News

Contract labor expenses for hospitals and health systems surged 258% from 2019 to 2022 as nationwide labor shortages forced many to rely on contract staffing firms to meet patient demand, according to an analysis of 2022 data from over 1,000 hospitals and health systems by AHA and Syntellis.

The Health Sector Coordinating Council public-private partnership and Department of Health and Human Services today released a guide to help health care organizations align their cybersecurity practices with the National Institute for Standards and Technology’s Cybersecurity Framework to better protect the health care sector.

The Federal Trade Commission yesterday extended until April 19 the comment deadline for its proposal to ban contractual terms that prohibit workers from pursuing certain employment after their contract with an employer ends.

The president’s fiscal year 2024 budget will propose policies to keep Medicare’s Hospital Insurance Trust Fund solvent for at least an additional 25 years by directing additional Medicare taxes and savings from prescription drug reforms to the HI Trust Fund, the White House announced today. According to the latest annual report by the Medicare Trustees, the fund currently has sufficient funds to pay full benefits until 2028.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should require Medicare Advantage organizations to definitively indicate when they deny payment of a claim for service, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General recommended Friday.

National hospital organizations, including the AHA, today urged congressional leaders to prevent $8 billion in Medicaid disproportionate share hospital cuts scheduled to begin in October under the Affordable Care Act after previous delays due to the potential impact on hospitals, patients and communities.

There are excellent opportunities in the coming months to connect with colleagues across the country on the most important issues facing our field.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday released states’ anticipated timelines to begin renewing eligible Medicaid enrollments and terminating others after the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut this week largely dismissed a lawsuit alleging that Yale New Haven Hospital violated its fiduciary duties by selecting a retirement plan with excessive fees or poorly performing investments. The court allowed certain ancillary claims related to the plan’s recordkeeping fees to go forward.

In comments submitted today, AHA encouraged the Department of Health and Human Services to finalize as written its proposed rule regarding statutory conscience protections.

The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency this week released recommendations to help health care and other critical infrastructure organizations protect their networks from malicious cyber actions, based on a simulated attack the agency conducted against an organization at its request. The advisory highlights the importance of collecting and monitoring logs for unusual activity, and regular testing to ensure security processes and procedures are up to date and effective. 

As caregivers and healers, hospitals and health systems are the antithesis of violence. They are in the business of treating patients, healing communities and saving lives.

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute has selected 42 health systems to participate in a $50 million multiyear initiative to implement evidence-based strategies in health care delivery.

Fifty national organizations, including the AHA, today launched the Coalition for Trust in Health & Science to combat misinformation and help Americans make science-based health decisions for themselves, their families and communities.

The Biden Administration today released a National Cybersecurity Strategy that seeks to strengthen collaboration with stakeholders to defend critical infrastructure; disrupt and dismantle threat actors; shape market forces to drive security and resilience; invest in a resilient future; and forge international partnerships to pursue shared goals.

For Women’s History Month, we turn the spotlight to a female-led venture capital firm that is out to change women’s lives for the better.

AHA’s American Organization for Nursing Leadership affiliate today released the last section in its three-part compendium of best practices to manage nursing workforce complexities.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee this week recommended the agency approve the first two vaccines to prevent lower respiratory tract disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus in Americans aged 60 and older.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) Friday alerted the sector to the latest tactics used to launch MedusaLocker ransomware attacks.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday released a fact sheet summarizing the status of public and private coverage for COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and treatments and certain blanket waivers for health care providers once the public health emergency ends on May 11.