan, M.D., vice president, discuss their organization's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, assistance from AHA's Health Equity Roadmap, and how advanced metric dashboards have played a pivotal role in success for the New Jersey health system.

The North Carolina Healthcare Association and Tennessee Hospital Association have each established relief funds to assist hospital employees in their states who have been impacted by Hurricane Helene’s unprecedented destruction and flooding. 

The AHA Oct. 4 urged the Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of Health and Human Services to extend telehealth flexibilities an additional two years which waive the in-person visit requirement prior to the prescribing of controlled substances virtually.

The AHA Oct. 4 commented on the Department of Health and Human Services' Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Patient Engagement, Information Sharing, and Public Health Interoperability (HTI-2) proposed rule. AHA expressed support for HHS' efforts to advance interoperability, improve transparency and support electronic access and exchange of electronic health records.

The never-ending barrage of ransomware and cyberattacks against the health care sector has only strengthened the resolve of hospitals and health systems to reinforce their defenses and protect safe access to care for patients and communities.

In a new AHA video, Greg Bentz, board chair of BJC HealthCare in Kansas City, Mo., shares the benefits of integrating behavioral and primary care.

The AHA this week launched refreshed webpages dedicated to maternal and child health.

The Department of Health and Human Services Oct. 2 released final guidance detailing the process for the second cycle of negotiations under the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program.

Helen Newberry Joy Hospital worked with the Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation to strengthen emergency response and surge management.

Some pediatric and adolescent patients are considered to have medical complexity — multiple conditions that require numerous health care service lines. In today's new Caring for Our Kids episode, explore how Children's Hospital Colorado has designed seamless care for medically complex kids and their families.

As health care environments shift, hospitals and health systems can experience challenges in adjusting their infection and prevention control practices to accommodate the changes.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency Sept. 30 lifted the immediate needs funding status for its disaster relief fund, as Congress provided additional support to the agency through the continuing resolution passed last week to fund the government through Dec. 20.

The Department of Health and Human Services Sept. 30 released a statement on the dockworker strike at ports along the East and Gulf coasts, saying that immediate impacts to medicines, medical devices and other goods should be limited.

The AHA's Institute for Diversity and Health Equity has extended until Oct. 15 the deadline to apply for the 2025 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Awards, which recognize the efforts of member hospitals and health systems in advancing health equity, diversity and inclusion across three categories.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Sept. 30 released a report on the hospital-at-home program, which found that patients and caregivers overall had positive experiences in the program.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Sept. 30 issued an interim final rule which will discontinue the hospital inpatient prospective payment system low wage index policy for FY 2025.

AnMed’s dedication to implementing language services and community engagement strategies to eliminate health care disparities and improve patient quality outcomes led to the organization earning the 2024 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award in the Small/Rural Hospital Excellence category.

Yoshi Honkawa, a former longtime health care executive and influential figure in health care policy and advocacy in both California and nationally, died Sept. 22 at age 100. 

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline last week announced that georouting, a process which routs cellphone calls to 988 contact centers based on the caller’s approximate location, began last week with two major U.S. wireless carriers, that, together, make up nearly half of all wireless calls to 988.