News

The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee approved 13 health care bills, including legislation that would reauthorize the AHA-supported Healthy Start program and codify Medicaid coverage for non-emergency medical transportation.

In light of the latest novel coronavirus (COVID-19) developments and the unprecedented and still growing demand for health care, construction and architecture organizations at this time, the American Society for Health Care Engineering said it has made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel its 2020 PDC Summit.

Nashville-based HCA Healthcare will donate $1 million to assist those affected by the March 3 tornadoes in middle Tennessee, which damaged about 2,000 homes and buildings.

In response to questions from stakeholders, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a calendar of key dates for the Medicare Direct Contracting Model.

The FTC's decision to challenge the proposed union of Thomas Jefferson University hospital network and Albert Einstein Healthcare Network frustrates the ability of these two non-profit hospital systems to “bring about higher quality, greater access and more stability of health care services to some of the most vulnerable patient populations in the Philadelphia region,” AHA told congressional leaders.

Members of the Black Maternal Health Caucus introduced a package of bills supported by the AHA and its American Organization for Nursing Leadership to prevent maternal mortality and racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield said the agency is in the process of setting up a public tracker for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) tests, and it could be available this week.  

Accelerating investment in physician practices by nontraditional players offers hospitals and health systems opportunities to develop thoughtful, targeted physician alignment strategies, writes Mital Patel, senior director, market research and intelligence, at the AHA Center for Health Innovation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance for evaluating and testing patients for novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and for assessing and managing health care personnel with potential exposure to patients with the virus.  

Wade Mountz, who led Louisville, Ky.-based Norton Healthcare and its predecessor organizations for 30 years and was a past AHA chair and president of the Kentucky Hospital Association, died March 5.

In light of the latest novel coronavirus (COVID-19) developments and the need for nursing leaders to remain onsite in their essential roles, the AHA and its American Organization for Nursing Leadership subsidiary made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel AONL’s March conference, the groups have announced. 

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services finalized rules to promote electronic health information exchange.

Hospitals and health systems are working to address their patients’ social needs and the broader social determinants of health in the communities they serve. This includes societal and environmental conditions such as food, housing, transportation, education, violence, social support, health behaviors and employment. 

Health care is a team sport. Patients benefit when health care teams work together to enhance care coordination. This has taken on an even greater urgency as our country prepares for and responds to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. 

Employment at the nation's hospitals rose by 0.15% in February to a seasonally adjusted 5,257,900 people, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

Hospitals and health systems are using telehealth services to connect patients to care and health professionals to each other in ways that improve value for patients, communities and regions, according to a new issue brief by AHA’s the Value Initiative.

America’s Health Insurance Plans said it is taking action to make sure plans cover COVID-19 diagnostic testing and reduce service barriers, such as prior-authorization and cost-sharing. AHIP also is encouraging the use of telehealth and at-home care to widen access. 

The Food and Drug Administration reported 55 injuries and one death involving an infusion pump and vital signs monitoring system.

Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and John Hoeven, R-N.D., introduced AHA-supported legislation (S. 3399) that would renew for five years a demonstration project that tests new models of health care delivery for critical access hospitals in the most sparsely populated states.

Reps. Scott Peters, D-Calif., Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., Brett Guthrie, R-KY, Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., Richard Hudson, R-N.C., Michael McCaul, R-Texas, Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., and Gus Bilirakis, D-Fla., introduced the Preventing Drug Shortages Act (H.R. 6080).