AHA Stat Blog

In this episode, I was delighted to talk with Stacey Stewart, president and CEO of March of Dimes, and present her with AHA’s 2020 Award of Honor for her organization’s work during eight decades to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies.

UChicago Medicine found an opportunity to enhance inpatient treatment for opioid use disorder by leveraging non-specialist clinical expertise and collaborating with local community-based treatment providers. Read more from George Weyer, M.D., about this successful consult service and how it formed.

The government’s announcement last week that more than half of all adults in the U.S. have received at least one COVID-19 shot is a remarkable feat that outperforms earlier predictions about the pace of vaccinations across the country.  

Health leaders from across the U.S. convened to discuss the unique challenges facing rural communities and providers in addressing COVID-19 vaccine administration, confidence and barriers to access. Read the AHA blog that has insights from last night’s rural COVID-19 town hall hosted by AHA and the Black Coalition Against COVID.

What was once a small but mighty contingent of health care systems providing “hospital-at-home” care before the pandemic has grown into a larger movement. With this model, hospitals across the country are “admitting” patients to their own homes for acute care with excellent results.

The mission of all hospitals and health systems, regardless of size and type of ownership, is to care for their communities and patients. In fact, an Ernst and Young report from 2017 demonstrates that for every dollar invested in non-profit hospitals and health systems through the federal tax exemption, $11 in benefits is delivered back to communities.

A recent Health Affairs post gives an incomplete account of the implications of allowing new and expanded physician-owned hospitals to bill Medicare and Medicaid. 

As we get ready to mark World Immunization Week (April 24-30), it’s an appropriate time to celebrate the incredible gift of vaccines.

When President Biden signed legislation on Wednesday eliminating the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments until the end of 2021, it extended needed relief to doctors, hospitals and other providers caring for patients and vaccinating communities. 

On April 7, the American Hospital Association brought together experts from across the health care field for a national conversation dedicated to maternal health equity. 

A recent American Economic Review article provides an outdated and recycled take on the effect of hospital consolidation on wages. The article first appeared as a working paper several years ago.

Hackensack Meridian Health’s clinical experts have learned a wide variety of important lessons and strategies for managing COVID-19’s toll on mental health, write three of the health system’s leaders. Read more about the steps Hackensack took to improve the mental health of its workforce and how you can reproduce them yourself.

One legacy of our response to COVID-19 surely will be how it has accelerated the adoption of virtual care. It is one of the more encouraging developments during the losses of the pandemic. 

When Congress returns to Washington, D.C., on Monday, lawmakers’ attention will turn to one of the largest infrastructure spending packages in our nation’s history. 

The availability of swift, accurate and reliable diagnostic testing during the public health emergency has been extremely important.

Many of the digital solutions we relied on during the pandemic will remain, making digital health equity, including digital access and literacy, even more important. As hospitals and health systems design and implement digital solutions, it will be imperative to take proactive steps so all individuals have the opportunity to engage with these tools.

We know that a person’s health is influenced more by their social and economic circumstances than by access to medical services. However, making a real difference for people who struggle with social needs remains a significant challenge. 

In 2019, 1 in 5 women suffered from a mental health disorder. Now, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, even more women are reporting increases in challenges associated with mental illness as they continue to take on responsibilities they had not been prepared for. 

2021 marks year three of the AHA Physician Alliance, created to help hospital and health systems better engage and partner with physician leadership and to strengthen that voice in the American Hospital Association’s  policy efforts.

In this episode of Leadership Rounds, I talk with Alvin Hoover, CEO of King’s Daughters Medical Center in Brookhaven, Miss., who is serving on the front lines of rural health care.