News

The Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury seek nominations to a congressionally mandated committee that will advise their departments and Congress on ground ambulance patient billing, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced.

A two-dose series of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was 100% effective against COVID-19 in 12-14 year olds more than four months after the second dose in the companies’ phase 3 clinical trial, Pfizer and BioNTech announced.

The Department of Health and Human Services began distributing $7.5 billion of the $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan Act payments designated for providers who serve rural Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Medicare beneficiaries.

AHA’s 2022 Rural Health Care Leadership Conference offers “an unparalleled opportunity to learn and share with rural health leaders innovating at the forefront of change,” writes Michelle Hood, AHA executive vice president and chief operating officer. 

COVID-19 has reshaped health care in many ways. The AHA’s 2022 Environmental Scan, sponsored by B.E. Smith, provides key data and insights on the current landscape and can help organizations explore the pandemic’s ramifications on the health care field for the upcoming year and beyond. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky, M.D., expanded eligibility for COVID-19 booster shots to include all adults aged 18 and older who received a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago, as recommended by the agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

The Health Resources and Services Administration in September gave health care providers who received more than $10,000 in Provider Relief Funds between April 30 and June 30, 2020, until Nov. 30, 2021, to comply with the original reporting requirements before recouping the funds or taking other enforcement actions.

The AHA, American Medical Association and American Nurses Association released a television and digital ad in English and Spanish thanking health care workers during the holiday season.

Vice President Kamala Harris expects to announce $1.5 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funding for the National Health Service Corps, Nurse Corps, and Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery programs to grow and diversity the nation’s health care workforce.

On Thursday, many families and friends will gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, reflect on our blessings and remember loved ones. During this holiday season, far too many tables will have empty seats — a painful reminder of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved extending postpartum coverage to 12 months after childbirth for an estimated 6,000 Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollees in the Virginia Family Access to Medical Insurance Security MOMS and FAMIS Select Demonstration.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration extended certain methadone take-home flexibilities for opioid treatment programs until one year after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, and said it is considering ways to make the flexibilities permanent. 

Community investments help foster the social and physical environments that support communities’ long-term health.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized a single booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for all individuals aged 18 or older at least six months after receiving the initial two-dose series or two months after receiving the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.  

The House of Representatives voted 220-213 to pass a modified version of the Build Back Better Act (H.R. 5376), a roughly $1.75 trillion social spending package that includes many health care provisions.

For nearly two years, our nation’s hospitals and health systems — and the gifted, dedicated women and men who lead them — have fought back relentlessly against a once-in-a-century pandemic. 

Leaders at St. Patrick Hospital in Montana say as COVID-19 cases rose, the ages of patients were getting younger and younger.

Houlton Regional Hospital in Maine has shared guidelines on how to safely host holiday get-togethers with friends and families to help prevent COVID-19 and flu from spreading.

In part 2 of this two-part series, Ruby Kirby, CEO of West Tennessee Healthcare Bolivar Hospital and West Tennessee Healthcare Camden Hospital, shares her insights on how rural hospitals and health systems can work with their communities to build confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine, including education, partnerships and addressing social determinants of health.

The AHA continues to advocate for rural hospitals and health systems on Capitol Hill and beyond, elevating the most pressing issues facing rural hospitals nationwide.