News

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released updated guidance for states submitting Medicaid managed care contracts for review.

In light of a national blood shortage, the Department of Health and Human Services released a series of resources to encourage the public to donate blood and plasma.

SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy may cause inflammatory immune responses in the fetus, even if the virus does not infect the placenta, according to a small National Institutes of Health study published in the journal Nature Communications.

Rural health clinics, community-based organizations and others may apply through April 19 for a portion of $13 million in Health Resources and Services Administration funding to increase access to substance use disorder and other behavioral health care services in rural communities.

A federal judge in Texas dismissed the state’s challenge of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ interim final rule requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for workers in most health care settings that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, including hospitals and health systems.

Americans can now order online up to four free at-home tests for COVID-19, which the U.S. Postal Service will start shipping in late January.

The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency Sunday advised U.S. critical infrastructure organizations to review a Microsoft blog on malware identified in Ukraine and take action to strengthen their networks against potential cyber threats.

An analysis of data from 41 health care systems participating in the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network found lower use of monoclonal antibody therapies for patients who are Black, Asian or other races compared with white and non-Hispanic patients between November 2020 and August 2021.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology today released its first final Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement, a set of non-binding principles and governance approach for health information exchange required by the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016.

The Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department’s Antitrust Division will accept comments through March 21 on how to modernize enforcement of the antitrust laws regarding mergers. 

Telehealth Access for America is running digital ads this week in Politico asking Congress to protect access to telehealth services.

Flu vaccination protects children against serious flu illness, even when they are infected with a virus that has mutated from the one in the vaccine, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In an op-ed published at MedPage Today, 2021 AHA Board Chair Rod Hochman, M.D., urges action to address the nation’s growing shortage of health care workers, from enacting the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act to lifting the cap on Medicare-funded physician residencies.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a bulletin reminding debt collectors and credit bureaus of their legal obligations in light of the No Surprises Act, which protects consumers from certain unexpected medical bills. 

As urged by the AHA, the Department of Health and Human Services today renewed the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration for another 90 days effective Jan. 16. The extension will help hospitals and health systems combat COVID-19 in their communities. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released updated interpretive guidance on its Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination Interim Final Rule for states affected by yesterday’s Supreme Court’s decision  on the rule.

Record-high COVID-19 hospitalizations and cases. Unprecedented workforce shortages. Persistent supply chain challenges. 

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommended that Congress provide a current law update for the hospital inpatient and outpatient prospective payment systems in fiscal year 2023, currently estimated at 2.5% for inpatient and 2.0% for outpatient.

The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services vaccine mandate to go into effect nationwide while blocking the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccine requirements from taking effect. The Court ruled 5-4 in allowing the CMS vaccine mandate to go into effect and 6-3 in blocking the OSHA mandates. 

In this first episode of a two-part series hosted by AHA’s Living Learning Network, leaders from the AHA and the Center to Advance Palliative Care discuss palliative care strategies, challenges and lessons learned throughout the pandemic.