News

The March 21 Health & Science article “Many Americans — especially those below U.S. poverty level — are buried in hospital bills” missed a major reason that medical debt has increased in our country: the rise of high-deductible and skinny insurance plans that result in larger out-of-pocket expenses for consumers.

Hospital operating margins dipped again in February to -1.1% and continue to remain negative, though with less month-to-month variation, according to the latest report on hospital finances from Kaufman Hall.

The AHA and AHIP today filed a friend-of-the-court brief in a False Claims Act case before the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the federal government’s erroneous construction and expansion of the FCA threatens the legitimate business activities of every government contractor, hospital, healthcare provider, health insurance provider, and grant recipient in the nation. 

Compared to other hospitals, physician-owned hospitals treat less medically complex and more financially lucrative patients, provide fewer emergency services and treat fewer COVID-19 cases, according to data from health care consulting firm Dobson | Davanzo released today by the AHA and Federation of American Hospitals. 

AHA today submitted a statement to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health for a hearing this afternoon examining price transparency and competition in health care.

New drug shortages increased nearly 30% last year to their highest level in almost five years, according to a report released last week by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for a hearing on the issue.

In the first of two new blogs in the Institute for Diversity and Health Equity’s monthly series highlighting Black women health care leaders, Dana Weston Graves, president of Sentara Princess Anne Hospital, discusses the importance of advocacy and being the person she needed in her life when she was younger to support others like her. The second blog, by Jandel Allen-Davis, MD, president and CEO of Craig Hospital, discusses why she is a “warrior” when helping support historically marginalized communities.

AHA’s Trustee Services and Behavioral Health teams have released a guide to help hospital and health system boards understand and prevent suicides in the health care workforce, including resources to help begin the conversation about behavioral health supports for the workforce.

In a statement and blog post Friday, AHA took issue with a recent Washington Post editorial calling for payment cuts to hospitals and health systems as part of efforts to stabilize the Medicare program.

Medicare patients who receive care in a hospital outpatient department are more likely to come from medically underserved populations and be sicker and more complex to treat than Medicare patients treated in independent physician offices and ambulatory surgical centers, according to a study by KNG Health Consulting released today by the AHA, underscoring why proposals to compensate hospitals and health systems the same as IPOs and ASCs under Medicare would threaten patient access to care.

On this episode, I talk with Bob Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health, based in New Jersey. Bob and I discuss the important role of hospitals and health systems in leading medical research and innovation to transform health care and make patient care better, accessible and more efficient.

Hospitals and health systems are invited to showcase their innovations, models and examples of leadership on a global stage by submitting abstracts for oral or poster presentations at the 46th World Hospital Congress, Oct. 25-27 in Lisbon, Portugal.

AHA’s United Against the Flu campaign today released a new social media toolkit to help hospitals and health systems encourage their communities to get vaccinated.

The Food and Drug Administration today released final guidance for transitioning medical device enforcement policies and emergency use authorizations established during the COVID-19 public health emergency to normal operations.

Nonprofit behavioral health organizations may apply through May 22 for up to $1 million each to establish a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic and existing certified clinics may apply for up to $1 million each to expand or improve their services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced today.

The Department of Health and Human Services yesterday released a mobile device security checklist for the health care sector, and an update on the Black Basta ransomware group targeting the sector since last year.

Some of the most impactful laws passed in our country have needed to be revisited and fine-tuned to remain relevant to peoples’ lives.

Some recent media articles have used the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s March report to Congress to suggest a one-sided, inaccurate and misleading view of hospitals’ financial situations, writes Ashley Thompson, AHA’s senior vice president for public policy analysis and development.

A new webpage showcases a timeline of significant milestones as the AHA and its members worked to advance health in America over the years. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today approved a state plan amendment allowing Oklahoma to extend postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months after pregnancy for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollees under the American Rescue Plan Act.