News

The Senate last night voted 49-44 to approve a resolution calling for congressional disapproval of a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rule that required workers in most health care settings that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Feb. 28.

The AHA today released the latest edition of its COVID-19 Snapshot underscoring the persisting challenges facing hospitals and health systems during the ongoing public health emergency.

The Department of Health and Human Services yesterday postponed until Sept. 22, pending judicial review, the effective date for a Trump Administration rule that would require the agency to assess periodically each regulation to determine whether it has a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities and, if so, determine whether to retain, modify or eliminate the regulation.

The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights yesterday issued guidance on federal civil rights protections and health privacy laws that apply to gender affirming care.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today released additional guidance and resources to help states maintain Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage for individuals after the COVID-19 public health emergency ends, or transition them to other affordable coverage options. 

The AHA is making a donation to the U.S. Ukraine Foundation to support its critical humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, which includes covering the costs of sending medical supplies and supporting refugees through the Kyiv Rotary Refugee Initiative.

We’ve seen that valuable training and professional development help employees feel happier in their work, become more excited about the prospect of success and develop a higher self-worth.

The White House today released a National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan focused on four goals going forward.

In a letter submitted to the House Energy and Commerce Committee in advance of an Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing today on the pandemic’s impact on the health care workforce, AHA called the challenges facing America’s health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency that demands immediate attention and “workable solutions.”

President Biden yesterday extended through July

During his State of the Union address last night, President Biden announced a national strategy to strengthen the mental health care system.

The Food and Drug Administration yesterday alerted health care providers and the public to three COVID-19 antigen tests that are not authorized or approved for distribution or use in the United States.

The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury will revise their guidance on the arbitration process for determining payment for out-of-network services under the No Surprises Act to conform to a federal court ruling last week that struck down parts of the process.

In tonight’s State of the Union address, President Biden is expected to announce plans to establish new minimum staffing ratios for nursing homes.

Drug companies raised prices faster than inflation for about half of all drugs covered by Medicare between July 2019 and July 2020, according to an analysis released last week by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today released studies examining the effectiveness of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at preventing emergency department and urgent care visits by children aged 5-17, and reactions to the Pfizer booster in adolescents aged 12-17.

The survey by AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity will help paint an accurate picture of the state of health equity, diversity and inclusion in hospitals and health systems.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched new ads encouraging smokers to quit. Part of CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers campaign, featuring real people experiencing smoking-related diseases and disabilities, the ads promote the telephone counseling service 1-800-QUIT-NOW and a new servic that connects U.S. adults with text-messaging support in English and Spanish to quit smoking. 

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends changes to improve fairness, equity, transparency and cost-effectiveness in the U.S. organ transplant system.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will host a March 1 call for stakeholders on its recent request for information on barriers to accessing health care coverage and services through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.