News

As National Hospital Week (May 9-15) approaches with the theme Inspiring Hope through Healing, the AHA would like to honor the entire community of hospital and health system team members for all of their work.

The monoclonal antibody therapy REGEN-COV (casirivimab with imdevimab) reduced the risk of symptomatic COVID-19 in household contacts of people with SARS-CoV-2 by 81% in a phase 3 clinical trial conducted with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced.

The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention jointly recommended a pause in the use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, following six reported cases of rare but severe types of blood clots following the vaccine’s administration.

As part of its recognition of Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17), the Department of Health and Human Services through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved a Section 1115 waiver for Illinois to be the first state to extend full Medicaid coverage to pregnant women for up to one year after delivery.

AHA and the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Health-ISAC), a non-profit member organization for sharing cyber threat intelligence and best practices, released a joint white paper to help senior health care leaders understand and respond to certain cyber risks to their enterprise networks.

Reps. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., and Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., introduced The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA) of 2021, AHA-supported legislation that takes into account unforeseen changes since the 2014 implementation of the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act to reflect 2021 considerations.

AHA’s Physician Alliance is holding a webinar April 15 at 2 p.m. ET to explore how understanding human factors can help leaders and clinical teams connect and advance patient safety together.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will no longer waive certain requirements for long-term care and skilled nursing facilities beginning May 9 or 10, according to updated guidance released.

One legacy of our response to COVID-19 surely will be how it has accelerated the adoption of virtual care. It is one of the more encouraging developments during the losses of the pandemic. 

Pfizer said it is seeking an amended emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine, requesting that the Food and Drug Administration allow its use for individuals between 12 and 15 years old.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has selected 61 applicants for the Value in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Demonstration, a four-year Medicare payment model beginning this month for selected health care providers who agree to participate.

AHA voiced support for confirming Biden nominees Andrea Palm as deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and Chiquita Brooks-LaSure as administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Rochelle Walensky M.D., declared racism “a serious public health threat,” and said the agency would accelerate its work to address racism as a fundamental driver of racial and ethnic health inequities in the United States.

President Biden submitted to Congress his discretionary budget request for fiscal year 2022.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency released recommendations to help organizations receiving FEMA COVID-19 public assistance document and account for disaster costs, comply with federal procurement standards and safeguard personally identifiable information.

The Food and Drug Administration urged health care facilities to transition away from using crisis capacity conservation strategies, such as decontamination or bioburden reduction, to extend the use of N95s and other similar disposable respirators. 

When Congress returns to Washington, D.C., on Monday, lawmakers’ attention will turn to one of the largest infrastructure spending packages in our nation’s history. 

Fifty-three organizations began participating April 1 in the first performance year of the Global and Professional Direct Contracting Model, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation announced.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a proposed rule to update hospice payment rates for fiscal year 2022. CMS proposes a 2.3% ($530 million) net increase to payments, compared to FY 2021.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a proposed rule to update skilled nursing facility payment rates for fiscal year 2022.