News

As of Nov. 6, about 60% of the nation’s retail pharmacies have agreed to participate in a federal program to administer COVID-19 vaccines at no cost to patients once authorized or licensed by the Food and Drug Administration, the departments of Health and Human Services and Defense announced.

“Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good” is a quote credited to the French writer and thinker Voltaire. Although he died in 1778, that phrase is very appropriate today when discussing the Affordable Care Act.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will not update the overall hospital quality star ratings at Hospital Compare in January to allow time to review public comment and finalize proposed changes to the star ratings methodology, the agency announced.

Adam Myers, M.D., population health chief at Cleveland Clinic, talks with Nancy Foster, AHA vice president for quality and patient safety, about preventing flu and treating chronic diseases during the pandemic.

To continue amplifying the important message of protecting against both the flu and COVID-19, AHA’s Wear A Mask and United Against the Flu campaigns released new resources, including new sample social media messages and graphics that hospitals and health systems can use to reiterate the importance of getting a flu shot, wearing a mask and practicing good hygiene.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response has released guidance on considerations for health care providers exploring high-flow nasal cannula therapy, a less-invasive oxygen therapy than mechanical ventilation that has shown clinically useful in treating severe and critical COVID-19 patients.

The Department of Health and Human Services will host an additional webinar Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. ET on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Oct. 6 guidance on COVID-19 data reporting requirements for hospitals that participate in Medicare.

The AHA is accepting applications through Dec. 8 for its 2021 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award, which recognizes hospital efforts to reduce health disparities and advance diversity and inclusion.

Join AHA and AVIA for a Health Equity and Diversity Week discussion about addressing health care disparities.

The American Medical Association announced Current Procedural Terminology codes for reporting on medical claims two COVID-19 vaccines and their administration to patients by dose.

The Food and Drug Administration released final guidance for pharmacies, federal facilities and outsourcing facilities that compound or repackage drugs or mix, dilute or repackage biological products.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Medicare coverage for monoclonal antibody therapies, with no beneficiary cost-sharing for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. CMS said the coverage will apply to bamlanivimab, the Lilly therapeutic that earned an emergency use authorization earlier this week.

A U.S. district court judge Nov. 3 ordered United Behavioral Health, part of UnitedHealth Group, to reprocess close to 67,000 mental health and substance use disorder benefit claims denied over a six-year period.

The Drug Enforcement Administration published an interim final rule expanding access to medication-assisted treatment under the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act of 2018.

The Senate Committee on Appropriations released all 12 of its fiscal year 2021 funding measures, including the appropriations bill for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and related agencies.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act.

David Zaas, M.D., chief clinical officer for MUSC Health in South Carolina and CEO of its Charleston Division, talks with Nancy Foster, AHA vice president for quality and patient safety, about strategies and tools to address burnout as health care professionals continue to care for COVID-19 patients.

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examines the advantages, limitations and status of certain COVID-19 diagnostic tests, including reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction tests, point-of-care tests, and next generation sequencing tests.

ECRI tested 34 disposable isolation gown models made by foreign or non-traditional suppliers and found that about half did not meet the minimum U.S. standard for liquid barrier protection, the organization said in a report released.

The Department of Veterans Affairs released an interim final rule clarifying that VA nurses and other health care professionals can deliver health care services in a state other than their state of licensure, registration, certification or other requirement.