News

Getting all health care personnel vaccinated against COVID-19 is the right thing to do to keep patients, staff and communities safe. Using a federal regulatory approach to achieve this important goal introduces new challenges that the AHA is working to address. 

The House and Senate today voted to pass a continuing resolution that would extend current federal funding levels for health care and other programs through Dec. 3.

The Office of Personnel Management, and the departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury, late this afternoon issued the next in a series of regulations implementing key sections of the No Surprises Act.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration distributed $825 million in grants from the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act and Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplement to 231 community mental health centers to expand access to services.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released premium and cost-sharing information for Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans for the 2022 calendar year.

The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau committed $41 million in funding to 72 health care providers under Round 2 of its COVID-19 Telehealth Program.

Adults with a disability are more likely than adults without one to report difficulty getting a COVID-19 vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

The AHA released the latest edition of the COVID-19 Snapshot, underscoring the persisting challenges facing hospitals and health systems during the ongoing public health emergency.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced workplace guidance on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s applicability to disclosures and requests for information about whether a person has received a COVID-19 vaccine.

The House and Senate voted to pass a continuing resolution that would extend current federal funding levels for health care and other programs through Dec. 3.

The Department of Health and Human Services through June 30 has reduced by more than 79% its backlog of Medicare appeals at the Administrative Law Judge level, according to a status report the agency provided Tuesday to a federal court.

Learn what steps hospital and health system leaders, such as Kimberlydawn Wisdom, M.D., senior vice president of community health and equity, and chief wellness and diversity officer at Henry Ford Health System, are taking to advance health equity and improve outcomes among all community members.

A large number of people have experienced serious trauma at some point in their lives, and the upending of normal life by the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an increase in unexpected emotional turmoil.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged clinicians to educate pregnant patients about the benefits and safety of COVID-19 vaccination; and encourage and offer vaccination to patients who are pregnant, recently pregnant or might become pregnant to increase vaccination rates in this population.

The Health Resources and Services Administration has opened the portal for health care providers to apply through Oct. 26 for a portion of $25.5 billion in COVID-19 relief funds, the agency announced.

The AHA, American Medical Association and American Nurses Association applauded the recent decision by the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to allow access to a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster dose for nurses, physicians and others working in health care settings.

In AHA’s newest #MyWhy video, a hospital Spanish interpreter discusses concerns he hears from the Latino community about the COVID-19 vaccine as well as what led him to get the vaccine.

The Senate voted 48-50 to reject cutting off debate on a motion to proceed to a House-passed continuing resolution that would generally extend current federal funding levels for health care and all other programs through Dec. 3, 2021.

Now more than ever, hospitals and health systems need to encourage communities to stay healthy and protect themselves against the flu and COVID-19 by getting vaccinated and following recommended public health guidance to wear a mask, wash hands and socially distance.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, awarded grants to Brigham and Women’s Hospital and two universities to research and develop vaccine candidates that provide broad protective immunity to multiple coronavirus strains.