News

The Environmental Protection Agency today proposed requiring commercial sterilization facilities to comply within 18 months with stricter emission and control standards for ethylene oxide (EtO), a type of gas used to sterilize certain medical devices that cannot be sterilized using alternative methods.

HIPAA enforcement discretion implemented for the COVID-19 public health emergency will expire with the end of the PHE on May 11, but covered health care providers will have until Aug. 9 to comply with the HIPAA rules with respect to telehealth, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights announced today. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today issued a proposed rule for the long-term care hospital prospective payment system for fiscal year 2024. CMS estimates its proposals would decrease aggregate payments to LTCHs by approximately $24 million relative to FY 2023.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today issued a proposed rule that would increase Medicare inpatient prospective payment system rates by a net 2.8% in fiscal year 2024, compared with FY 2023, for hospitals that are meaningful users of electronic health records and submit quality measure data.

The AHA today voiced support for the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2023 (H.R.2389), legislation that would add 14,000 Medicare-funded residency positions to help alleviate physician shortages that threaten patients’ access to care.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Friday approved state plan amendments allowing Arizona to extend postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months after pregnancy for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollees under the American Rescue Plan Act.

Hospital and health system board members make decisions that affect their health care organization as well as their communities.

Health care leaders can develop “specific competencies and skills that can contribute to effective crisis management,” write Helena Bonfitto and Benjamin Wise, senior program managers for AHA Funded Partnerships.

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a tightening of standards regulating the manufacturing of several toxic chemicals, including ethylene oxide, which is widely used for sterilizing PPE and other medical equipment.

Three rural health care policy experts talk about the challenges, goals and opportunities in the context of AHA’s 2023 rural agenda.

A new Senate bill has won AHA’s backing due to the way it would provide rural hospitals with a much-needed financial lifeline

Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program are facing the most significant coverage challenge since the passage of the Affordable Care Act 13 years ago.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday released additional information on the Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design Model extension for calendar years 2025 through 2030. Announced last month, the model extension will introduce changes intended to more fully address the health-related social needs of patients, advance health equity and improve care coordination for patients with serious illness.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today issued a Health Alert Network Health Advisory to inform clinicians and public health departments in the United States about two confirmed outbreaks of Marburg virus disease.

The Department of Health and Human Services yesterday released a fact sheet summarizing federal efforts to address Long COVID — the signs, symptoms and conditions that can continue or develop after initial COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The Food and Drug Administration today withdrew approval for Makena and its generics, citing a confirmatory study that did not verify clinical benefit. Makena had been approved under the FDA’s accelerated approval pathway to reduce the risk of preterm birth in women pregnant with one baby who have a history of spontaneous preterm birth.

Discover how the ASAP 340B coalition's policy proposals contradict Congress' intent to preserve the 340B program. Patients' lives are at stake.

AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack introduces this special podcast, the story of how one man is working to change the world by delivering refurbished ambulances for second service in Ukraine.

As the COVID-19 public health emergency’s continuous coverage requirement ends and states redetermine eligibility for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollees, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights yesterday reminded state health officials of their obligations under federal civil right laws to provide meaningful language access for individuals with limited English proficiency and ensure effective communication with individuals with disabilities. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services April 5 released a final rule that would increase oversight of Medicare Advantage plans and better align them with Traditional Medicare, address access gaps in behavioral health services and further streamline prior authorization processes.