News

Drug overdose deaths increased 18% over the 12-month period that ended in May to a record 81,230, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory.

AHA launched #MyWhy, a social media campaign that amplifies health care workers’ voices on the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

The AHA released a new edition of the COVID-19 Snapshot, highlighting the critical needs of hospitals and health systems during the deepening public health emergency.

The Food and Drug Administration Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Prevention has addressed new information that shipped vials of Pfizer’s BND162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine contain extra doses, indicating that it is acceptable to use every full dose obtainable from each product vial.

A Federal Communications Commission advisory panel this week recommended best practices for voice service providers, hospitals, and federal and state governments to prevent unlawful robocalls from disrupting communications in hospitals.

U.S. spending on health care grew 4.6% in 2019, similar to 2018 but slightly more than overall growth in the economy, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported in Health Affairs.

New Mexico-based Presbyterian Health System offers a wide range of health services, such as diabetic care, that can be provided in the patient’s home. Its innovative hospital-at-home model is improving outcomes and the patient experience while reducing costs.

The AHA, in collaboration with its Institute for Diversity and Health Equity, released two resources to support hospital and health system efforts to eliminate health disparities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will award states and territories another $227 million in funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act for COVID-19 vaccine preparedness and complementary activities, the Department of Health and Human Services announced.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced that it has begun distributing $24.5 billion in “Phase 3” funds from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to eligible hospitals, as well as other providers.

The AHA invites hospitals and health systems to participate in the Better Maternal Outcomes Improvement Sprint, a free, six-week program focused on reducing harm from hypertension.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services seeks comments through Feb. 16 on a proposed Review Choice demonstration for inpatient rehabilitation facilities, which seeks to improve methods to investigate and prosecute Medicare fraud.

Dallas-based Parkland Health and Hospital System brings physical and behavioral health together by integrating suicide risk screenings in all patient visits, write the AHA’s Elisa Arespacochaga, vice president of the Physician Alliance, and Rebecca Chickey, senior director of behavioral health services field engagement.

Children and adolescents in Mississippi who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus were more likely to report close contact with someone with confirmed COVID-19 and less likely to report consistent mask use at school, according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The AHA released a new edition of the COVID-19 Snapshot, highlighting the critical needs of hospitals and health systems during the deepening public health emergency.

The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the first over-the-counter fully at-home diagnostic test for COVID-19. The antigen test for persons age 2 and older can detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a nasal swab sample in about 20 minutes.

Ahead of a Dec. 17 meeting of its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, the Food and Drug Administration released a briefing document confirming Moderna’s data on the safety and efficacy of the mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

 In an open letter, the AHA, American Medical Association and American Nurses Association thanked health care professionals for their dedication and sacrifices this year and urged them to continue their battle against COVID-19 by taking a vaccine and sharing their experience with others.

A bipartisan group of senators and representatives released legislative text for both the Emergency Coronavirus Relief Act of 2020, a $748 billion COVID-19 relief package that boosts funding for health care providers, vaccines and testing, and the Bipartisan State and Local Support and Small Business Protections Act that provides $160 billion in state and local aid, as well as certain liability protections for employers, which extend to health care providers in some instances.

The AHA, joined by four other national hospital groups and hospital pharmacists representing participants in the 340B drug pricing program, filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services over the department’s failure to enforce program requirements and halt drug company actions that undermine the program.