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Now more than ever, hospitals and health systems need to encourage communities to stay healthy and protect themselves against the flu and COVID-19 by getting vaccinated and following recommended public health guidance to wear a mask, wash hands and socially distance.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, awarded grants to Brigham and Women’s Hospital and two universities to research and develop vaccine candidates that provide broad protective immunity to multiple coronavirus strains.

Seventy-three percent of U.S. commercial health insurance markets are highly concentrated based on guidelines used by the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to assess market competition, according to the latest annual report on health insurance competition by the American Medical Association.

The National Academy of Medicine launched an Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the U.S. Health Sector to address climate change.

Data from the nation’s initial set of patients receiving COVID-19 booster shots found similar rates and types of adverse reactions, such as pain at the injection site, headache or fatigue, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.

The White House Office of the United States Trade Representative extended through Nov. 14 tariff exemptions for certain medical care products needed to address the COVID-19 pandemic while it considers “further extensions and/or modifications as appropriate."

Joseph A. Miller, a nationally recognized behavioral health expert and past chair of the AHA’s Constituency Section for Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Services, died in his sleep.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response released several new emergency preparedness resources.

Atrium Health executive Carol Lovin speaks with Sue Ellen Wagner, AHA vice president, trustee engagement and strategy, about board strategies to advance equity and diversity throughout the Charlotte, N.C.-based health system, which received the 2021 AHA Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award.

Most Afghan evacuees arriving in the United States are eligible for health insurance through Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Health Insurance Marketplace or Refugee Medical Assistance, depending on their immigration status and the state in which they reside, according to a fact sheet released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Commenting on a forthcoming Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ rule requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for workers in most health care settings receiving Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement, AHA urged the agency to include appropriate safeguards to preserve access to care in all communities; provide clear information about how hospitals can demonstrate compliance and how CMS will conduct enforcement; and minimize the potential for misalignment and duplication with existing federal vaccine-related policies.

On this episode, I discuss emergency preparedness, caregiver resiliency and health equity — all through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic — with Fritz Francois, M.D., chief medical officer and patient safety officer at New York University Langone Health and a professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

The Colorado Hospital Association named Maryjane Wurth its interim president and CEO. Wurth, who was AHA’s executive vice president and chief operating officer from 2016 until she retired in 2020, will lead CHA for the next several months while its Board conducts a national search for a permanent president and CEO. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that the agency will pay for Medicare beneficiaries’ booster doses, without cost sharing.

AHA, joined by the Association of American Medical Colleges, filed an amicus brief in response to the Federal Trade Commission’s challenge to a hospital merger in New Jersey in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.

AHA urged the Office of the United States Trade Representative to extend the current Section 301 tariff exemptions for certain medical devices to ensure hospitals and health systems have the supplies they need to continue to safely and effectively care for all patients. Without an extension, the exemptions are set to expire Sept. 30. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention early Friday morning opted for a broad endorsement of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, issuing interim guidance that recommends boosters for many vaccinated individuals, including those in high-risk occupational and institutional settings.

The AHA urged the Health Resources and Services Administration to quickly distribute the $17 billion in Phase 4 provider relief funds and $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds for rural providers, as well as reverse a new requirement that capital projects be fully completed before the deadline for using the funds.

The optimism of early summer that we were turning the corner on COVID-19 has been replaced with hard reality. The pandemic will be with us for the foreseeable future, affecting not only our nation’s health, but also hospitals’ and health systems’ ability to improve it. 

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, FBI and National Security Agency yesterday issued an