News

AHA urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to make permanent COVID-19 waivers that removed regulatory barriers to better patient care, and temporarily extend certain other waivers beyond the public health emergency to help hospitals transition back to normal care delivery.

The Food and Drug Administration July 28 extended to six months the shelf life for Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine.

The Provider Relief Fund Deadline Extension Act (S. 2493/H.R. 4735) was introduced in the Senate and House. The AHA-supported bill would allow providers that received COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund payments prior to June 30, 2020, to use their payments through Dec. 31, 2021, or the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, whichever is later.

More than 900 hospital and health system leaders virtually came together today for the 2021 AHA Leadership Summit. The conference focuses on transformational strategies and innovative approaches for delivering greater value and health equity through operational excellence, creative partnerships and redefined delivery models.

A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine is confirming the role Medicare plays in decreasing disparities in health care access and coverage in the U.S.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and FBI, Australian Cyber Security Centre, and United Kingdom National Cyber Security Centre released an advisory detailing the top 30 cyber vulnerabilities in 2020 and 2021. 

The AHA joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Medical Association in urging the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to void a district court decision that refused to allow the case to proceed in federal court and denied the full protections of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2005 for health care providers and other covered entities involved in the administration, manufacture, distribution, use or allocation of countermeasures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health care providers, associations and federally qualified health centers may apply through Aug. 30 for $29 million in grants to help promote resilience, mental health and wellness in the health care workforce, the Health Resources and Services Administration announced.

AHA sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in response to the proposed rules updating certain rules governing health insurance issuers and the Health Insurance Marketplaces.

All clinicians should get vaccinated against COVID-19, encourage their staff and patients to get vaccinated, and recommend immunocompromised patients continue all prevention measures after vaccination, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday, citing an urgent need to increase COVID-19 vaccination coverage to prevent outbreaks.

The AHA, America’s Essential Hospitals, Association of American Medical Colleges, Catholic Health Association of the United States, and Children’s Hospital Association released a joint statement strongly urging all health care personnel to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect themselves, their patients and peers.

By integrating behavioral health into physical care and tapping into community partnerships, hospitals and health systems can develop culturally competent clinical solutions to better serve historically underrepresented individuals, writes Manish Sapra, M.D., executive director of the behavioral health service line at New York-based Northwell Health.

Learn how hospital and health system leaders such as Jonathan Perlin, M.D., president of clinical operations and chief medical officer at HCA Healthcare, are using patient surveillance technologies, including those based on artificial intelligence, to help predict onset of health care-associated infections or other causes of patient deterioration and improve care.

Rural health clinics and other qualified community-based outpatient care centers can apply for American Rescue Plan Act funding to expand the number of full-time equivalent resident positions and create new primary care residency programs in rural and underserved communities through the Teaching Health Center Program, the Health Resources and Services Administration announced.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adjusted its guidance for fully vaccinated individuals, urging indoor masking in states that are labeled as “high” or “substantial” in their number of cases, including schools, where all in attendance should wear masks.

The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded 127 organizations a total of $121 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to work with regional and local partners, including health care providers, to build vaccine confidence and bolster vaccination in underserved communities.

U.S. hospitals and health systems face growing financial pressure from cyberattacks, credit rating agency Fitch Ratings reported.  

Registration is now open for AHA’s inaugural Advancing Care Conference, a new, highly interactive conference experience aimed at providing interprofessional teams — from front-line staff to leaders — with the best and next practices in health care team performance, well-being, quality and outcomes and education.

University of Florida Health Jacksonville CEO and Dean Leon Haley Jr., M.D., who served on the AHA Committee on Clinical Leadership, died unexpectedly this weekend, the health system announced Saturday.

Yale New Haven Health will receive the 2021 AHA Quest for Quality Prize this week at AHA’s annual Leadership Summit for its deep commitment to improving the health of its patients and communities.