News

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has since March investigated four cases of melioidosis, a bacterial infection rare in the United States, including two deaths.

Hospitals and health systems employed 18,300 more people in July, as U.S. jobs overall increased by 943,000, according to preliminary data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And it’s not only what we say to patients and their families that matters but how we talk with care teams in private. Many times we may not even realize we are being insensitive or spreading stigma. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a proposed rule that would rescind its November 2020 Most Favored Nation model interim final rule.

Given the recent upsurge in COVID-19 cases around the country, we can’t say how much longer the official public health emergency will last. But we do know that many regulatory waivers put into place by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at the start of the pandemic have worked very well and deserve to live on past the current crisis. 

The AHA Aug. 6 announced the promotion of Lisa Kidder Hrobsky to senior vice president of legislative and political affairs.

The California Department of Public Health issued a pair of public health orders for health care facilities, establishing the state as the nation’s first to require workers in health care settings to be fully vaccinated.

The Health Resources and Services Administration yesterday

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Office of Minority Health have released the Minority Health Social Vulnerability Index, a tool to help emergency response planners and public health officials apply a health equity lens to research, strategic planning, program design and evaluation related to response and recovery for COVID-19 and other public health emergencies.

The American Medical Association published a Current Procedural Terminology code for providers administering a potential third dose of the current Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

The Department of Health and Human Services should better engage and communicate with stakeholders to improve the HHS Protect data system and how it collects hospital capacity data during a public health emergency, according to a report released by the Government Accountability Office.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study confirming the comparative effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines versus natural immunity, including immunity gained from prior SARS-CoV-2 infection.

In evaluating whether to temporarily suspend survey activities if a hospital experiences a COVID-19 surge, CMS last month told AHA it will consider whether the hospital has notified the appropriate state public health agency and activated its emergency preparedness plan, and the proportion of hospital staff and resources dedicated to managing COVID-19 patients.

The AHA launched a video encouraging families with children 12 and older to add COVID-19 vaccinations to their back-to-school preparations.

The Senate unanimously passed the AHA-supported Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (S. 610). A companion bill (H.R. 1667) introduced in the House in March awaits consideration.

Dignity Health Global Education is partnering with CommonSpirit to create a scholarship program to tackle a lack of diversity in health care.

The AHA has elected six new members to its Board of Trustees for three-year terms beginning Jan. 1.

Robyn Begley, AHA chief nursing officer and senior vice president for workforce and CEO of AHA’s American Organization for Nursing Leadership, participated in a U.S. News and World Report panel discussion on “Developing the Healthcare Workforce of Tomorrow.” 

In a large clinical trial, treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients who did not require organ support with a full-dose blood thinner reduced the need for organ support, such as mechanical ventilation, and helped them leave the hospital, the National Institutes of Health reported. 

Moderna Inc. announced during an investors report that its COVID-19 vaccine remains 93% effective through the first six months following a full dosing regimen