Blog
Blogs from AHA leaders and members on the latest health care issues.
A Senate committee this week put the spotlight on the wave of increases in the cost of medications. While those truly innovative medicines that save lives and ease suffering are certainly valued by all, the committee’s hearing focused on some of the more troubling of the pharmaceutical industry’s…
As we swing into the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) reminds us to make our health a priority this season so we don’t give our loved ones the gift of the flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created NIVW as a national…
Readmissions are falling fast thanks to the hard work of America’s hospitals to improve care, provide better discharge instructions to patients and partner with patients and others in their communities to coordinate care after they leave the hospital (Medicare Rules Reshape Hospital Readmissions,…
Progress is encouraging; continuous progress promises a better future.
The tragic Paris terrorist attacks reminds our country of the important work that the women and men of America’s hospitals do every day to keep our nation safe. That’s because we’re prepared, not only for the expected but also the unthinkable. Hospitals accept the challenge of being “Always There,…
More than 20 years ago, Congress created the 340B Drug Pricing Program to allow eligible hospitals and health systems to stretch limited resources and expand access to care for vulnerable patients. But despite a proven track record of increasing patient access to vital medical services and…
Tomorrow is National Rural Health Day. There is no better time for the nation’s nearly 2,000 small and rural hospitals to join the AHA in thanking our rural health champions in Congress. We depend on our rural health allies in Congress for their commitment to America’s rural hospitals and the…
A recent study questioned how nonprofit hospitals communicate with patients who are eligible for charity care and what they charge for the care provided. The only conclusion that can be drawn with certainty is that the researchers don’t understand how the relevant section of the law, Sec.501(r), is…
Antibiotics are one of the great discoveries in medicine and the most important weapon in fighting bacterial diseases. Infections that were once deadly can now be cured, and antibiotics have made many life-saving treatments possible. However, when it comes to antibiotics, more is not always better.
A new coalition of consumer advocates, employers and others today announced their opposition to the proposed health insurance deals between Aetna/Humana and Anthem/Cigna. The Coalition to Protect Patient Choice echoes what the AHA has been saying: That the consolidation of these companies will…