Rick Pollack, President and CEO, AHA
Articles
Tax-exempt Status, Community Benefit, Access & Health Coverage, Population/Community Health
Hospitals and Health Systems Advance Health for Patients and Communities in Countless Ways
All hospitals and health systems provide an oasis of care, compassion and healing to the patients and communities they serve.
Community Benefit, Setting the Record Straight
New Tunnel-visioned Report Gets It Wrong on Community Benefit
Time and time again, it’s been proven that non-profit hospitals more than earn their tax-exempt status by providing benefits determined to best serve each community.
Cybersecurity, Advocacy & Public Policy
Keeping Up Our Guard to Protect Patients’ Privacy and Access to Safe Care
Cyber criminals are probing the defenses of health care providers every second of every day. Health care continues to be the number one targeted critical infrastructure sector as bad actors attempt to breach patients’ private data, phish for sensitive information and attempt to extort ransomware payments by disabling information and medical technology systems.
COVID-19: Vaccines and Therapeutics, United Against the Flu
Getting Vaccinated to Help Protect Yourself, Your Family and Your Community
As we move into fall and winter, we know the viruses that cause respiratory disease will usually circulate more heavily in communities. Already, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said it expects this year to be similar to last year when we saw higher than normal numbers of hospitalizations from COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and flu as surges in cases from the “tripledemic” presented many challenges for our nation’s hospitals and care teams.
Access & Health Coverage, Advocacy & Public Policy, Medicaid DSH, Site-Neutral Payment Proposals
Keeping up the Pressure to Protect Access to Care
As we’ve seen from recent media reports, Congress — and especially the House right now — continues to struggle to put together a plan to keep the government funded and avoid a potential shutdown that few want to see.
Hospitals Against Violence, Workplace Safety, Workplace Violence
Protecting Health Care Workers Who Care for and Protect All of Us
Hospitals are places of healing, health and hope. They strive to create safe spaces for the patients and communities they serve and the dedicated team members who work there each and every day.
Advocacy & Public Policy, Leadership, Site-Neutral Payment Proposals, 340B Drug Pricing Program
Standing Up to Protect Patient Access to Care and Services
With only 11 days that the House and Senate are in session together before the fiscal year concludes, much of the attention in Washington is on how Congress will fund the government and whether there will be a government shutdown.
Physician Self-Referral Law/Stark law, Physician-owned Hospitals
Keeping the Brakes on Physician-owned Hospitals is Best for Patients
Fair competition has always been the driving principle of our nation’s economy. This includes health care, and it’s the reason the Ethics in Patient Referrals Act, more commonly known as the “Stark Law,” has been on the books for decades to protect the Medicare program from the inherent conflict of interest created when physicians self-refer their patients to facilities and services in which they have a financial stake.
Access to Behavioral Health, Substance Use Disorder, Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), Commercial Insurer Accountability
A Strong Step on Enhanced Mental Health Parity Regulations
For years, many commercial health insurers treated coverage for mental health or substance use disorders (SUD) very differently than for medical and surgical benefits.
Advocacy & Public Policy, Site-Neutral Payment Proposals
Make August Count: Host Your Lawmakers at Your Hospital
Legislators need to be aware of the work that hospitals and health systems do now more than ever because the House and Senate are considering so-called site-neutral legislation that would further reduce Medicare funding for patient services provided by hospitals.