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States that expanded Medicaid coverage to low-income adults in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act reduced postpartum hospitalizations for low-income people, according to a study reported yesterday in Health Affairs, which compared 2010-2017 data from four states that expanded Medicaid and four that did not. 

As drug prices continue to rise, the 340B drug pricing program continues to help hospitals expand access to comprehensive health services, including lifesaving prescription drugs for those in need who may not be able to afford them, writes AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack in the Wall Street Journal.    

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today allocated 200 new Medicare-funded residency slots to 100 teaching hospitals in health professional shortage areas with the greatest need, as described in the inpatient prospective payment system final rule for fiscal year 2022.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia today decided to allow the Department of Health and Human Services to propose an appropriate remedy for its past underpayments to hospitals participating in the 340B drug pricing program

John Haupert is president and CEO of Grady Health System, a public, academic health system serving metro Atlanta and Georgia.

Joseph Perras, M.D., president and CEO of Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center, Dartmouth Health (Vermont), will serve as 2023 chair of the AHA Rural Health Services Committee. Sean Fadale, president and CEO of Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home (New York), is chair-elect. Philip Pandolph, president and CEO, Meadville Medical Center (Pennsylvania), has transitioned to past-chair. Christina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health (Michigan), will serve as liaison to the AHA Board of Trustees. 

The Department of Labor has extended to Jan. 20 the deadline for nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and tribal organizations to apply for up to $6 million each to train current and former nurses to become nursing educators, and frontline health care workers to advance to nursing careers.

Evusheld may not prevent COVID-19 in immunocompromised individuals exposed to the XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant, because the treatment has failed to neutralize similar subvariants, the Food and Drug Administration announced Friday. While it awaits additional data to verify this, FDA recommends health care providers inform patients about this risk, and advise them to test for COVID-19 and seek medical attention if they develop symptoms.

The Health Resources and Services Administration today awarded nearly $60 million over five years to help 24 health care and educational organizations integrate mental health training into training for primary care clinicians, with a focus on preparing them to treat mental health needs in children and adolescents.

The Federal Trade Commission last week released a proposed rule that would ban as an unfair method of competition contractual terms that prohibit workers from pursuing certain employment after their contract with an employer ends. The rule would not apply directly to not-for-profit entities.

In this podcast sponsored by Quest Diagnostics, hear how Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey uses its laboratory to improve clinical pathways, minimize care variation and realize savings.

Hospitals and health systems added 15,700 jobs in December, while U.S. jobs overall increased by 223,000, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Total health care jobs grew by over 54,700 to a seasonally adjusted 16.7 million, including 9,100 new jobs in nursing and residential care facilities.

Joseph Perras, M.D., president and CEO of Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center, Dartmouth Health (Vermont), will serve as 2023 chair of the AHA Rural Health Services Committee. Sean Fadale, president and CEO of Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home (New York), is chair-elect. Philip Pandolph, president and CEO, Meadville Medical Center (Pennsylvania), has transitioned to past-chair. Christina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health (Michigan), will serve as liaison to the AHA Board of Trustees.

Learn about the alarming statistics on substance use disorders in America. Find out why so many people are not receiving the help they need.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration have identified seven linked cases of sepsis after transfusion from bacterially contaminated platelet blood products since 2018, according to a recent FDA safety communication.

The Department of Health and Human Services will launch this month a COVID-19 Home Test to Treat telehealth pilot program in Berks County, Pa. Program organizers will work this year with public health departments to expand the program to 100,000 people in vulnerable communities.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday released guidance on changes this year to the Medicaid continuous enrollment requirement under recently enacted legislation funding the federal government through fiscal year 2023.

The convening of the 118th Congress this week is a reminder of Washington’s highly-charged political environment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention is working with NORC at the University of Chicago, AHA and others to identify and evaluate health systems implementing anti-racism practices with the potential to reduce health disparities and improve outcomes.

Join fellow executive leaders from the nation’s top hospitals and health systems at the 2023 AHA Annual Membership Meeting, April 23-25 in Washington, D.C.