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The latest stories from AHA Today.

The Senate last night passed by unanimous consent AHA-supported legislation that would extend the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration for five years for hospitals participating in the program as of Dec. 30, 2014. The RCH Demonstration Extension Act (S. 607), which now goes to the House of…
Three states expanded Medicaid eligibility in 2015, and many states improved their Medicaid enrollment and renewal processes and coordination with Health Insurance Marketplaces, according to the latest annual survey by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and Georgetown…
U.S. hospitals provided $42.8 billion in uncompensated care in 2014, compared to $46.4 billion in 2013, according to the latest data from the AHA's Annual Survey of Hospitals. The decrease came as the coverage expansions contained in the Affordable Care Act took effect. About 8.8 million…
Debra Flores, R.N., president of Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton, VA, will lead the AHA's Constituency Section for Metropolitan Hospitals as 2016 chair of its governing council. Elaine Couture, R.N., chief executive of Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children’s Hospital in…
An AHA webinar tomorrow will explore how hospitals and health systems can improve patients’ care experience and realize significant savings by adopting key administrative simplification standards. Representatives from CHRISTUS Health and Kaiser Permanente will discuss how they obtained buy-in…
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today released for comment draft legislation aimed at making electronic health records more interoperable.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday issued new guidance related to certain special enrollment periods available to consumers purchasing coverage on the federal Health Insurance Marketplace. Specifically, CMS announced through a blog post and Frequently Asked Questions…
Data submission for calendar year 2015 Physician Quality Reporting System measures began Jan. 1. Eligible professionals and group practices who report to PQRS using certified electronic health record technology or an EHR data submission vendor may submit 2015 data through Feb. 29. Those who report…
More than 8.8 million people selected a 2016 health plan between Nov. 1 and Jan. 16 in the 38 states using HealthCare.gov for open enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplaces, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported today. The total includes more than 153,000 people…
James Shmerling, president and CEO of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, will lead the AHA's Constituency Section for Maternal and Child Health as 2016 chair of its governing council. Patricia DePompei, R.N., president of University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children…