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The latest stories from AHA Today.

Every single day the men and women who lead America’s hospitals are confronted with a full plate of urgent problems that require their immediate attention. Dealing with these challenges makes a daily difference in the lives of patients, employees, physicians and the community. The work they…
Nearly 11.3 million Americans selected a 2016 health plan between Nov. 1 and Dec. 26 using HealthCare.gov or a state-based platform, according to a new report by the Department of Health and Human Services. About 35% of enrollees were under age 35 and 27% were selecting a health plan…
Annual growth in per capita spending for health care fell by 2.3 percentage points ($154) between 2000-2005 and 2005-2010, driven by slower growth in cost per case, according to a study by the Department of Commerce published this week in Health Affairs. Slower growth in spending for…
An AHASTAT blog post today takes issue with a recent report that attempts to link hospital prices and concentration based on commercial claims data from just three insurance companies, including one with only 30% of its enrollment mix in commercial products.
Employment at the nation's hospitals rose by 0.25% in December to a seasonally adjusted 4,987,800 people, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. That's 12,300 more people than in November and 172,200 more than a year ago. Without the seasonal adjustment, which removes the effect of…
The AHA seeks hospital and health system trustees to serve on its Committee on Governance, Regional Policy Boards, and other governing councils and committees beginning in 2017. Interested trustees are invited to view the Invitation for Trustee Involvement and submit an application through Feb. 24…
The AHA will host a webinar on Jan. 22 to 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…
The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights today issued guidance to help individuals better exercise their existing rights to access and obtain a copy of their personal health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s Privacy…
The AHA encourages all hospitals to submit data to the quarterly RACTrac survey by Jan. 22. The free web-based survey helps AHA gauge the impact of Medicare's Recovery Audit Contractor program on hospitals and advocate for needed changes. For more information on the RACTrac initiative, visit www.…
More than 90% of children and 89% of adults consume too much sodium, that is, more than the recommended limits in the new 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The guidelines recommend less than 2,300…