News

The Federal Communications Commission today released a final rule adopting changes proposed last year to the Rural Health Care Program to improve the accuracy of urban and rural rates, funding cap rules and invoicing for the program, among other changes.

Over 30 organizations, including the AHA, yesterday urged congressional appropriators to increase funding for the Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education program to $738 million in fiscal year 2024. While the program trains half of the nation’s pediatricians and 60% of pediatric specialists, it currently receives just 2% of federal spending on graduate medical education.

Candida auris fungal infections tripled in the United States between 2019 and 2021 to 1,471, including seven cases resistant to all antifungal treatments, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data reported yesterday in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The National Resident Matching Program Friday matched 37,690 medical school seniors and graduates to U.S. residency positions, 2% more than last year.

The Department of Health and Human Services should adopt its proposed standard for claims attachments to help improve claims processing and eliminate unnecessary burdens on health care providers, AHA said in comments submitted today.

A recent Urban Institute report highlighting medical debt fails to examine how inadequate health coverage drives this debt, writes Molly Smith, AHA’s group vice president of public policy.

Responding today to a Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee Request for Information on the drivers of health care workforce shortages and potential solutions, AHA said “long-building structural changes within the health care workforce, combined with the profound toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, have left hospitals and health systems facing a national staffing emergency.”     

The Food and Drug Administration Friday authorized for emergency use a molecular test to detect mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) at the point of care in lesion swab specimens from individuals whose health care provider suspects they have the virus. 

Deceptively branded as an effort to save the 340B program, a legislative campaign by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, National Association of Community Health Centers and other groups to remove many hospitals, eligible drugs and patients from the 340B program “would only save drug company profits by reducing their already modest financial contribution to the health care safety net,” the AHA and other national hospital groups said in a statement. 

The COVID-19 pandemic, opioid crisis and mpox outbreak. Hurricanes Ian and Fiona. Severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides in Kentucky. Wildfires and straight-line winds in New Mexico.

The latest annual survey of state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program directors by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Georgetown University Center for Children and Families looks at state approaches to renewing Medicaid and CHIP enrollments over the past year and once the COVID-19 public health emergency’s continuous enrollment requirement ends on March 31.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration yesterday awarded 15 states $1 million grants to plan and apply to participate in Medicaid’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic demonstration.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this week released for comment initial guidance implementing a program for Medicare to negotiate prices with drug makers for certain high-cost, single-source drug and biological products beginning in 2026 under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra this week amended the February 2020 COVID-19 emergency use authorization declaration so that the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorizations for COVID-19 diagnostics, personal protective equipment, other medical devices, and drug and biological products will remain in effect until there is no longer a “significant potential” for a COVID-19 public health emergency or the authorized devices or products have been approved.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will make whole health care providers impacted by lowered coinsurance on 27 Medicare Part B prescription drugs. The reduced coinsurance rates, which are required by the Inflation Reduction Act, take effect April 1 and will remain in effect through June 30.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today instructed certified independent dispute resolution entities to resume making payment determinations for disputes involving items or services furnished on or after Oct. 25, 2022.

Hospitals and health systems can play an important role in ensuring patients have trustworthy, accurate and scientifically sound information to help them make the best health care decisions for themselves and their loved ones.

Age-Friendly Health Systems, an initiative of the John A. Hartford Foundation and Institute for Healthcare Improvement in partnership with the AHA and Catholic Health Association of the United States, has recognized over 3,000 care locations as “age friendly” for reliably implementing four evidence-based practices to improve care for nearly 2 million older U.S. adults.

New AHA case studies on the importance of integrating physical and behavioral health feature three hospitals leading the way forward.

The International Hospital Federation’s Geneva Sustainability Centre seeks hospitals to preview and provide feedback on a digital platform it plans to launch this summer to help hospitals assess and track their environmental sustainability efforts, access training and replicate best practices.