News

When I began my year as AHA Board Chair, my goal was for us to be all in.

The Food and Drug Administration announced Dec. 5 that it will launch the Technology-Enabled Meaningful Patient Outcomes for Digital Health Devices Pilot, or TEMPO, an initiative aimed to promote access to certain digital health devices.

A study published Dec. 3 by the New England Journal of Medicine found that one dose of the HPV vaccine could be as effective as two in preventing cervical cancer.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Dec. 4 and 5 discussed draft payment update recommendations for 2027, which the commission will vote on in January.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Dec. 5 recommended individual-based decision-making for parents deciding whether to give the hepatitis B vaccine, including the birth dose, to infants born to women who test negative for the virus. If not receiving the vaccine at birth, ACIP recommended infants receive the initial dose no earlier than two 2 months of age.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory Dec. 3 on an outbreak of Marburg virus in Ethiopia.

The AHA Dec. 4 released a new resource outlining how hospitals and health systems can take action to improve care for people with disabilities.

The Department of Health and Human Services Dec. 4 released its strategy on integrating artificial intelligence across internal operations, research and public health efforts.

The AHA released a report Dec. 4 that found patient safety in hospitals and health systems across the nation continues to improve.

The AHA Dec. 3 released its 2026 Health Care Workforce Scan (https://www.aha.org/aha-workforce-scan) — an annual snapshot of America’s hospital and health system employment based on reports, studies and other data sources from leading organizations and researchers.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has updated its GitHub repository with new resources to help hospitals comply with changes to hospital price transparency requirements finalized in the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system final rule for calendar year 2026.

The FBI has public resources available to help prevent exploitation by cybercriminals, who use artificial intelligence for deception.

Thomas Lee, M.D., chief medical officer of Press Ganey and editor-in-chief of NEJM Catalyst, explores why social capital is becoming the most critical asset in leadership development, how it can drive organizational performance and why physicians must act intentionally to enable high-reliability teams.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Dec. 2 repealed the minimum staffing requirements for nursing homes that participate in Medicare and Medicaid that the agency adopted in 2024.

The Trump administration announced a trade agreement with the U.K. Dec. 1 on pharmaceuticals that exempts U.K. drug products from Section 232 tariffs. In exchange, the U.K. will increase the net price it pays for new medicines by 25%.  

President Trump Dec. 1 signed the AHA-supported SUPPORT Act (H.R. 2483) into law. The legislation reauthorizes key prevention, treatment and recovery programs for patients with substance use disorder. It also includes programs to support the behavioral health workforce. 

A coalition of organizations, including the AHA, urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to ensure accountable care organizations and Merit-based Incentive Payment System-eligible clinicians are held harmless from increased billing for skin substitutes.

The House Dec. 1 passed the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act (H.R. 4313), legislation extending certain Medicare waivers authorizing the hospital-at-home care program for five years.

The AHA, the Maine Hospital Association and four safety-net health systems from across the country Dec. 1 filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine to challenge the 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program.

The AHA provided recommendations to the Food and Drug Administration Dec. 1 in response to a request for information on the measurement and evaluation of artificial intelligence-enabled medical devices.