News

With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting some individuals and communities much more than others, population health tools are more important than ever.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized LabCorp’s Pixel COVID-19 Test Home Collection Kit for use by adults without a prescription.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services updated its FAQs regarding coverage, billing and payment for monoclonal antibody therapies used to treat COVID-19.

The Department of Defense announced a phased plan for the distribution and administration of initial and subsequent COVID-19 vaccine allocations to populations of DoD uniformed service members, including members of the National Guard; dependents; retirees; civilian employees; and select DoD contract personnel as authorized in accordance with agency regulation.

Peer-reviewed data for Pfizer Inc.’s BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate was published by the New England Journal of Medicine, confirming its safety and efficacy.

The Department of Health and Human Services updated its guidance to hospitals on the reporting of COVID-19-related data.

The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated health inequities we face as a nation. But we’re also seeing innovation in all aspects of care delivery and community collaboration and partnerships to address these challenges. We know that the homes where people live and their support networks of family and friends influence people’s ability to stay healthy or recover quickly. Access to safe, affordable and stable housing is key to good health. Strong social connections are linked to longer life and better mental health, whereas a lack of such social ties is associated with depression and increased mortality.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality announced two winners of its $50,000 cross-sectional innovation prize to improve rural postpartum mental health: St. Peter's Health in Helena, Mont., for its maternal mental health program that identifies at-risk individuals and connects women to resources and appropriate care early in pregnancy; and Pack Health in Birmingham, Ala., for its digital health coaching program to address postpartum depression.

The AHA and 114 other national organizations urged leaders from the House and Senate to swiftly pass the bipartisan Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act (H.R. 4995) and the bipartisan Helping MOMS Act of 2020 (H.R. 4996).

The House voted 343-67 to pass a continuing resolution that would generally extend current federal funding levels for health care and all other programs through Dec. 18.

A highly sophisticated threat actor has stolen tools used by cybersecurity company FireEye to evaluate the security posture of enterprise systems, which unauthorized third-party users could abuse to take control of targeted systems, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency announced.

AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack kicked off the AHA Virtual Executive Forum: Advancing Health Equity and Eliminating Care Disparities by welcoming hospital and health system leaders to the first virtual executive forum.

This podcast, in support of AHA’s national strategic alliance with the National Urban League, is bringing attention to health inequities in Black and underserved communities through the lens of the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency and this year’s flu season.

Patients should not wear face masks, such as surgical or non-surgical masks and respirators, with metal parts and coatings during a Magnetic Resonance Imaging exam, because they may become hot and burn the patient, the Food and Drug Administration reminded patients and health care providers.

The AHA urged Congressional leaders to support the bipartisan Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (H.R. 6788/S.3599), and include it in forthcoming COVID-19 relief legislation.

A bipartisan group of representatives and senators released details on a $908 billion COVID-19 relief bill that they are pushing.  

The National Institutes of Health announced two new funding opportunities as part of its program to enhance inclusive excellence and increase participation from historically underrepresented groups at NIH-funded institutions.

Sejal B. Shah, M.D., and Carla B. Monteiro, a licensed clinical social worker, at Boston-based Brigham and Women’s Hospital write that stigma and disparities around the opioid epidemic can disproportionately affect the Black and African American communities.

“Achieving health equity is a journey,” write Priya Bathija, AHA vice president of strategic initiatives, and Julia Resnick, senior program manager. To bridge the gap between commitment and action, they discuss AHA’s new resource, Societal Factors that Influence Health: A Framework for Hospitals.

A federal district court in Pennsylvania rejected a legal challenge by the Federal Trade Commission to prevent the proposed merger of Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health and Einstein Healthcare Network.