News

President Trump announced a national call to action and campaign to encourage individuals who recover from COVID-19 to donate their plasma, which may contain antibodies that could help other patients fight the virus. As part of the effort, the Department of Health and Human Services released several public service announcements featuring public health experts.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced that it will partner with the Department of Defense to fund the advanced development — including clinical trials and large-scale manufacturing — of a COVID-19 investigational vaccine from Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline.

The AHA, the American Medical Association and American Nurses Association partnered to release a public service announcement urging the American public to take three simple steps to help stop the spread of COVID-19: wear a mask, practice physical distancing and wash hands frequently.

There’s a poignant moment in Hamilton: An American Musical in which a despondent George Washington laments the long odds of his revolution, “a powder keg about to explode” unless he receives an immediate infusion of the supplies and reinforcements he was initially promised at the war’s start.

In this new Hospitals Against Violence resource, Melinda Hatton, AHA general counsel and HAV executive sponsor, interviews Hanni Stoklasa, M.D., emergency medicine physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and executive director of HEAL Trafficking, to discuss the state of anti-trafficking efforts and how health systems play a role in reducing health disparities among victims of sex and labor trafficking.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that for 2021 the average basic premium for Medicare Part D prescription drug plans will be $30.50.

The Department of Health and Human Services released a report on surprise medical billing that summarizes research on the prevalence of these bills and recent federal and state actions to prevent them.

AHA Board Chair Melinda Estes, M.D., authored an opinion article for USA Today, urging patients to continue to rely on hospitals and emergency rooms for non-COVID-19, life-saving, medically necessary care.

Nearly 44% of primary care visits for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries were telehealth visits in April, up from 0.1% in February, according to a report released by the Department of Health and Human Services.

AHA released The Future of Telehealth — Protecting Patient Access to Care, which urges Congress and the Administration to ensure telehealth flexibilities remain in place after the COVID-19 public health emergency and to reimburse virtual services on par with in-person care.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services added 12 new ICD-10 procedure codes to identify new therapies for COVID-19.

A federal judge in New York prevented the Department of Homeland Security from continuing to implement its public charge rule during the COVID-19 public health emergency and issued a nationwide injunction.

The AHA conveyed support for the Eliminating the Provider Relief Fund Tax Penalties Act of 2020, a bipartisan proposal to ensure that vital funding through the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund and similar programs provided in response to COVID-19 is not taxable.

The AHA and other national organizations representing the nation’s hospitals and health systems urged congressional leaders not to include in the next COVID-19 relief package any surprise medical billing legislation that could further destabilize hospitals’ finances as they work to recover from an unprecedented public health emergency.

On this Advancing Health podcast, Joy Lewis, AHA vice president for strategic policy planning, and Allen Smart, principal at Winston-Salem, N.C.-based PhilanthropywoRx, discuss the imperative for rural hospital leaders to develop long-term strategies where community engagement and philanthropy meet for the good of communities’ health.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Aug. 5 at 2 p.m. ET will host a webinar to provide an overview and panel discussion on a competition to spur improvements in postpartum mental health care in rural communities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Aug. 4 at 2 p.m. ET will host a Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity webinar on telehealth’s benefits and challenges, based on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response recently posted these new and updated COVID-19 resources at its Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange.

The Food and Drug Administration released a new template to help commercial developers submit emergency use authorization requests for COVID-19 diagnostic tests that can be performed in non-laboratory settings and available by prescription or over-the-counter.

The Federal Reserve July 30 at 2 p.m. ET will host a webinar for nonprofit organizations on its new lending facilities under the Main Street Lending Program.