News

The AHA urged the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to update payment recommendations for hospitals, post-acute care facilities and physicians in advance of the commission's Jan. 16 public meeting. AHA urged MedPAC to issue a higher update than the current-law market basket update plus an additional 1% for the hospital inpatient and outpatient prospective payment systems.

The Department of Health and Human Services has released its Strategic Plan for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Health, Human Services, and Public Health, a guide that seeks to clarify regulatory oversight, coverage and payment determinator processes for AI as well as refine existing regulatory frameworks to address the adaptive nature of AI technologies.

Total medical school enrollment has reached a new high of 99,562 students for 2024-2025, a 1.8% increase from the previous school year, according to data released Jan. 10 by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Highlights from the AHA's Advancing Health podcast include selections on obstetric services in rural communities and the growing role of chief wellness officers.

Prices for the top 25 brand-name Medicare Part D drugs have increased by an average of 98% since entering the market, according to a report released Jan. 9 by the AARP Public Policy Institute.

Thomas Edison once said, “Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning.”

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will host a webinar Jan. 16 at 1 p.m.

The AHA today released its 2025-2027 Strategic Plan, approved by the AHA Board of Trustees in November.

There were 91 suspected or confirmed norovirus outbreaks during the week of Dec.

In this conversation, three experts from Boston Medical Center discuss the development of its Health Equity Accelerator, the partnerships needed to sustain the work and how BMC was able to expand access to behavioral health services to historically underserved communities.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Jan. 7 announced it will award $1 million grants to 14 states and Washington, D.C., to take part in the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Medicaid Demonstration Program. The program provides states with sustainable funding to help them expand access to mental health and substance use services.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Jan. 8 announced 23.6 million consumers have signed up for a 2025 Health Insurance Marketplace plan. Of that total, approximately 3.2 million are new consumers.

The Food and Drug Administration issued draft guidance Jan. 6 on marketing submissions and lifecycle management for artificial intelligence-enabled devices.

The Louisiana Department of Health announced Jan. 6 that a patient hospitalized last month for H5N1 bird flu has died, becoming the first U.S. death from the virus. The agency said the individual contracted the virus after exposure to a combination of a backyard flock and wild birds. 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Jan. 7 released a final rule banning medical bills on credit reports and prohibiting lenders from using medical information in lending decisions.

AHA’s latest social media toolkit for encouraging vaccination against the flu and COVID-19 focuses on vaccination during peak respiratory virus season. The January toolkit features messages and social media assets that hospitals and health systems can use on their channels.

In this conversation, Kristin Jacob, M.D., medical director of the Office of Physician and APP Fulfillment at Corewell Health West, discusses the organization’s foundation for well-being strategies, the successes they’ve had in reducing provider burnout and the vital importance of “change agents” to propel the work forward.

The Department of Health and Human Services Jan. 3 announced it is awarding approximately $306 million to support the federal government’s H5N1 bird flu response. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Jan. 6 announced the 15 participants for its state Transforming Maternal Health Model: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Washington, D.C., Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The Food and Drug Administration Dec. 31 released an alert highlighting a Baxter letter that recommended health care providers not use certain lots of Solution Sets with Duo-Vent Spikes due to a potentially high-risk issue.