News

The National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic, of which the AHA is a sponsor, yesterday concluded a two-day meeting on progress to combat the opioid crisis.

Drug shortages threaten the quality of patient care, narrow treatment options and often result in the use of potentially less effective alternative medications, hospital and health system leaders said at a briefing today on Capitol Hill.

States that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in 2014 and 2015 saw greater reductions in discharge rates, inpatient days and hospital costs related to ambulatory care-sensitive conditions than did non-expansion states.

The Joint Commission last week issued an advisory reviewing its new hospital accreditation standards for preventing maternal hemorrhage and severe hypertension/preeclampsia effective July 1, 2020.

Fourteen hospitals and health systems today pledged to commit more than $700 million to address social determinant of health needs in their communities as part of the Healthcare Anchor Network.

The AHA’s American Society for Health Care Engineering today presented its 2019 Excellence in Health Care Facility Management Award to Owensboro (Ky.) Health Regional Hospital for its dedication to achieving ENERGY STAR distinction.

A federal judge in Oregon Saturday temporarily blocked a presidential proclamation requiring most individuals seeking to enter the United States via an immigrant visa to have approved health insurance coverage within 30 days of entry.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will host a Nov. 6 call on the final payment rules for the hospital outpatient prospective payment system and physician fee schedule in calendar year 2020.

The AHA “strongly supports efforts to reduce fraud and abuse in the Medicare program,” but the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ final rule on program integrity enhancements to the provider enrollment process includes “overly burdensome and unworkable provisions."

AHA today urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to release long-awaited guidance to help hospitals and health systems interpret Medicare’s conditions of participation, or develop alternative approaches to keep them informed and updated about compliance.

Inpatient and outpatient prospective payment system hospitals, inpatient psychiatric facilities and PPS-exempt cancer hospitals can preview their data for the January update to Hospital Compare through Dec. 3 at the QualityNet Secure Portal.

Georgia plans to ask CMS for a Section 1115 waiver to allow 408,000 low-income adults who work, train, pursue educational opportunities or volunteer for at least 80 hours per month to “earn access” to employer-sponsored health insurance or Medicaid.

This week, AHA leaders are sharing the emergency preparedness efforts of America’s hospitals and health systems at the 43rd World Hospital Congress of the International Hospital Federation in Oman.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services late today issued a final rule that increases Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system rates.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today issued a final rule updating physician fee schedule rates very slightly in calendar year 2020 — increasing the conversion factor by 5 cents.

Acute-care hospitals reduced Clostridium difficile infections by 12%, central line-associated bloodstream infections by 9% and catheter-associated urinary tract infections by 8% in 2018.

President Trump today announced his intention to nominate Stephen Hahn, M.D., to lead the Food and Drug Administration.

Georgia will pursue a Section 1332 waiver to launch a state reinsurance program for the individual health insurance market; offer subsidies for health plans purchased directly from insurers and brokers; and allow employers to offset the cost for employees who purchase coverage through HealthCare.gov.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday updated the number of people with confirmed or probable lung injuries associated with electronic cigarette use or vaping products to 1,888.

Opioid overdose death rates increased for nearly all racial and ethnic groups in metropolitan areas between 2015 and 2017.