News

Commercial health plans are using prior authorization and payment delays and denials to make it more difficult for some Americans to access the care they need, creating an extensive approval process that wastes billions of dollars and contributes to clinician burnout, according to a report released by the AHA.

An independent advisory group for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended health care personnel and long-term care facility residents receive vaccinations against COVID-19 in the program’s initial phase.

The Department of Health and Human Services should provide greater flexibility around health care staffing, provider resource allocation and accessibility to care, the AHA said in a letter to the agency.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing on defending communities from cyber threats during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looks at an outbreak of Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), an antibiotic-resistant bacteria, at a New Jersey hospital managing resource shortages during a surge in COVID-19 patients.

In an open letter to the American public, the AHA, along with the American Medical Association and American Nurses Association, affirmed their support for vaccines as a critical means for protecting individuals, communities and loved ones from COVID-19.

A bipartisan group in the Senate introduced a $908 billion proposal aimed at breaking the stalemate over more COVID-19 relief.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the AHA’s Report of the Special Committee on the Provision of Health Services, the AHA looks back on a report that served as a blueprint for a number of proposals for decades to come on national health insurance and health care reform.

Claire Zangerle, R.N., chief nurse executive at Allegheny Health Network, will join AHA Board Chair Melinda Estes, M.D., Dec. 3 at 3:30 p.m. ET to discuss how hospitals can support their workforce as they move past relief, recovery and rebuilding toward reimagining health care and innovation.

Effective Feb. 1, physicians and other health care providers and suppliers should use new National Uniform Billing Committee condition codes on claims for COVID-19 and other treatments authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use or expanded access, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced.

The Food and Drug Administration released enforcement policy guidance for health care providers and others using dry heat systems to reduce bioburden on certain N95 and other respirators in limited supply to support reuse by health care personnel during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

As part of the generosity movement known as Giving Tuesday, this year held on Dec. 1, AHA is partnering with the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy and The Creative Coalition to encourage donations to Protect the Heroes.

Following analysis of additional primary efficacy data for its mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Moderna Inc. said it will apply for emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.

The AHA’s 2021 Environmental Scan is a useful resource for looking ahead. It provides key data and insights on the current operational landscape and is designed to help leaders maneuver the rough road ahead.

More than 2.3 million people selected a 2021 health plan through HealthCare.gov Nov. 1-21, including nearly 760,000 last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced. About 75%

Parkland Hospital & Health System uses social determinants of health data to guide its efforts to reduce incidents of breast cancer in women who are economically vulnerable and experience challenges accessing care.

The AHA recently partnered with Shatterproof, a national nonprofit dedicated to reversing the U.S. addiction crisis, to develop materials for clinicians to tackle the stigma of opioid use disorder.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a final rule amending the Department of Health and Human Services’ Risk Adjustment Data Validation program, which validates the data that health insurers submit to HHS to determine risk adjustments based on the individuals they enroll.

In a study of 156 front-line hospital workers who tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, 94% had lower antibody levels 60 days later, including 28% whose antibodies fell below the threshold for a positive test result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

Over the next several months, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases expects to enroll up to 1,500 adult COVID-19 hospital patients who require supplemental oxygen in a global clinical trial that aims to determine whether baricitinib or dexamethasone is more effective at preventing mechanical ventilation or death when administered with remdesivir.