News

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services seeks input on rulemaking to require electronic prescribing for controlled substances covered by Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans beginning Jan. 1, in accordance with the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recover and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act of 2018.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned a 2018 district court decision that found the Department of Health and Human Services exceeded its statutory authority when it reduced 2018 and 2019 Medicare payment rates for many hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program by nearly 30%.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Aug. 3 at 3 p.m. ET will hold a webinar with updates on the COVID-19 response, including new resources for businesses and other private-sector organizations.

Loretto Hospital, serving Chicago’s Austin community on the city’s West Side, faces growing financial and staffing pressures while delivering care to a majority Black population in a designated COVID-19 hotspot.

The American Society of Association Executives awarded a 2020 “Power of A” Award to the AHA, The Creative Coalition and the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy for their integrated “Protect the Heroes” campaign.

A study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demonstrates that SARS-CoV-2 spreads efficiently in youth-centric settings, resulting in high attack rates among persons in all age groups.

The Food and Drug Administration updated its FAQs on the emergency use authorization of remdesivir for use on certain hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The document includes information on the changes to Gilead’s fact sheets for health care providers and patient caregivers.

President Trump announced a national call to action and campaign to encourage individuals who recover from COVID-19 to donate their plasma, which may contain antibodies that could help other patients fight the virus. As part of the effort, the Department of Health and Human Services released several public service announcements featuring public health experts.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced that it will partner with the Department of Defense to fund the advanced development — including clinical trials and large-scale manufacturing — of a COVID-19 investigational vaccine from Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline.

The AHA, the American Medical Association and American Nurses Association partnered to release a public service announcement urging the American public to take three simple steps to help stop the spread of COVID-19: wear a mask, practice physical distancing and wash hands frequently.

There’s a poignant moment in Hamilton: An American Musical in which a despondent George Washington laments the long odds of his revolution, “a powder keg about to explode” unless he receives an immediate infusion of the supplies and reinforcements he was initially promised at the war’s start.

In this new Hospitals Against Violence resource, Melinda Hatton, AHA general counsel and HAV executive sponsor, interviews Hanni Stoklasa, M.D., emergency medicine physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and executive director of HEAL Trafficking, to discuss the state of anti-trafficking efforts and how health systems play a role in reducing health disparities among victims of sex and labor trafficking.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that for 2021 the average basic premium for Medicare Part D prescription drug plans will be $30.50.

The Department of Health and Human Services released a report on surprise medical billing that summarizes research on the prevalence of these bills and recent federal and state actions to prevent them.

AHA Board Chair Melinda Estes, M.D., authored an opinion article for USA Today, urging patients to continue to rely on hospitals and emergency rooms for non-COVID-19, life-saving, medically necessary care.

Nearly 44% of primary care visits for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries were telehealth visits in April, up from 0.1% in February, according to a report released by the Department of Health and Human Services.

AHA released The Future of Telehealth — Protecting Patient Access to Care, which urges Congress and the Administration to ensure telehealth flexibilities remain in place after the COVID-19 public health emergency and to reimburse virtual services on par with in-person care.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services added 12 new ICD-10 procedure codes to identify new therapies for COVID-19.

A federal judge in New York prevented the Department of Homeland Security from continuing to implement its public charge rule during the COVID-19 public health emergency and issued a nationwide injunction.

The AHA conveyed support for the Eliminating the Provider Relief Fund Tax Penalties Act of 2020, a bipartisan proposal to ensure that vital funding through the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund and similar programs provided in response to COVID-19 is not taxable.