News

The AHA and seven other national hospital organizations yesterday voiced strong support for legislation that would allow states to receive federal matching funds for services provided to a Medicaid beneficiary with a substance use disorder in an Institution for Mental Disease.

Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) yesterday introduced the Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act (S. 2847), AHA-supported legislation that would standardize the merger review process for the two federal antitrust agencies.

The Food and Drug Administration today issued a final order exempting manufacturers from FDA premarket notification requirements for certain N95 respirators, disposable devices used to protect patients and health care providers from infection.

An estimated 46,041 Americans died from opioid overdoses between October 2016 and October 2017, a 15% increase from the prior 12-month period.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today updated the Parts B and D drug spending dashboards with 2016 information.

The Food and Drug Administration Friday issued final guidance clarifying that an organization may operate both a compounding pharmacy and outsourcing facility at the same address or general location if they are completely segregated by clearly identified boundaries.

More than 60 patients groups yesterday urged Congress to protect the 340B drug savings program.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has approved a five-year agreement with Maryland to expand the state’s all-payer model from focusing on hospitals to also incentivizing other providers to address the total cost of care beginning in 2019.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today held the second in a series of hearings examining the 340B drug savings program.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar today provided additional information on steps the agency will take to implement the president’s blueprint to lower prescription drug costs.

Thirty-one senators today urged the Federal Communications Commission to “sufficiently increase” the funding cap for the Rural Health Care Program, which helps rural patients access care through telehealth and broadband services.

The House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday will mark up four bills intended to address the opioid crisis.

The Bipartisan Budget Act retroactively extended the enhanced low-volume payment adjustment, which provides an add-on payment to qualifying low-volume hospitals to help improve access to care in rural areas.

There are excellent initiatives across the country that are making a real difference in people’s lives.

President Trump today unveiled his administration’s blueprint to lower prescription drug prices, which also solicits input on potential actions the Department of Health and Human Services may take to improve competition and negotiation and lower costs.

About half of mental health facilities and one-third of substance use treatment facilities reported having smoke-free campuses in 2016, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Organizations and groups that provide palliative or end-of-life care may apply through Aug. 13 for the 2019 Circle of Life Awards, which honor outstanding and innovative palliative and end-of-life care programs.

We at the AHA are honored to represent America’s hospitals and health systems and are proud to be your partner on this journey. As National Hospital Week draws to a close, thank you for all you do every day to advance health in America.

The House last night voted 230 to 185 to approve the Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act (H.R. 5645), AHA-supported legislation that would standardize the merger review process for the two federal antitrust agencies.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies today held a hearing on the Department of Health and Human Services’ funding request for fiscal year 2019.