News

AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack talks with Epstein Becker Green podcast host Edward Kennedy Jr. about how hospitals are working with the Administration and Congress to shape policy around critical issues such as surprise billing, coverage expansion, value-based care and telehealth.

President Biden nominated former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf to resume his leading role at the agency. Califf, a cardiologist, helmed FDA for nearly a year during the Obama administration.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services repealed a final rule codifying how it defines “reasonable and necessary” coverage for items and services furnished under Medicare Parts A and B, as proposed in September. Scheduled to take effect Dec. 15, the rule also provided an expedited Medicare coverage pathway for certain innovative medical devices designated as breakthrough by the Food and Drug Administration, which CMS said may not have provided sufficient safety protections.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released final guidance on hospital co-location with other hospitals or health care facilities.

Hospitals and health systems are doing tremendous work in their communities every single day. Whether it’s caring for a sick or injured patient, supporting a healthy food program, vaccinating people against COVID-19, educating patients about health and wellness, or using new technologies to detect diseases earlier, hospitals and health systems are committed on every front to the mission of advancing health.

The White House Office of the United States Trade Representative has extended through May 31, 2022, 81 tariff exemptions for certain medical care products needed to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

The AHA’s American Society for Health Care Engineering presented its 2021 Excellence in Health Care Facility Management Award to Phoenix-based Banner Health for centralizing facilities operations with an innovative Remote Operations Center.

he Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced revised federal funding methodologies for the Basic Health Program under the American Rescue Plan Act.

Ten states challenged in federal court the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ interim final rule requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for workers in most health care settings that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, including hospitals and health systems

The AHA released the latest edition of the COVID-19 Snapshot, underscoring the persisting challenges facing hospitals and health systems during the ongoing public health emergency.

President Biden extended through April 1, 2022, 100% federal reimbursement through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance Program for eligible costs associated with ongoing COVID-19 recovery efforts and vaccine initiatives.

Lesbian, gay and bisexual adults were three to six times more likely than heterosexual adults to report suicide thoughts, plans and attempts in the 2015-2019 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, according to a study reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Community investments help foster the social and physical environments that support communities’ long-term health.

In addition to being based on a very small sample size, a recently published study on hospital costs for clinician-administered drugs under Medicare Part B does not provide direct insight as to what hospitals actually pay to acquire these drugs, writes Aaron Wesolowski, vice president of policy research, analytics and strategy at AHA.

The average annual premium for employer-sponsored family health coverage rose 4% this year to $22,221, including employer and worker contributions, according to the latest annual survey of employer-sponsored health insurance by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack was a featured speaker during the International Hospital Federation’s World Hospital Congress, held both virtually and in person in Barcelona. Pollack along with Melinda Estes, president and CEO at Saint Luke’s Health System and immediate past chair of the AHA Board of Trustees, shared insights from the North American perspective on leading during a crisis.

Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will apply an automatic extreme and uncontrollable circumstances policy to all clinicians participating as individuals in the Quality Payment Program’s Merit-based Incentive Payment System for the 2021 performance period, the agency announced.

Pfizer asked the Food and Drug Administration to amend the emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine to allow all individuals age 18 and older to receive booster shots.

The Department of Health and Human Services will use $650 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to expand U.S. capacity to manufacture rapid molecular tests for COVID-19, which hospitals and other health care providers use to diagnose COVID-19, screen patients before surgery and confirm at-home test results.

The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded nine community-based organizations a portion of $77 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to build vaccine confidence and bolster COVID-19 vaccinations in hard-hit, high-risk communities.