News

The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee March 12 passed AHA-supported  legislation to reauthorize through 2029 the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (H.R. 7153), which provides grants to help health care organizations offer behavioral health services for front-line health care workers.

Congress should consider any statutory limitations that exist for an adequate response from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Department of Health and Human Services to help hospitals and other providers minimize further fallout from the Change Healthcare cyberattack, AHA wrote March 13 in a letter to Senate Finance Committee leaders.

Sixteen hospitals and health systems have partnered with Microsoft to form the Trustworthy & Responsible AI Network (TRAIN), which aims to operationalize principles to improve the quality, safety and trustworthiness of artificial intelligence in health.

AHA March 12 released a new report from Healthsperien on discounts to 340B hospitals through the 340B Drug Pricing Program relative to drug company revenues and revenue growth.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit March 12 upheld Arkansas’ 340B Drug Pricing Nondiscrimination Act against a constitutional challenge brought by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, ruling that the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act does not preempt the state law.

AHA March 12 shared with the House Ways and Means Committee how telehealth and hospital-at-home (H@H) programs have expanded access to care for patients in their homes and the need for these programs to continue.

AHA has released videos, social media posts and other new resources highlighting the importance of patient safety for Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 10-16.

The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) recently reported a record 880,418 internet crime complaints in 2023, including an 18% increase in ransomware complaints to 2,825.

The Senate voted 75-22 on March 8 to pass and send to the president for his signature a package of six appropriations bills funding certain federal agencies through fiscal year 2024, which contains health care provisions of interest to hospitals.

In a letter March 10 to health care providers, the departments of Health and Human Services and Labor called on UnitedHealth Group to expedite payments and provide greater transparency to health care providers impacted by the recent cyberattack on its Change Healthcare unit.

President Biden March 11 submitted to Congress his budget request for fiscal year 2025.

A federal court March 8 vacated the National Labor Relations Board’s 2023 rule for determining joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act and reinstated the 2020 rule, agreeing with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other plaintiffs that the new rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act.

This week is Patient Safety Awareness Week.

UnitedHealth Group March 7 announced a series of updates on its response to the unprecedented cyberattack against its subsidiary Change Healthcare.

Jill Howard, R.N., senior consultant, Sheppard Pratt Solutions, is the 2024 chair of AHA’s Committee on Behavioral Health. Zelia Baugh, executive vice president, behavioral health, JPS Health Network (Texas), will serve as the 2024 chair-elect; and Arpan Waghray, M.D., CEO, Well-Being Trust | Providence (Washington) will serve as the 2024 past-chair.

The International Hospital Federation is accepting nominations through April 19 for its 2024 awards honoring excellence in hospitals and health care organizations around the world.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services March 7 invited drug makers in the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program that make federally approved gene therapies for sickle cell disease to apply through May 1 to participate in the Cell and Gene Therapy Access Model.

Deborah Brown, senior vice president of external and regulatory affairs at NYC Health + Hospitals, discusses common challenges for metropolitan anchor hospitals and why these hospitals need more federal recognition and support.

The House March 5 voted 382-12 to pass the AHA-supported Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3838), bipartisan legislation that would reauthorize federal support for state-based committees that review pregnancy-related deaths to identify causes and make recommendations to prevent future mortalities.

The House Ways and Means Committee March 6 voted 26-17 to advance as amended to the full House the Protecting America’s Seniors’ Access to Care (H.R. 7513), AHA-supported legislation that would prohibit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from finalizing a proposed rule on minimum staffing for long-term care facilities.