News

“Human trafficking exists all around us.” That’s a quote from Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar during his visit to Atlanta this week to meet with human trafficking victims.

Thirty-three state hospital associations filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging the Supreme Court to review this term an appeals court decision that held the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate unconstitutional.

The Department of Health and Human Services issued a proposed rule intended to clarify the rights and obligations of faith-based organizations participating in HHS programs, and HHS guidance for financial assistance with regard to faith-based organizations.

Richard Evnen, vice chair of Bryan Health, Lincoln, Neb., will chair the AHA's Committee on Governance in 2020, and Carolyn Scanlan, a trustee at Penn Medicine Lancaster (Pa.) General Health, will serve as chair-elect.

Cardinal Health customers may contact their sales representative to obtain lot numbers for surgical gowns and procedure packs affected by a quality issue at a contract manufacturing facility. The issue seems to affect about 25%-30% of the company’s AAMI Level 3 surgical gowns.

The AHA, along with several other organizations, filed a a friend-of-the-court brief urging the Supreme Court to review this term an appeals court decision that held the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate unconstitutional.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response strongly recommends that all health care and public health entities consider patching several new critical vulnerabilities affecting Microsoft Windows operating systems as soon as possible.

AHA donated to the American Red Cross to support its relief work in Puerto Rico following two earthquakes and more than 1,000 tremors since late December.

A new thought leadership video series highlights key takeaways to create and sustain a culture of transformational performance improvement at health care organizations, writes Andrew Jager, director, population health, at the AHA Center for Health Innovation.

Commenting yesterday on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s draft recommendations for 2021, AHA said it supports the recommendation to provide current law market-basket updates for the hospital inpatient and outpatient prospective payment systems, but urged the commission to consider a higher update in light of the “sustained and substantial” negative Medicare margins hospitals face.

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations today held a hearing to highlight how federal funds have helped states combat the opioid crisis and to learn what additional help Congress can provide the states.

Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan will address the AHA’s Rural Health Care Leadership Conference Feb. 3 in Phoenix, the association announced today.

States expanding Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act had a 6% lower rate of opioid overdose deaths by county after the expansion than did other states, according to a study reported Friday in JAMA Network Open.

Nearly 72,600 Americans died from alcohol-related causes in 2017, double the number in 1999, according to a new study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health.

The AHA, joined by Association of American Medical Colleges and several member hospitals, today filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services for continuing to reduce in calendar year 2020 payments for hospital outpatient services provided in off-campus provider-based departments grandfathered under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015.

Beginning in March, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will implement a streamlined survey and certification process for psychiatric hospitals, the agency announced today.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its discharge planning guidance for clinicians treating patients hospitalized with suspected vaping-associated lung injury.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend early treatment with antiviral medications for hospitalized patients and high-risk outpatients with flu, including children under 2 years old, the agency said Friday in an advisory.

The Department of Labor yesterday released a final rule updating and clarifying how it interprets joint employer status under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which aims to promote certainty for employers and employees, reduce litigation and encourage innovation in the economy.

Health care professionals are driven by heart. They are energized by a challenge to improve the lives of others. And they are dedicated to always doing what’s best for our patients. This mission has fueled me throughout my career, and it’s the reason I’m looking forward to working with all of you during my year as chair of the AHA Board of Trustees.