News

A new report released today by the Department of Health and Human Services outlines the Biden Administration’s plans to address high drug prices. The report recommends the pursuit of legislation that would enable price negotiation in Medicare Parts B and D, with those negotiated prices also available to the federal marketplace, commercial plans and employers who want to participate; Medicare Part D reform, including a cap on beneficiary out-of-pocket spending; and legislation that would slow price increases over time on existing drugs and speed entry of biosimilars and generics to the marketplace while increasing their prescribing by clinicians.   

Hospitals and health systems employed nearly 3,200 more people in August, as U.S. jobs overall increased by 235,000, according to preliminary data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A report released by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is shining a spotlight on challenges encountered by hospitals related to their public health reporting.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sept. 9 from 2-3 p.m. ET will host a Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity webinar highlighting updates on Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations for the 2021-2022 influenza vaccination season.

The Biden Administration announced an additional $452 million in federal funding through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to support 13 states’ efforts to improve access to health insurance through 1332 waivers.

The AHA is recruiting people who work in health care settings to submit short videos, shot on their mobile devices, which encourage and support their unvaccinated colleagues to get the shot.

The AHA’s American Organization for Nursing Leadership released the findings of the third survey of nurse leaders in its COVID Insight Study.

America’s hospitals and health systems support patient protections in the No Surprises Act, but the law and associated regulations offer only a partial cure, writes Ashley Thompson, AHA’s senior vice president for public policy analysis and development.

The American Medical Association published eight new Current Procedural Terminology codes for providers administering COVID-19 vaccines.

Joy Lewis, AHA’s senior vice president of health equity strategies and executive director of the Institute for Diversity and Health Equity, is a guest on InOn Health’s podcast, during which she discusses the role that hospitals and health systems play in striving for health equity, as well as opportunities to eliminate health disparities and AHA’s vision to support its membership in these efforts. 

The AHA is accepting applications for its 2022 Dick Davidson NOVA Award through Nov. 19.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services collected complete COVID-19 data from the vast majority of nursing homes in 2020, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General.

According to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research, hospitalization for COVID-19 for children and adolescents increased four-fold in August in states with low levels of vaccination, compared with states with high levels.

The Department of Health and Human Services is making temporary changes to its distribution policies for monoclonal antibody therapies, with an eye on maintaining sufficient supply to meet current and future demand.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced the establishment of an Office of Climate Change and Health Equity.

The Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will have sufficient funds to pay full benefits until 2026, according to the latest annual report released by the Medicare Board of Trustees.

The Health Resources and Services Administration has released a fact sheet outlining specific acceptable personnel-related costs that can be covered by Provider Relief Fund dollars.

The AHA urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to maintain a focus on accountable and innovative health care over the next decade and beyond, providing the agency with several recommendations for meeting that goal to be implemented through CMS’ Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.

At the urging of the AHA, the State Department said that because of the emergence of the COVID-19 delta variant and continued demand for health care professionals, U.S. embassies and consulates were instructed that they may prioritize “as emergencies on a case-by-case basis the immigrant visa cases of certain health care professionals who will work at a facility engaged in pandemic response.”

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults with disabilities surveyed during February and March reported adverse mental health symptoms or substance use early this year, compared with about one-third of adults without disabilities, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.