News

U.S. hospital emergency department visits declined by an estimated 42% between March 29 and April 25 compared to a year ago, while visits for infectious disease screening or exposure were nearly four times higher, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

NATO issued a statement condemning “destabilising and malicious cyber activities directed against those whose work is critical to the response against the pandemic,” including hospitals, health care services and research institutes.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation today announced several COVID-19-related modifications to current and future CMMI alternative payment models.

The Department of Health and Human Services said it is providing an additional $250 million to aid health systems’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

June 3rd is the deadline for eligible health care providers to submit their revenue information to the Department of Health and Human Services to potentially qualify for an additional payment from the $50 billion general distribution of provider relief emergency funds.

The Department of Health and Human Services June 1 announced that the next deadline for submitting data to inform the agency’s distribution of its supply of remdesivir is June 8 at 8 p.m. ET.

Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce and Senate Finance committees asked Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to clarify by June 10 the agency’s plan and timeline for disbursing COVID-19 emergency relief funds to Medicaid-dependent providers.

Maryland primary care practices and federally qualified health centers can apply through July 14 to participate in the state’s Total Cost of Care Model.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Food and Drug Administration updated guidance to spur wider availability of alcohol-based hand sanitizers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded $20.3 million to increase the number of fellows at accredited addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry fellowship programs.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services implemented several new infection control actions to combat COVID-19 in nursing homes.

The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing, for which AHA is a founding member, launched a petition and digital ad urging drug companies to suspend their “traditional” summer price hikes, which last year averaged 13%, saying the industry is thriving while Americans are struggling financially.

The AHA asked the Department of Health and Human Services to distribute substantial additional emergency funds to hospitals and health systems in an expedited manner and using a phased approach.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a proposed rule amending the Department of Health and Human Services’ Risk Adjustment Data Validation (HHS-RADV) program.

An estimated 9.5% of U.S. residents, or 30.7 million people, lacked health insurance when surveyed in the first six months of 2019, according to preliminary estimates from the National Health Interview Survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Food and Drug Administration took steps to encourage and streamline the development of COVID-19 tests whose specimens are collected at home by patients.

In a letter to the editor, AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack responded to a New York Times article titled “Wealthiest Hospitals Got Billions in Bailout for Struggling Health Providers.”

The AHA is running ads in the Politico Pulse newsletter highlighting the unprecedented ways hospitals and health systems have stepped up to meet the challenges caused by COVID-19 while sustaining $50 billion in losses a month.

Regular surveys and reviews by The Joint Commission will resume this month, the commission announced.