News

Among the many lessons we have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is the critical importance of leadership.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory warning of an uptick over the last year in meningococcal disease in which isolates show the gene associated with penicillin resistance and mutations associated with ciprofloxacin resistance.

The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded 310 grants totaling $107.2 million for programs to develop and retain clinicians in rural, underserved and disadvantaged communities.

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Community Care recently launched a national emergency care contact center for emergency care received in non-VA facilities to simplify care coordination, eligibility determination and payment authorization information.

AHA recommended the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General clarify its proposed rule incorporating new authorities for civil monetary penalties for information blocking by health information developers, exchanges and networks, and not enforce the final rule until after the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The Department of Health and Human Services should develop a workforce target for the National Disaster Medical System to ensure it can effectively respond to the nation’s current and future needs, according to a report released by the Government Accountability Office.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its health care facility operations guidance to reflect the current COVID-19 pandemic environment.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Health Wednesday held a hearing to discuss COVID-19’s disproportionate effect on racial and ethnic minorities.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is “committed to monitoring the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic” on the financial institutions it supervises, and “will not hesitate to take additional action to provide clarity and guidance, as needed," FDIC Chairman Jelena McWilliams saidvin letter responding to the AHA.

The AHA expressed support for the Knowing the Efficiency and Efficacy of Permanent (KEEP) Telehealth Options Act of 2020, which would allow the government to study the impact of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic and its expanded use.

The AHA urged the Health and Human Services Secretary to extend the public health emergency beyond its current July 25, 2020 expiration date so “health care providers can continue to offer the most efficient and effective care possible during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.”

With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations spiking in a number of states, hospitals and health systems — and the women and men on the front lines — continue to battle the virus. At the same time, hospitals continue to confront the greatest financial crisis in their history, as our recent report estimates more than $200 billion in losses from COVID-19 from March through June.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a proposed rule revising requirements for value-based purchasing agreements between states and manufacturers for drugs covered by Medicaid.

Black COVID-19 patients were more likely to be hospitalized than white patients in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that looked at cases in metropolitan Atlanta.

The Internal Revenue Service outlined certain telehealth spending flexibilities under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which allows high-deductible health plans with health savings accounts to cover telehealth services before a patient reaches their deductible amount.

The Food and Drug Administration announced a public-private partnership to advance COVID-19 diagnostics.

Eligible hospitals that wish to apply to participate in the Medicare Direct Contracting Model but have not yet submitted a nonbinding letter of intent may do so before they apply for the first performance year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced.

The Food and Drug Administration issued updated templates for laboratories and manufacturers requesting emergency use authorization for molecular diagnostic tests that screen asymptomatic individuals for SARS-CoV-2 or use pooled samples.

COVID-19 has challenged the health care field to retool and reinvent. On this podcast, Priya Bathija, AHA vice president of strategic initiatives, talks with two senior leaders at Atlantic Health System in New Jersey about COVID-19’s impact on telehealth and integrated care.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee held a hearing on telehealth lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.