News

The AHA releases Stem the Tide: Opioid Stewardship Measurement Implementation Guide, a new data-driven guide as the “how to” part of the Stem the Tide initiative. It connects knowing to doing, offering hospitals and health systems actionable ideas for program development and implementation.

The departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services and the National Security Agency alerted the field to a significant vulnerability affecting the Palo Alto Networks’ PAN-OS firewall software that cyber attackers could easily exploit remotely via the internet.

The AHA, California Hospital Association, and Washington State Hospital Association urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to reverse a district court decision in a lawsuit brought by data analysis company Integra Med Analytics that “gives private plaintiffs broad license to file suits under the False Claims Act in ways that Congress never intended and expressly barred.”

The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention July 7 at 12 p.m. ET will host a webinar on decontaminating respirators for health care personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The health care field added 358,000 jobs in June, increasing 2.3% to a seasonally adjusted 15.6 million, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

The blanket data reporting exceptions and extensions implemented in March across Medicare quality reporting and value-based payment programs for hospitals expired July 1.

The House of Representatives voted 233-188 along party lines to pass a $1.5 trillion bill (H.R. 2) introduced by Democratic leaders to rebuild American infrastructure, including roads, bridges, transit, housing and health care.

The House of Representatives passed by unanimous consent legislation (S. 4116) extending the Paycheck Protection Program loan application period through Aug. 8.

As James Madison wrote in the First Amendment of our Bill of Rights, we have the right to “petition the government for a redress of grievances.” We also have an important right that many in other countries don’t – the right to vote. These two rights go hand in hand as a foundation of our democracy.

The Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Health Care Program will carry forward up to $197.98 million in unused funds from prior years to increase available funding for 2020 to $802.74 million if needed, the agency announced.

Oklahoma voters approved expanding the state’s Medicaid initiative, the first state to do so during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ballot question, which passed with nearly 50.5% of the vote, initiates a state constitutional amendment to provide Medicaid to those with incomes at or below 138% of the poverty level.

A bipartisan group of senators introduced the Lifting Our Communities through Advance Liquidity for Infrastructure Act, AHA-supported legislation that would restore tax exemption for advance refunding bonds.

The Food and Drug Administration issued guidance for the development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, outlining key considerations to satisfy requirements for chemistry, manufacturing and control, nonclinical and clinical data.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced the reestablishment of the Ready Reserve Corps, a uniformed services that provides trained and ready personnel available on short notice to fill critical public health needs.

Hospitals face a triple threat with financial losses due to COVID-19, AHA President and CEO said on CNBC.

The Senate passed by unanimous consent legislation (S. 4116) extending the Paycheck Protection Program loan application period through Aug. 8. It’s unclear if the House will take up the legislation before the July 4th recess.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of two COVID-19 molecular diagnostic tests. The tests from Inform Diagnostics Inc. and Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory LLC detect in respiratory specimens nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the AHA has suspended three award programs that entail site visits to finalist organizations for 2021: the AHA Quest for Quality Prize; the Circle of Life Award: Celebrating Innovation in Palliative and End-of-Life Care; and the Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service.

Three of the five most effective cloth face coverings tested by the National Institute of Standards and Technology were 100% cotton and had a visible raised fiber or nap, such as found on flannels, the agency announced.

The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee held a hearing on 22 bills intended to improve access to mental health services during times of crisis such as COVID-19, including legislation supported by the AHA.