News

More than 57 million rural Americans depend on their hospital not only as an important source of care but also as a critical component of their area's economic and social framework. Rural hospitals also face the same difficulties shared by many hospitals — including financial stress, workforce shortages, and inadequate reimbursement from government payers like Medicare and Medicaid, just to name a few. The AHA is engaged in many advocacy efforts to support rural hospitals and ensure access to care in rural communities.

The American Red Cross Jan. 20 declared a severe blood shortage as the national blood supply fell approximately 35% within the last month.

Larry Pierce, director of cybersecurity and information security officer for Atlantic Health, unpacks how the growth of artificial intelligence is reshaping cyber risk in health care, and why physical security is now inseparable from cybersecurity for America’s hospitals and health systems.

The House Appropriations Committee Jan. 20 released text of a three-bill minibus for fiscal year 2026 that includes funding for key health programs and other bipartisan health care provisions and extensions.

The AHA Jan. 20 made recommendations (https://www.aha.org/lettercomment/2026-01-20-aha-responds-house-rfi-modernizing-macra) to Congress on modernizing the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act.

The AHA, the American College of Emergency Physicians and eight other organizations Jan. 20 urged () the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to issue clear written guidance enabling hospitals to post signage in emergency departments that would discourage threats and violence against health care workers.

The comment period for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' proposed rule for policies governing the Medicare Advantage and Part D programs for contract year 2027 ends Jan. 26.

The federal government has dropped its appeal of a preliminary injunction blocking implementation of the Department of Health and Human Services’ 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program.

Kimberly Green Reeves, vice president of community impact and partnerships at Beacon Health System, and Cassy White, director of community impact at Beacon Health System, share how data, care coordination and community involvement are helping reduce infant mortality in Michigan and Indiana.

The White House hosted a roundtable on rural health Jan. 16 that included health care leaders, legislators and administration officials.

U.S. and international agencies Jan. 14 released guidance on secure connectivity for operational technology environments.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Jan. 15 that it will host a webinar Jan. 29 on its new accountable care organization model, the Long-term Enhanced ACO Design Model.

The AHA has published a webpage that highlights facts, causes, effects and solutions that hospitals and health systems can use for reducing the risk and severity of postpartum hemorrhage.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Jan. 15 voted to recommend that Congress update Medicare payment rates for hospital inpatient and outpatient services by the current law amount for 2027 and reiterated its recommendation to distribute an additional $1 billion to safety-net hospitals by transitioning to a Medicare safety-net index policy.

Every year tens of millions of Americans dig deep into their pocketbooks to pay for health insurance plans that will cover both preventive and necessary care for individuals and families.

The White House released a health care plan Jan. 15 addressing drug prices, health insurance premiums and price transparency efforts.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health Jan.

The latest estimates on overdose deaths released yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that as of August 2025, deaths fell approximately 21% from the same period in 2024. Overdose deaths were reported to have fallen in 45 states. 

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found a drastic increase in alcohol-related emergency department visits from 2003-2004 to 2021-2022.

The AHA, in partnership with Press Ganey, Jan. 15 released the fourth in a series of workbooks leaders can use to understand and overcome challenges in engaging their workforce. This workbook guides users through the fundamentals of leadership visibility, common obstacles and the tools needed to enhance leader visibility within your organization.