News

After three years of unprecedented challenges caring for COVID-19 patients and others, America’s hospitals and health systems face a new existential challenge from the rising costs of care, according to a report released April 20 by the AHA.

AHA today voiced support for the Supporting Safety Net Hospitals Act (H.R. 2665), bipartisan legislation that would delay for two years cuts to Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospitals scheduled to begin Oct. 1.

AHA today applauded the reintroduction of the Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees Act (H.R. 2584), bipartisan legislation that would give health care workers the same legal protections against assault and intimidation that flight crews and airport workers have under federal law.

The New Hampshire Hospital Association recently released a report highlighting the challenges New Hampshire hospitals and health systems face in dealing with Anthem, the state’s largest insurance provider, including nearly $300 million in unprocessed claims for services provided by New Hampshire hospitals.

On April 24 at the AHA Annual Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C., AHA will present its highest honor — the Distinguished Service Award — to Jim Skogsbergh, co-CEO of Advocate Health in Downers Grove, Ill., for his long career as a leader in health care transformation and innovation, patient safety and population health and his abiding commitment to the communities the health system serves.

Three Massachusetts health care leaders discuss a new state Code of Conduct for patients and visitors to reduce violence and assaults against health care workers.

The Department of Health and Human Services today announced a $1.1 billion public-private partnership to help maintain access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatment for uninsured individuals through pharmacies, health centers and state and local public health departments after the federal government no longer pays for or distributes them, a transition expected this fall.

The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee today held a legislative hearing on federal programs to strengthen the health care workforce and primary care.

Nicole Stallings will be the next president and CEO of the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, it was announced.

On April 24 at the AHA Annual Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C., the AHA will present its 2023 Award of Honor to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi for her efforts to advance health care. Pelosi was a central figure in development and passage of the Affordable Care Act of 2010.

The Healthcare Sector Coordinating Council and Department of Health and Human Services released a report benchmarking best practices and opportunities for improvement in hospital cyber resiliency.

About 84% of hospitals had posted a machine-readable file containing rate information by the end of first-quarter 2023, up from 65% the previous quarter, according to a report released by Turquoise Health.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized using a single dose of the Moderna or Pfizer bivalent COVID-19 vaccine for primary vaccination as well as for future doses. Under today’s amended emergency use authorizations, the monovalent Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the United States. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released its standards for qualified health plans offered through the health insurance marketplaces for 2024. CMS finalized with limited exceptions its proposal to require all plans (regardless of marketplace type) to comply with network adequacy and enhanced essential community provider standards, and add to the ECP standards mental health and substance use disorder treatment facilities, beginning in plan year 2024.

AHA recently launched the Quality Collective, an exclusive peer-to-peer learning hub for health care quality leaders. 

The Food and Drug Administration last week required certain labeling updates for opioid pain medicines in an effort to reduce unnecessary prescribing and prevent complications such as opioid-induced hyperalgesia, when an opioid causes an increase in pain or increased sensitivity to pain.

On April 24 at its Annual Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C., AHA will recognize Jim Hinton, former president and CEO of Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White Health, with its 2023 Justin Ford Kimball Innovators Award.

The Department of Health and Human Services today released Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices: Managing Threats and Protecting Patients, which outlines the top five threats facing the health care sector and 10 practices to combat them. 

The AHA, joined by the Arkansas Hospital Association and 340B Health, late Friday filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit defending Arkansas’ 340B Drug Pricing Nondiscrimination Act against a constitutional challenge brought by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

On this episode, I talk with Marcos Pesquera, system vice president for community health and chief diversity officer at CHRISTUS Health, headquartered in Irving, Texas.