News

In a report this week, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General identified 15 drug codes that in third-quarter 2022 met the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ criteria for substituting a lower Medicare price for certain Part B drugs.

A new blog from the AHA highlights a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services report that found that 70% of hospitals are in compliance with both parts of the Hospital Price Transparency Rule,

America’s hospitals and health systems are places of healing, hope, comfort and caring. Today, they also face many challenges that jeopardize their ability to always be there ready to care.

Medicare should continue to pay average sales price plus 6% for most separately payable Part B drugs, but cap ASP inflation, AHA told the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission in comments submitted today. 

In a blog published in Health Affairs, leaders from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released updated findings on hospital compliance with the Hospital Price Transparency Rule.

In a statement submitted to the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee for a hearing today on the nation’s health care workforce shortages and potential solutions, AHA said “long-building structural changes within the health care workforce, combined with the profound toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, have left hospitals and health systems facing a national staffing emergency.”  

Cris Daskevich, CEO and senior vice president, CHRISTUS Health, The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, will serve as 2023 chair of the AHA Committee on Maternal and Child Health.

The CMS Innovation Center will test three new models to see whether they lower high drug costs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced yesterday.

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.