News

The Blue Dot Human Trafficking Initiative at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore yesterday received a 2022 Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons for its innovative and holistic approach to the care and well-being of human trafficking victims.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) yesterday released a guide to help health care organizations protect their internet-connected devices and networks from Distributed Denial of Service attacks, which can keep providers and patients from accessing critical resources such as electronic health records and software-based medical equipment.

The Food and Drug Administration Friday authorized for emergency use a real-time polymerase chain reaction test to detect mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) in lesion swab specimens from individuals whose health care provider suspects they have the virus

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology today announced the first six health information networks that will begin to implement the voluntary Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement, a common set of rules required by the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016 and finalized last year to securely and more easily exchange health care information between networks and providers.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should require physician-owned hospitals to report their POH status on the Medicare enrollment application for institutional providers, AHA told the agency today. CMS has proposed removing a question on POH status from the application form (CMS-855A).

Commenting today on the CMS proposed policy and technical changes to the Medicare Advantage program for contract year 2024, AHA voiced strong support for proposals to strengthen MA organization oversight and consumer protections and ensure greater equity between Traditional Medicare and the MA program. 

If you’re interested in expanding your knowledge and skills and making transformative changes at your hospital or health system, visit AHA.org to learn more about this competitive fellowship program.

Following a Feb. 6 court decision that vacated nationwide the federal government’s revised independent dispute resolution process for determining payment for out-of-network services under the No Surprises Act, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today instructed certified IDR entities to hold all payment determinations until the departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury issue further guidance

AHA is offering for hospitals and health systems a second social media toolkit for February with messages for promoting COVID-19 vaccination and boosters.

A new video from AHA and the Children’s Hospital Association is reminding the public how vaccines and boosters are safe, effective means for preventing pediatric illness from COVID-19, the flu and RSV.

The Food and Drug Administration yesterday revised its recent guidance for outsourcing facilities compounding certain ibuprofen oral suspension products.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky, M.D., has restructured the agency to better respond to COVID-19 and other public health threats, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced.

The Department of Health and Human Services yesterday renewed the COVID-19 public health emergency for 90 days, and told states to expect the PHE and certain flexibilities to end May 11

The United States and Republic of Korea today recommended health care organizations take certain actions to protect against North Korean-sponsored ransomware activity targeting the sector.

For three years, hospitals, health systems and health care workers have been on the front lines of the greatest public health crisis our nation has faced in a century.

The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology, in collaboration with AHA and other organizations, yesterday published updated best practices for hospitals to prevent healthcare-associated infections through hand hygiene based on the latest evidence.

In a new public service announcement, leaders of the AHA, American Medical Association and American Nurses Association encourage the public to get vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 when eligible to protect themselves, their families and communities from serious disease and death.

When the omicron BA.4/BA.5 variants were circulating, Americans who received an updated COVID-19 vaccine were 14 times less likely to die than those who received no vaccine and five times less likely to die than those who received the original monovalent vaccine, according a study released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Federal Emergency Management Agency today notified government partners and stakeholders that the incident period for public assistance funding for eligible COVID-19-related work and reimbursable costs will end with the COVID-19 national and public health emergencies on May 11.