News

Combining the anti-inflammatory drug baricitinib with the antiviral drug remdesivir reduced the median recovery time for hospitalized COVID-19 patients from eight to seven days, according to clinical trial results published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In this three-part series, Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas shares its most successful tools and approaches to help spot and reduce risk factors for suicide.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently posted information on how hospitals and other health care providers should bill Medicare for administering COVID-19 vaccines.

The Department of Health and Human Services Dec. 11 announced it would purchase from Moderna 100 million additional doses of its mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

Following the Food and Drug Administration’s Dec. 11 emergency use authorization of Pfizer, Inc.’s BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, AHA released a Special Bulletin with important details for hospitals and health systems.

It was not at all the year I expected, and it certainly wasn’t the year any of us wanted. But, through it all, I continually found inspiration. Even now in the uncertainty of what 2021 will bring, I’m reassured knowing that no matter what, the teams who power our hospitals and health systems across America are continuing the fight against COVID-19.

“In this time of gratitude, our hope, and our request for the health care workers continuing to show up every day, is that you remember to show yourself compassion this holiday season,” writes Robyn Begley, AHA senior vice president and chief nursing officer and CEO of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership.

The AHA filed a declaration supporting other organizations seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from cutting under its Most Favored Nation Model payments for certain Medicare Part B drugs and biologicals to no more than the lowest price that drug manufacturers receive in other similar countries.

The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury finalized a rule allowing grandfathered health plans to increase enrollees’ premiums and cost-sharing amounts beyond what is currently allowed.

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis based on 14 states found that the cumulative incidence of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases among American Indian and Alaska Native persons was 3.5 times higher than among white persons, underscoring the need to develop collaborative approaches with federal, state, municipal and tribal agencies to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on these communities.

The Senate passed by voice vote a continuing resolution that generally extends current federal funding levels for health care and all other programs through Dec. 18, preventing a government shutdown when fiscal year 2020 funding expires tonight.

he AHA expressed support for the bipartisan Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (S. 4349/H.R. 8094), legislation that aims to reduce and prevent burnout, behavioral disorders and suicide among health care professionals.

The Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Dec. 10 recommended the approval of Pfizer, Inc.’s BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. The panel voted 17-4, with one abstention, that FDA issue an emergency use authorization.

The AHA urged President-elect Biden to implement during his first 100 days in office urgent policy recommendations to ensure America’s hospitals can continue to fight the pandemic, recover and rebuild a better health care system for the future.

Benjamin Franklin said “energy and persistence conquers all things.” Those words are certainly appropriate for this year as we continue our battle against COVID-19. They also are very pertinent for the next week as we must keep the pressure on Congress to make sure they provide hospitals and health systems — and the women and men on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight — with additional support and resources.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a proposed rule that seeks to streamline prior authorization processes implemented by health plans serving the Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program and federal Health Insurance Marketplace.

More than 3.8 million people selected a 2021 health plan through HealthCare.gov Nov. 1 to Dec. 5, including more than 915,000 last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the expansion of its effort to provide viewable, downloadable county-level data on health-related outcomes and chronic disease prevalence.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a request for applications from Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans to participate in the Value-Based Insurance Design Model, including its hospice benefit component, in calendar year 2022.

President-elect Joe Biden nominated former White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. McDonough also previously served the Obama administration as deputy national security advisor.