News

The Department of Health and Human Services through June 30 has reduced by more than 79% its backlog of Medicare appeals at the Administrative Law Judge level, according to a status report the agency provided Tuesday to a federal court.

Learn what steps hospital and health system leaders, such as Kimberlydawn Wisdom, M.D., senior vice president of community health and equity, and chief wellness and diversity officer at Henry Ford Health System, are taking to advance health equity and improve outcomes among all community members.

A large number of people have experienced serious trauma at some point in their lives, and the upending of normal life by the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an increase in unexpected emotional turmoil.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged clinicians to educate pregnant patients about the benefits and safety of COVID-19 vaccination; and encourage and offer vaccination to patients who are pregnant, recently pregnant or might become pregnant to increase vaccination rates in this population.

The Health Resources and Services Administration has opened the portal for health care providers to apply through Oct. 26 for a portion of $25.5 billion in COVID-19 relief funds, the agency announced.

The AHA, American Medical Association and American Nurses Association applauded the recent decision by the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to allow access to a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster dose for nurses, physicians and others working in health care settings.

In AHA’s newest #MyWhy video, a hospital Spanish interpreter discusses concerns he hears from the Latino community about the COVID-19 vaccine as well as what led him to get the vaccine.

The Senate voted 48-50 to reject cutting off debate on a motion to proceed to a House-passed continuing resolution that would generally extend current federal funding levels for health care and all other programs through Dec. 3, 2021.

Now more than ever, hospitals and health systems need to encourage communities to stay healthy and protect themselves against the flu and COVID-19 by getting vaccinated and following recommended public health guidance to wear a mask, wash hands and socially distance.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, awarded grants to Brigham and Women’s Hospital and two universities to research and develop vaccine candidates that provide broad protective immunity to multiple coronavirus strains.

Seventy-three percent of U.S. commercial health insurance markets are highly concentrated based on guidelines used by the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to assess market competition, according to the latest annual report on health insurance competition by the American Medical Association.

The National Academy of Medicine launched an Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the U.S. Health Sector to address climate change.

Data from the nation’s initial set of patients receiving COVID-19 booster shots found similar rates and types of adverse reactions, such as pain at the injection site, headache or fatigue, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.

The White House Office of the United States Trade Representative extended through Nov. 14 tariff exemptions for certain medical care products needed to address the COVID-19 pandemic while it considers “further extensions and/or modifications as appropriate."

Joseph A. Miller, a nationally recognized behavioral health expert and past chair of the AHA’s Constituency Section for Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Services, died in his sleep.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response released several new emergency preparedness resources.

Atrium Health executive Carol Lovin speaks with Sue Ellen Wagner, AHA vice president, trustee engagement and strategy, about board strategies to advance equity and diversity throughout the Charlotte, N.C.-based health system, which received the 2021 AHA Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award.

Most Afghan evacuees arriving in the United States are eligible for health insurance through Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Health Insurance Marketplace or Refugee Medical Assistance, depending on their immigration status and the state in which they reside, according to a fact sheet released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Commenting on a forthcoming Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ rule requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for workers in most health care settings receiving Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement, AHA urged the agency to include appropriate safeguards to preserve access to care in all communities; provide clear information about how hospitals can demonstrate compliance and how CMS will conduct enforcement; and minimize the potential for misalignment and duplication with existing federal vaccine-related policies.

On this episode, I discuss emergency preparedness, caregiver resiliency and health equity — all through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic — with Fritz Francois, M.D., chief medical officer and patient safety officer at New York University Langone Health and a professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.