News

Laurens Sartoris, who served as president of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association for 27 years, died Oct. 31 at age 78.

AHA Nov. 9 released a social media toolkit and graphics to help hospitals and health systems celebrate National Rural Health Day Nov. 16 and highlight through the week the unique challenges facing rural communities.

The AHA, AHIP, Alliance of Community Health Plans, American Medical Association and Kaiser Permanente have formed a coalition that will recommend strategies to strengthen coordination between the health care and public health systems to improve emergency preparedness, address health disparities and detect infectious diseases.

Fewer than one in four health care professionals working in acute care hospitals and nursing homes were up to date with COVID-19 vaccination during the 2022-23 flu season, defined as receiving a bivalent booster dose or completing a primary series in the previous two months, and fewer than half of nursing home workers had received a flu vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Nov. 9. 

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) this week alerted the sector to a new ransomware threat known as BlackSuit, which may be responsible for an October attack against an organization that provides medical scans and radiology services for almost 1,000 U.S. hospitals and health systems and caused the victim to shut down computer systems and turn away patients.

The Food and Drug Administration has recognized a consensus standard to help medical device makers address cybersecurity concerns.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Nov. 8 began displaying its “birthing friendly” hospital designation on Medicare’s Care Compare website and through a new mapping tool.

Two maternal health experts explore common disparities and systemic barriers Indigenous people experience in pregnancy and postpartum, and ways hospitals and health care organizations can combat these challenges to provide culturally-focused care.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing Nov. 8 on policy consideration for artificial intelligence in health care.

In a 26-0 vote, the Senate Finance Committee Nov. 8 reported the Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act, bipartisan legislation that includes AHA-supported provisions to improve access to behavioral health care and delay Medicaid disproportionate share hospital reductions.

The latest poster in AHA’s People Matter, Words Matter series focuses on using compassionate language when discussing maternal mental health.

The FBI Nov. 7 recommended organizations take certain steps to prevent ransomware actors from exploiting vulnerabilities in third-party and system management tools, an emerging trend.

Over 3,700 babies were born with syphilis in 2022, 32% more than in 2021 and 10 times more than in 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Nov. 7.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Nov. 6 proposed changes to the Medicare Advantage and prescription drug programs for contract year 2025 intended to improve access to behavioral health care; ensure that agents and brokers enroll individuals in the best plan for their needs and that MA plans offer appropriate supplemental benefits; streamline enrollment for individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid; and annually review MA utilization management policies for health equity considerations.

AHA Nov. 7 reiterated its support for the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, bipartisan legislation reintroduced last week in the House and Senate that would recapture up to 40,000 unused employment visas — 25,000 for nurses and 15,000 for physicians.

AHA Nov. 6 released Expanding the Reach, strategies to help hospitals and health systems recruit, hire and support veterans, the latest section in AHA’s popular Strengthening the Health Care Workforce series. 

The more than 11,000 patients who received care during the first 16 months of the Acute Hospital Care at Home initiative had a low mortality rate and minimal complications related to escalations back to the brick-and-mortar hospital, according to a study reported Friday in JAMA Health Forum.

Children under age 12 should receive a 0.25 milliliter dose of the 2023-24 Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, not the full vial for that age group, the Food and Drug Administration reminded health care providers recently.

Over 30 members of the House of Representatives Nov. 3 urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to monitor and evaluate how Medicare Advantage plans use artificial intelligence and algorithms to guide their coverage decisions, and ensure these tools comply with Medicare rules and do not create barriers to care.

Nearly 15 years ago, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine estimated that only 1.5% of acute care general medical and surgical hospitals had a comprehensive electronic health records system.