News

Employment at hospitals and health systems decreased by more than 5,100 jobs in December, as U.S. jobs overall increased by 199,000, according to preliminary data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has approved a new Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System code J0248 for the VEKLURY (remdesivir) antiviral medication when administered in an outpatient setting, following a recent statement from the National Institutes of Health COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel regarding therapies for the COVID-19 omicron variant.

The Food and Drug Administration announced that five months is the recommended interval between a primary dosing regimen and booster for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. Previously, the recommended gap was six months.

As part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, 1,000 new Medicare-funded residency positions will be distributed starting in fiscal year 2023.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released proposed regulations for the 2023 Medicare Advantage and Part D plan year.

The U.S. Supreme Court held oral arguments on whether to allow the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ and Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccine mandates to go into effect while appeals are heard in the courts of appeals.

Turn on the TV or open a newspaper these days and you’re likely to see a story that isn’t “news” at all to our stressed and burned-out care providers. The headline: They need help so they can continue helping others. 

The AHA has posted updated guidance to help hospitals and clinicians use ICD-10-CM “Z codes” to capture data on the social needs of patient populations, including non-medical factors that may influence a patient’s health status.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky, M.D., recommended 12-15 year olds receive a single booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least five months after the initial two-dose series, expanding the agency’s recommendation for 16 and 17 year olds to younger adolescents. 

The AHA released its latest edition of the COVID-19 Snapshot underscoring the persisting challenges facing hospitals and health systems during the ongoing public health emergency.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hold oral arguments on whether to allow the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ and Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccine mandates to go into effect while appeals are heard in the courts of appeals.

Million Hearts, a national initiative co-led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, recently named the Missouri Hospital Association a 2021 Hypertension Control Exemplar for its outstanding efforts to prioritize hypertension control during the COVID-19 pandemic.

John Riggi, AHA’s national advisor for cybersecurity and risk, discusses insights and lessons learned from hospital leaders from Dickinson County Healthcare System in Iron Mountain, Mich, and Sky Lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls, Ore., after becoming victims of major ransomware attacks in the fall of 2020.

The Department of Health and Human Services amended its declaration providing liability protection under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to expand the category of “qualified persons” who are protected under the Act.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended a single booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 12-17 year olds at least five months after receiving a second dose.

The AHA in comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on its interim final rule for its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for hospitals and other participants in the Medicare and Medicaid program urged the agency to be flexible as it begins enforcement.

In a column published by Modern Healthcare, AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack urges action to support and grow the nation’s health care workforce, from enacting the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act to scrutinizing nurse staffing agency prices and lifting the cap on Medicare-funded physician residencies.

The AHA joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Medical Association in urging the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a district court decision that refused to allow a case involving the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2005 to proceed in federal court and sent it back to state court for further proceedings.  

States with external review processes that cannot accommodate No Surprises Act compliance matters may refer these matters to the Department of Health and Human Services’ external review process or use the accredited independent review organization, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said in guidance.

On Friday, Jan. 7, the U.S. Supreme Court will hold nearly unprecedented oral arguments on whether to allow the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ and Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccine mandates to go into effect while appeals are heard in the courts of appeals.