News

AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack recently spoke with Modern Healthcare about a host of issues, including COVID-19, the future of the Affordable Care Act and the importance of preserving coverage, and what issues are at stake for hospitals and health systems during a lame-duck session of Congress.

The departments of Health and Human Services and Defense this weekend announced a pair of contracts to expand domestic COVID-19 testing capacity.

The AHA urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to immediately withdraw the new condition of participation that threatens to expel hospitals from the Medicare program if they fail to comply with “frequently changing and confusing” COVID-19 data collection efforts.

The Food and Drug Administration, Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Oct. 30 announced a memorandum of understanding to maximize inspection and detection capabilities in order to prevent harmful products from entering the U.S. through international mail facilities.

Friday, Nov. 6, is the deadline by which providers must apply to receive a portion of $20 billion in funds that will be distributed from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund.

The Department of Health and Human Services issued a clarification to its Oct. 22 reporting requirements for providers that received Provider Relief Fund payments.

For the last several months, disturbing and unproven theories have gained attention about the death count for COVID-19.

Some health care needs are predictable but some are not. We can plan around giving birth, having a heart bypass, or scheduling a colonoscopy. But there are also surprises, such as injuries from accidents, or a cancer that appears with no family history … or COVID-19.

We’ve been discussing for months how hospitals and health systems are contending with the worst financial crisis in their history as they continue to serve on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is hosting a webinar series on the third Thursday of each month focused on imparting VA health care policies and practices to assist non-VA providers in serving veterans and their families through the VA Community Care Program.

The Department of Health and Human Services released a final federal strategic plan for health information technology over the next five years.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a final rule updating the home health prospective payment system for calendar year 2021.

The Federal Reserve Board reduced the minimum loan size for three Main Street Lending Program facilities from $250,000 to $100,000 and adjusted associated fees to support smaller organizations facing continued revenue shortfalls due to the pandemic.

Marna Borgstom, CEO of Yale New Haven Health and a member of AHA’s Board of Trustees, received the 2020 Charles S. Lauer National Healthcare Award from B’nai B’rith International for her “dedication to community service, excellence in leadership and outstanding philanthropic commitment in the health care community and beyond.”

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services conditionally approved Indiana’s request to require some adult Medicaid beneficiaries to work or participate in other “community engagement” activities to remain eligible for coverage, contingent on the Supreme Court legally authorizing the provisions.

The Departments of Health and Human Services, Treasury and Labor released its transparency-in-coverage final rule imposing new requirements upon group health plans and issuers of health insurance coverage in the individual and group markets.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has proved that crisis tends to be a driver of innovation,” writes Jonathan Bandel, vice president of strategy and innovation for New York’s White Plains Hospital.

The Food and Drug Administration updated its guidance on enforcement policy for non-invasive remote monitoring devices that support patient monitoring during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Over 10,000 eligible nursing homes, or 76% of the field, will receive a portion of $333 million in COVID-19 Provider Relief Funds for meeting infection control and mortality criteria in effect from August through September.

The departments of Health and Human Services and Defense have agreed to purchase the first 300,000 doses of the investigational antibody drug bamlanivimab, also known as LY-CoV555, which state and territorial health departments will distribute to health care facilities for use in COVID-19 outpatients if the Food and Drug Administration authorizes the drug.