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The latest stories from AHA Today.
The Department of Health and Human Services today released a final rule that attempts to address the significant backlog in Medicare appeals by making certain procedural changes. Specifically, the final rule in some cases allows attorney adjudicators to hear appeals in lieu of Administrative…
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission yesterday finalized recommendations that Congress forgo increasing or reduce Medicare payment rates in 2018 for home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities and long-term care hospitals. Citing a 15.6% Medicare fee-…
The Food and Drug Administration last month finalized a rule banning most powdered medical gloves in the United States effective Jan. 18. The final rule applies to powdered surgeon’s gloves, powdered patient examination gloves and absorbable powder for lubricating a surgeon’s…
The AHA today urged the Measure Applications Partnership to focus its 2017 recommendations for Medicare quality and pay-for-performance programs on measures that most optimize outcomes for patients and communities.
Medicare’s Hospital Value-Based Purchasing program has not accelerated the improvement of patient experience beyond previous trends, according to a study reported this week in Health Affairs. “Instead, we found that the rate of improvements in patient experience has slowed since the program…
Americans who live in rural areas are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease or stroke than their urban counterparts, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights this week announced the first Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act settlement based on the untimely reporting of a breach of unsecured protected health information. Chicago-based Presence Health agreed to…
David Perlstein, M.D., president and CEO for SBH Health System in Bronx, NY, will lead AHA’s Committee for Clinical Leadership in 2017. Cheryl Hoying, R.N., senior vice president of patient services at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, is committee chair-elect and will become chair in…
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission today finalized its recommendation that would update payments for hospital inpatient and outpatient services in 2018 as outlined under current law, that is, an estimated 1.85%. In addition, MedPAC finalized recommendations that would require Medicare to add…
The Senate voted 51-48 early today to pass a fiscal year 2017 budget resolution, beginning the process to potentially repeal and replace parts of the Affordable Care Act. The resolution instructs the four authorizing committees – House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce and Senate Finance…