News

Humana Inc. has launched a national program that will compensate hospitals for improving patient experience, safety and outcomes based on certain quality measures from The Joint Commission’s Integrated Care Certification and hospital-based Palliative Care Coordination Certification programs.

Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, M.D., today announced he has withdrawn his nomination as Secretary of Veterans Affairs amid allegations of improper conduct.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) will be presented with the AHA Honorary Life Membership Award for her contributions to hospitals and health care in America on Monday, May 7 during the AHA’s Annual Membership Meeting.

The Department of Health and Human Services this week released a plan to better coordinate federal and state efforts to enforce parity requirements under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and other federal laws.

Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) yesterday introduced a bill that would require hospitals participating in the 340B drug savings program to report their low-income utilization rate for outpatient services.

April 28 is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, an opportunity for the public to safely dispose of unwanted or expired prescription pills at sites throughout the country.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services late today issued its hospital inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2019.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services late today issued its long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2019.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today voted 23-0 to approve its bipartisan legislation to address the opioid crisis.

The AHA and more than 40 health care organizations yesterday urged Congress to include legislation that would align 42 CFR Part 2 with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act as part of legislation to address the opioid crisis.

AHA today urged the Federal Communications Commission to reverse the “large and unexpected” funding cuts to Rural Health Care program participants in fiscal year 2017 and permanently adjust the program’s funding cap to prevent similar cuts in the future.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services seeks comments through May 25 on potential models for direct provider contracting (DPC) with physician practices in Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program to reduce spending and administrative burden while enhancing quality and engaging patients and families in their care.

Humana and two private equity firms yesterday announced a definitive agreement to acquire Curo Health Services, a hospice operator that provides care to patients at 245 locations in 22 states.

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AHA today urged the departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services not to finalize a proposed rule that would allow short-term, limited-duration health plans to provide coverage for up to 364 days, eliminating the current three-month limit.

A group called Orangeworm has been observed installing malicious software called a custom backdoor Trojan within large international corporations that operate in the health care sector in the United States, Europe and Asia, cybersecurity software company Symantec announced today.

AHA Friday voiced support for several legislative proposals before the House Energy and Commerce Committee to address the opioid crisis.

Inpatient prospective payment system hospitals and critical access hospitals that did not achieve meaningful use of electronic health records under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program for 2017 can now apply for a hardship exception.

AHA Trustee Services – accessible on the AHA’s website at trustees.aha.org – now is the hub for AHA’s trustee education efforts.

The House Energy & Commerce Committee today requested information from stakeholders on the cybersecurity challenges presented by legacy health care technologies and medical devices, and potential policies to address them.