News

While intentional drug overdoses have declined overall in the United States, they have increased among young people, the elderly and Black women, according to study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse published today in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

The Department of Health and Human Services has extended to Feb. 18 the deadline for health care organizations to register for the first phase of its Racial Equity in Postpartum Care Challenge, which will recognize effective programs to address equity in postpartum care for Black and Native women enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

The AHA has released a guide to help health care governing boards work with their organization’s leadership team to set cybersecurity priorities and reduce cyber risks.

As part of AHA’s Joining Hands for Greater Impact series, Priya Bathija, AHA vice president of strategic initiatives, speaks with Rita Carreon, vice president for health at UnidosUS, about how to overcome barriers to vaccine confidence and access in the Latino community.

The Food and Drug Administration announced a Class 1 recall of two COVID-19 tests the agency had not authorized or approved.

Pfizer asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize for emergency use two 3-microgram doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 6 months through 4.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced a standard clinical definition for opioid withdrawal in infants. Recently published in the Journal of Pediatrics, the definition includes prenatal exposure and at least two of the most common clinical signs of withdrawal (excessive crying, fragmented sleep, tremors, increased muscle tone or gastrointestinal dysfunction). 

On Feb. 15, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute will launch an AHA-informed initiative that will provide funding to help health care delivery systems and provider-affiliated health plans implement practices that improve patient outcomes, based on findings from PCORI-funded research.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Hear Her campaign has released a new website and resources to help health professionals communicate with pregnant and postpartum patients about their concerns and respond to urgent maternal warning signs. 

Once the COVID-19 omicron variant became prominent through Jan. 8, unvaccinated adults in Los Angeles County had a 3.6 times higher SARS-CoV-2 infection rate and 23 times higher hospitalization rate than adults who had received a COVID-19 vaccine booster, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

As part of AHA’s Joining Hands for Greater Impact series, Julia Resnick, AHA director of strategic initiatives, speaks with Lydia Isaac, vice president for health equity and policy at the National Urban League, about vaccine hesitancy among parents and the importance of clear communication and outreach to build vaccine confidence in the Black community.

The AHA joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Medical Association in urging the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a district court decision that refused to allow a case involving the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2005 to proceed in federal court and sent it back to state court for further proceedings.    

Hundreds of hospital and health system leaders today participated in an AHA virtual advocacy briefing to hear the latest from Capitol Hill and urge Congress to support hospitals and caregivers as part of a must-pass legislative package this month.

A recent Congressional Budget Office report comparing the prices commercial health insurers and fee-for-service Medicare pay for hospital and physician services lacks important context and raises more questions than it answers, writes Benjamin Finder, director of policy research and analysis at the AHA. 

Sky Lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls, Ore., will receive the AHA’s 2021 Rural Hospital Leadership Award at the Rural Health Care Leadership Conference next week in Phoenix, AHA announced.

The Food and Drug Administration issued an update on the Class 1 recall of certain Philips Respironics ventilators.

The Government Accountability Office is surveying health care entities and business associates covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act through 4 p.m. ET Friday to learn more about their experiences complying with the Department of Health and Human Services’ data breach reporting requirements and HHS efforts to improve the data breach reporting process.

Hospitals experiencing an extraordinary circumstance beyond their control affecting their ability to submit data or their performance may continue to request an exception to reporting required quality data, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reminded hospitals in a notice

The Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for individuals age 18 and older.

This year, I look forward to continuing AHA’s leadership dialogues on trending topics with health care, business and community leaders from around the country.