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The latest stories from AHA Today.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology yesterday released its final 2017 Interoperability Standards Advisory, an updated list and assessment of the standards and implementation specifications available to meet clinical…
Medicare beneficiaries with social risk factors had worse outcomes on a range of measures in Medicare quality programs, regardless of the providers they see, according to a report released today by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the Department of Health…
The Health Resources and Services Administration Dec. 20 issued final updated guidelines for which women’s preventive health services must be covered by health insurance plans without a copayment, coinsurance, deductible, or other cost-sharing. The guidelines outline nine recommended…
The rate of uninsured adults dropped in every state and Washington, DC, in 2015, according to a report released today by the Commonwealth Fund. Kentucky led states with a 25 percentage point decline in its uninsurance rate for adults. According to the report, the uninsurance rate for children…
A new AHA report examines how five diverse health systems are working with stakeholders to improve the health of the communities they serve, offering guidance for governing boards and leaders at other nonprofit health systems committed to improving community health. “America’s health…
The deadline to join the AHA’s Health Research & Educational Trust’s Hospital Improvement Innovation Network is tomorrow, Dec. 22. To date, more than 30 state partners and 1,550 hospitals have committed to the HRET HIIN. The HIINs will work to reduce overall hospital-acquired…
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today finalized a new payment model that will bundle payment to acute care hospitals for heart attack and cardiac bypass surgery services beginning in July 2017. The rule also will expand the existing Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement model to…
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced the creation of a Medicare Accountable Care Organization Track 1+ Model. The new model will qualify as an advanced alternative payment model under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act by incorporating more…
The AHA yesterday asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to withdraw a proposed rule that would further limit states’ ability to increase or create new pass-through payments for hospitals, physicians or nursing homes under Medicaid managed care contracts.
Growth in prescription drug spending has accelerated considerably in recent years, and it is projected to continue rising during the next decade, according to a report the Department of Health and Human Services recently submitted to Congress. Specifically, the report shows that growth in retail…