News

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The AHA submitted comments on the Food and Drug Administration’s revised draft guidance on hospital and health system compounding under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.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

The House and Senate passed a continuing resolution to extend funding for federal programs through Feb. 18, avoiding a government shutdown when the current CR expires tonight.

The AHA has developed “What Boards Should Know About Cybersecurity” to assist hospital and health system trustees in asking key questions about their organization’s cybersecurity protocols.

The Department of Health and Human Services launched a central web resource for information on cybersecurity best practices recognized by its 405(d) program.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services began requiring state Medicaid programs to cover counseling visits at which health care providers talk with families about COVID-19 vaccination for their children

The AHA joined Ascension, Johns Hopkins Medicine and 13 other organizations in launching Telehealth Access for America, a public education campaign to protect access to critical telehealth services. 

An AHA advertorial published in the Wall Street Journal highlights the growing challenges facing the nation’s health care workforce, how America’s hospitals and health systems are working to support them, and the need for policymakers at every level of government to do the same.