News

The Small Business Administration and Department of the Treasury announced that SBA is now accepting and processing Paycheck Protection Program loan applications.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services April 26 announced it is reevaluating the amounts that will be paid under its Accelerated Payment Program and suspending its Advance Payment Program effective immediately.

Health care providers are eligible for reimbursement from the federal government for COVID-19 testing, treatment and related services provided to the uninsured.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week released a new tool for estimating surges in demand for hospital-based services related to COVID-19.

Like the COVID-19 pandemic itself, access to protective gear for front-line health care workers is unevenly spread throughout the country. Some hospitals and health systems have adequate supplies of masks, gowns, gloves and other personal protective equipment on hand, while others have much more critical needs. 

AHA supports extending the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement model for an additional three years, but only on a voluntary basis, the association told the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in comments submitted.

The Food and Drug Administration issued guidance allowing patients to use certain non-invasive fetal and maternal monitoring devices in the home during the COVID-19 emergency to reduce the need for in-clinic visits.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released contingency and crisis capacity strategies for the cleaning, decontamination and use of reusable elastomeric respirators during surge demand situations.

Reps. Cynthia Axne, D-Iowa, Troy Balderson, R-Ohio, and French Hill, R-Ark., introduced the Emergency COVID Telehealth Response Act, legislation that would extend the Department of Health and Human Services’ waiver authority for telehealth services

As urged by the AHA, the Department of Health and Human Services has extended to Saturday, April 25 at 12 p.m. PST the deadline for hospitals to submit data to help inform HHS’s targeted distribution of funds to hospitals and other facilities particularly burdened by COVID-19.

As urged by the AHA, the U.S. Small Business Administration today issued an interim final rule clarifying certain provisions implementing the Paycheck Protection Program, including whether public hospitals are eligible for a PPP loan.

President Trump signed into law the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, a COVID-19 relief package that includes an additional $75 billion to reimburse eligible hospitals, health systems and other providers for health care-related expenses or lost revenues not otherwise reimbursed that are directly attributable to COVID-19.

Skyrocketing costs of preparing for a surge of COVID-19 patients. Drops in revenue from shutting down regular operations in terms of scheduled procedures.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced that it is distributing additional funds from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, beginning April 24.

The National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases released a strategic plan for accelerating research to diagnose, prevent and treat COVID-19.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a toolkit for states to more quickly adopt Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program policies for telehealth's use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will award $631 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding to help public health agencies expand surveillance, testing and contact tracing to identify COVID-19 cases, protect vulnerable populations, and work with health care systems to manage and monitor their capacity.

The National Governors Association unveiled a roadmap for building the post-COVID-19 public health infrastructure and reopening the nation's economy.

The Food and Drug Administration issued guidance allowing pharmacies and outsourcing facilities to repackage, under certain conditions and during the public health emergency, FDA-approved propofol drug products for hospitals having difficulty obtaining adequate supplies in the sizes they use to support or treat patients with COVID-19.

On an AHA call , Department of Justice Associate Deputy Attorney General Bill Hughes asked hospitals and health systems for their assistance in uncovering illicit activity related to the COVID-19 health crisis.