Rick Pollack, President and CEO, AHA

After Election Day, lawmakers will return to Washington to consider many important issues, including funding the government, the annual must-pass defense bill, hurricane aid, election reform and tax extenders.
The health care field continues to be a top target for cybercriminals. According to data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), there has been an 84% increase in the number of data breaches against health care organizations from 2018-2021, with 324 reported in the first half of 2022 alone.
That commitment to being always there and ready to care is being tested as hospitals and health systems navigate historic workforce shortages, broken supply chains, rapid inflation that has increased the cost of caring, and other severe financial pressures that could jeopardize access to care.
With fall in full swing, there are two easy steps that individuals can take to protect themselves and their families against illness – get a flu shot and get a COVID-19 vaccination or booster.
Forty-six days from now on Nov. 8 millions of Americans will cast their ballots and exercise their most sacred right – the right to vote.
As part of those efforts, we’ll be releasing radio spots that we recorded with state, metropolitan and regional hospital association executives this week and spotlighting case studies from hospitals describing the challenges they are facing.
This week’s observance of Labor Day reminds us of the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity and well-being. The millions of caregivers and team members at our hospitals and health systems are counted among the ranks of those who have worked hard to make our nation stronger and our citizens healthier. This has never been more apparent than the last few years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Congress has headed home for its traditional August recess. That tradition began, by the way, as a sensible concession to Washington, D.C.’s steamy summer climate, long before central air conditioning came to Capitol Hill in 1938.
Hospitals and health systems recognize the importance of commercial health insurance, which millions of Americans rely on to receive coverage. Unfortunately, some commercial insurer policies may hurt patients, contribute to clinician burnout and drive up the cost of care.
At this summer’s AHA Leadership Summit, senior health care executives, clinicians and experts shared state-of-the-art thinking on conquering the challenges facing our field and bold ideas for transforming health care in our country.