News

The Senate late last night 96-0 passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (H.R. 748). The bill is the third large-scale congressional effort in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The House is expected to pass the legislation on Friday.

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission published a pair of reports. In its March report to Congress, MACPAC, a key congressional advisor on the Medicaid program, updated its annual analyses of disproportionate share hospitals, including national estimates of the number of these facilities, spending by state, and uncompensated care costs by hospital type.

Ensuring that health care workers have the personal protective equipment needed to protect themselves so they can treat COVID-19 patients is the top priority, AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack said on Fox and Friends.

The Food and Drug Administration is investigating whether convalescent plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients contains viable antibodies to treat SARS-CoV-2 in the sickest patients.

he Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says it has granted Section 1135 Medicaid waivers to an additional seven states.

The Department of Labor has released information on common issues employers and employees face when responding to COVID-19.

National health expenditures are projected to grow an average 5.4% annually during 2019-2028, outpacing average projected growth in gross domestic product by 1.1 percentage points, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of the Actuary reported in Health Affairs.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights issued guidance on disclosing protected health information about individuals who have been infected with or exposed to COVID-19.

The National Uniform Billing Committee has issued guidance to help health care providers flag claims for COVID-19-related services.

The Joint Commission Tuesday issued the following FAQs related to COVID-19: 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued an FAQ to address a temporary 6.2% increase to qualifying states’ and territories’ Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, enacted as part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act signed into law on March 18.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued an FAQ to outline COVID-19-related payment and grace period flexibilities for issuers offering coverage on the federally-facilitated exchanges and state-based exchanges on the federal platform.

The Senate released updated legislation as part of a widespread stimulus package to respond to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, has launched a website offering COVID-19 safety training resources for frontline responders, including hospital and other health care workers.

FDA said it is partnering with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on regulatory strategies to facilitate the development of COVID-19 vaccines.

The Food and Drug Administration adjusted its import screening to expedite personal protective equipment and clarified types of PPE that can be imported without engaging with FDA.

The Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission announced expedited procedures for reviewing the antitrust impact of joint efforts among competitors related to the novel coronavirus.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services awarded Section 1135 waivers to 11 more states, bringing the national total to 13 states who can receive relief for their Medicaid programs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated prevention tactics for populations at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention March 23 issued updated guidance clarifying that patients with COVID-19 can be discharged from a health care facility when clinically indicated.