News

The House of Representatives voted 219-212 to approve a modified version of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, legislation to provide reconciliation protection for a roughly $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, which includes a number of provisions that affect hospitals and health systems.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released guidance clarifying federal requirements for health plans to cover certain items and services related to diagnostic testing for COVID-19 without cost-sharing, prior authorization or other medical management requirements.

During our rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and health systems have developed new ways of collecting, evaluating and sharing data to improve patient care. It’s one way the pandemic is reshaping health care now and into the future.

The Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee recommended the approval of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

Sens. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., announced they will introduce the Leveraging Integrated Networks in Communities to Address Social Needs Act, AHA-supported legislation that would provide funding for states to create or enhance public-private partnerships to coordinate health and social services.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will host a March 3 roundtable discussion on the academic, social and emotional impacts of distance learning on children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will apply an automatic extreme and uncontrollable circumstances policy to all clinicians participating as individuals in the Quality Payment Program’s Merit-based Incentive Payment System for the 2020 performance period, the agency announced.

Israeli patients aged 70 and older were much less likely to require mechanical ventilation for COVID-19 after most people in their age group had received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

AHA released a one-stop web hub for hospitals and health systems to find communication resources related to COVID-19 vaccines.

The Food and Drug Administration will allow undiluted frozen vials of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to be transported and stored at conventional pharmaceutical freezer temperatures (-13°F to 5°F) for up to two weeks as an alternative to its preferred storage at -112 F to -76ºF, the agency announced.

For the last few weeks, we’ve used this space to highlight the need for the next COVID-19 relief package to provide hospitals and health systems with additional resources and support so they can continue to care for patients and protect communities.

Health care disruptors forged ahead in 2020 despite the pandemic, but hospitals and health systems can embrace the opportunities for collaboration and partnership, writes Mital Patel, senior director of market intelligence at the AHA Center for Health Innovation.

Judy Rich, R.N., former AHA Board member and Tucson Medical Center CEO, leads a discussion on how to build formal board development plans that help trustees better understand and more effectively guide health care leaders on current strategic issues.

In this AHA Physician Alliance podcast, Janine Adjo, M.D., chair and director of the pediatric residency program at SBH Health System Bronx, shares how she applied during COVID-19 skills learned from the Women’s Wellness through Equity and Leadership Project.

President Biden continued the national emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic beyond March 1.

The AHA and eight other hospital organizations urged Senate leaders to include additional COVID-19 relief funding for health care providers in the current reconciliation package.

Hospitals and health systems should embrace opportunities to work with other stakeholders in the health care ecosystem, such as tech data companies, on new combinations of services. Leaders should see this as an opportunity to work together with health care disruptors, if they are not doing so already, by sharing their tacit knowledge and expertise in health care.

The Food and Drug Administration's Office of Minority Health and Health Equity released two videos on COVID-19 vaccines and the importance of communities of color who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 getting vaccinated to protect themselves and loved ones from the virus.

The Department of Justice asked the U.S. Supreme Court to remand the appealed Arkansas and New Hampshire cases to the Department of Health and Human Services to determine the appropriate path forward for the demonstration projects.

The AHA has received $6 million in grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to promote clinician and public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines, and help train current and future health care personnel to prevent and control infectious disease.