News

The Louisiana Department of Health announced Jan. 6 that a patient hospitalized last month for H5N1 bird flu has died, becoming the first U.S. death from the virus. The agency said the individual contracted the virus after exposure to a combination of a backyard flock and wild birds. 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Jan. 7 released a final rule banning medical bills on credit reports and prohibiting lenders from using medical information in lending decisions.

AHA’s latest social media toolkit for encouraging vaccination against the flu and COVID-19 focuses on vaccination during peak respiratory virus season. The January toolkit features messages and social media assets that hospitals and health systems can use on their channels.

In this conversation, Kristin Jacob, M.D., medical director of the Office of Physician and APP Fulfillment at Corewell Health West, discusses the organization’s foundation for well-being strategies, the successes they’ve had in reducing provider burnout and the vital importance of “change agents” to propel the work forward.

The Department of Health and Human Services Jan. 3 announced it is awarding approximately $306 million to support the federal government’s H5N1 bird flu response. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Jan. 6 announced the 15 participants for its state Transforming Maternal Health Model: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Washington, D.C., Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The Food and Drug Administration Dec. 31 released an alert highlighting a Baxter letter that recommended health care providers not use certain lots of Solution Sets with Duo-Vent Spikes due to a potentially high-risk issue.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Dec. 20 announced a record 16.6 million individuals have signed up for federal Health Insurance Marketplace coverage that begins Jan. 1.

The official platform for Settlement Class Members in the Blue Cross Blue Shield antitrust litigation is now available to providers and facilities.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Dec. 20 solicited an additional 10 participants for its Rural Community Hospital Demonstration program.

After incurring damage from Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27, Baxter reports that as of Dec. 19, nearly all of its manufacturing lines in its North Cove, N.C., facility have been restarted.

The arrival of the holiday season and the coming New Year remind us of the swift passage of time. But they also demonstrate the timelessness of human kindness.

The FBI Dec. 16 released an alert warning of malicious activity by cyber actors using Hiatus Remote Access Trojan malware to attack Chinese-branded web cameras and digital video recorders.

The U.S. spent $4.9 trillion on health care in 2023 — a 7.5% increase from 2022 — the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported Dec. 18 in Health Affairs.

Life expectancy in the U.S. grew an average of 10.8 months in 2023, to 75.8 years for men and 81.1 years for women, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The overall death rate declined by 6%.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dec. 18 announced that a patient in Louisiana was hospitalized with a severe case of H5N1 bird flu, the first known instance of severe infection in the U.S.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced M

The AHA's Committee on Behavioral Health today announced its chair, chair-elect and new members for 2025. The officers are:

The AHA Dec. 17 released its Health Care Plan Accountability Update, covering the latest developments in Medicare Advantage, legislation and regulation of private health insurers, as well as other resources from the last quarter.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is seeking comments on its draft National Cyber Incident Response Plan Update. The plan describes how the federal government, private sector, and state, local, tribal and territorial government entities will coordinate to manage, respond to and mitigate the consequences of high-profile cyberattacks.