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Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra Jan. 8 appointed as chief competition officer Stacy Sanders, who currently oversees the department's implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, long-term care initiatives, policies to promote health care competition and other Medicare work.compe

Commenting Jan. 8 on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ proposed standards for qualified health plans offered through the health insurance marketplaces for 2025, AHA said it supports the agency’s efforts to strengthen network adequacy standards, standardize and streamline marketplace operations, ease the enrollment process and improve access to certain health care services. 

As the first of two deadlines to fund the federal government approaches Jan. 19, the Coalition to Protect America’s Health Care yesterday launched a television ad on network and cable news shows urging Congress to reject Medicare cuts to hospitals and health systems already pushed to the brink by broken supply chains, workforce shortages and high inflation.

Joanne Conroy, M.D., is CEO and president of Dartmouth Health, which is the only academic health system in New Hampshire and serves rural and urban residents in both New Hampshire and Vermont.

Learn about UnitedHealthcare's clarification on the hospital services review process for Medicare Advantage plans. Stay up-to-date.

At least 91% of hospitals had posted a machine-readable file containing rate information by the end of 2023, according to a new analysis by Turquoise Health.

In this podcast sponsored by Valor Performance, experts from Kaiser Permanente and Mass General Brigham share innovative workforce approaches to help clinicians thrive professionally and personally.

In separate calls Jan. 4 with subscribers, Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings both maintained a gloomy outlook for the not-for-profit hospital sector in 2024.

The AHA Jan. 5 filed its opening brief in its lawsuit challenging a December 2022 rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights that restricts the use of standard third-party web technologies that capture IP addresses on portions of hospitals’ public-facing webpages.

AHA Jan. 5 voiced strong support for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposals to increase oversight and enhance consumer protections in the Medicare Advantage program for contract year 2025.

AHA Jan. 5 thanked the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission for its draft recommendation to provide a current-law market basket update plus 1.5% for the hospital inpatient and outpatient prospective payment systems in 2025, but urged the commission to recommend a higher update to account for the sustained and substantial financial pressures hospitals face.

As we welcome a new year, this is a good time to examine the health care landscape ahead as we work to ensure Congress fully appreciates how hospitals and health systems need its support to continue delivering high-quality patient care to their constituents and communities.

AHA has released social media content and graphics in English and Spanish to help hospitals and health systems raise awareness about human trafficking during January’s National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

Five surgery patients were diagnosed with tuberculosis, two of whom died, after receiving bone allografts last year from a deceased donor, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Jan. 4.

The AHA Guide 2024 Edition offers a comprehensive hospital directory with quick and easy search capabilities and details on utilization, leadership, accreditations and certifications, facilities and services.

The deadline to apply for the Executive Certificate in Diversity and Health Equity, a 10-month fellowship managed by AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity, has been extended to Jan. 12.

AHA will again host a series of in-person meetings to provide the field with valuable insights and productive networking.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Dec.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dec. 28 released a final rule updating Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments fees and clarifying CLIA regulations.

In a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, AHA Jan. 2 expressed concern that a proposed rule intended to create disincentives for health care providers to interfere with the access, exchange or use of electronic health information could threaten the financial viability of economically fragile hospitals.