News

The Health Resources and Services Administration will use $4.8 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act to reimburse health care providers for testing uninsured individuals for COVID-19 through its COVID-19 Uninsured Program, the Department of Health and Human Services announced today.

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions today passed, as amended, three AHA-supported bills to improve maternal health and support front-line health care workers. 

Priya Bathija, AHA’s vice president of strategic initiatives, discusses efforts to better serve the nation’s Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, who have endured particular hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Responding to a New York Times article about hospital finances and COVID-19 relief, AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack said the article "tells a misleading story” about COVID-19 funding for hospitals and health systems and the “lifeline” integration was able to offer hospitals struggling to navigate the pandemic.  

The Food and Drug Administration reminded health care providers to give patients who self-collect anterior nasal samples for SARS-CoV-2 testing in health care settings step-by-step instructions.

The AHA urged the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions to prioritize certain actions and programs that support the nation’s health care workforce needs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future.

Tomorrow, May 25, marks the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. His death shined a spotlight on the systemic racism and inequities in many aspects of our society. These include inequities in health and health care. 

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended screening adults without symptoms or other risks for colorectal cancer starting at age 45. The panel has long recommended screening adults aged 50-75, but about one-quarter in this age group remain unscreened. 

Women are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety disorders during pregnancy and into the first postpartum year than at any other time in their lives, writes Margaret Howard, division director of women's behavioral health at Providence, R.I.-based Women & Infants Hospital and executive director of women’s behavioral health at Care New England.

Kimberly Avila Edwards, M.D., director of advocacy and external affairs at Austin, Texas-based Dell Children's Medical Center, and Jaeson Fournier, CEO at CommUnityCare Health Centers, discuss their successful mass vaccination campaign targeting the Latino community.

Eligible states and tribal organizations can apply through July 6 for up to $445,000 each from the American Rescue Plan Act to implement telehealth networks to help primary care providers diagnose, treat and refer children with mental health conditions and substance use disorders, the Health Resources and Services Administration announced.

The FBI issued an alert on “Conti,” a ransomware variant identified in at least 16 attacks targeting U.S. health care and first responder networks in the past year. 

As our country continues to emerge slowly from the COVID-19 pandemic, the value of America’s hospitals and health systems – and the 6 million women and men who work there – has never been more apparent. 

The AHA presents the Foster G. McGaw Prize annually to recognize hospitals and health systems that are leading the way through innovative collaborations that improve the health and well-being of everyone in their communities.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will host a May 25 webinar on funding available through its Public Assistance Program to help private nonprofit medical facilities and state and local governments promote and increase public confidence in COVID-19 vaccination.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will reweight the cost performance category for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System from 15% to 0% for the 2020 performance period — which affects 2022 payments — due to the impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency, and redistribute the 15% prescribed weight to another performance category or categories. 

Health care providers should stop using certain syringes and needles with needle safety devices made by Guangdong Haiou Medical Apparatus Co. until further notice due to quality issues, including certain needles detaching from the syringe after injection and other needle safety device failures, the Food and Drug Administration said in a letter to health care providers.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized storing thawed, undiluted vials of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at refrigerator temperatures (35°F to 46°F) for up to 30 days after the company submitted data showing the vials can remain stable that long, up from the previously authorized five days.

The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security convened to examine the nation’s health care workforce shortages and potential legislative and other solutions. 

To strengthen the nation’s medical supply chain for future public health emergencies, Congress should take steps to diversify the manufacturing and supply of critical raw materials; support reuse and reprocessing technologies; invest in developing new products and data standards to detect shortages early; and increase end-user inventories, AHA told the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs.