News

Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health have come together as CommonSpirit Health, creating a new nonprofit Catholic health system focused on advancing health for all people and serving communities in 21 states, the organizations announced today.

A federal court should order the Department of Health and Human Services to “make whole” 340B hospitals that received reimbursement reductions resulting from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ 2018 outpatient prospective payment system rule, AHA and other hospital plaintiffs said yesterday in a court-ordered brief. 

The AHA’s goal is to improve the health care of every American, no matter where they live…big city, small town, frontier or somewhere in between.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday proposed additional changes to Medicare Advantage and Part D payment policies beginning in calendar year 2020.

The Department of Veterans Affairs today published a proposed rule implementing urgent care provisions of the AHA-supported MISSION Act of 2018, which requires the agency to establish a new Veterans Community Care Program by this June.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Emergency Medical Services today released an updated agenda for the nation’s EMS system.

For-profit insurers are more likely than not-for-profit insurers to exercise market power when they have it, according to a new study by Harvard Business School professor Leemore Dafney.

Proposed rules that would make changes to the Stark Law and anti-kickback statute are working their way through the federal review process and could be released this year, Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan said yesterday at a Brookings Institution event.

About 34 association health plans have launched under a 2018 final rule that made it easier for employers to participate in AHPs, 28 of which are active, according to a new report by AssociationHealthPlans.com.

The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced its proposed access standards for the new Veterans Community Care Program to begin in June under the AHA-supported MISSION Act of 2018

Hospital-acquired conditions declined by 13 percent between 2014 and 2017, preventing an estimated 20,500 deaths and $7.7 billion in health care costs, according to preliminary

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is working on some new valued-based payment models and rural health initiatives, Administrator Seema Verma told participants at a CMS quality conference yesterday.

Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health in Lancaster County, Pa., today received the 2018 Foster G. McGaw Prize for its leadership role in improving care for individuals and families in its community, and will receive $100,000 toward programs that further these goals.

The Senate Finance Committee today held the first in a planned series of bipartisan hearings on high prescription drug prices and potential policy and oversight solutions to lower costs for patients.

The House Ways and Means Committee today held a hearing on protecting Americans with pre-existing conditions.

Hospitals and health systems may apply through Feb. 19 for the 2019 AHA Equity of Care Award, which recognizes organizations participating in the AHA's #123forEquity campaign for extraordinary success in advancing diversity and equity through data collection, leadership, cultural awareness and partnerships.

AHA staff participated this afternoon in a Rural Health Summit convened by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Health Resources and Services Administration Administrator George Sigoun

Commenting Friday on the Office of the National Coordinator’s draft strategy to reduce regulatory and administrative burden related to health information technology and electronic health record use, AHA commended the agency for its attention to reducing excessive burden.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors are working to create a registry of crisis intervention beds for people with serious mental illness, SAMHSA announced last week.

The Healthcare and Public Health Sector Coordinating Council (HSCC) today released a consensus-based guide to developing, deploying and supporting cyber-secure medical devices and health information technology across the product lifecycle and improving information sharing between manufacturers and health care organizations.