News

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra today in a letter to health care and public health leaders urged vigilance against cyber threats posed by a vulnerability within the Apache Log4j software. Exploitation of the software, which exists in thousands of applications, including control systems for medical devices and hardware, can result in data exfiltration or ransomware that can significantly disrupt the delivery of health care.

The Food and Drug Administration Jan. 6 issued an outbreak advisory for a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7. FDA said 10 people across Alaska, Ohio, Oregon and Washington have been infected by the strain, with purchase data indicating that seven purchased Nature's Basket Power Greens or Simple Truth Organic Power Greens at grocery stores before becoming sick. 

The National Academy of Medicine today launched Resource Compendium for Health Care Worker Well-Being, which highlights tools that are ready to be deployed and strategies to address systems issues related to health care workers’ burnout.

Former President and CEO of the Ohio Hospital Association James Castle died Jan. 7.  

Wright L. Lassiter III is president and CEO of Henry Ford Health System. Lassiter has more than 30 years of experience working in large, complex health systems, including Alameda Health System in Oakland, Calif., Dallas Methodist Health System and JPS Health Network in Fort Worth, Texas.

Employment at hospitals and health systems decreased by more than 5,100 jobs in December, as U.S. jobs overall increased by 199,000, according to preliminary data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has approved a new Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System code J0248 for the VEKLURY (remdesivir) antiviral medication when administered in an outpatient setting, following a recent statement from the National Institutes of Health COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel regarding therapies for the COVID-19 omicron variant.

The Food and Drug Administration announced that five months is the recommended interval between a primary dosing regimen and booster for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. Previously, the recommended gap was six months.

As part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, 1,000 new Medicare-funded residency positions will be distributed starting in fiscal year 2023.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released proposed regulations for the 2023 Medicare Advantage and Part D plan year.

The U.S. Supreme Court held oral arguments on whether to allow the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ and Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccine mandates to go into effect while appeals are heard in the courts of appeals.

Turn on the TV or open a newspaper these days and you’re likely to see a story that isn’t “news” at all to our stressed and burned-out care providers. The headline: They need help so they can continue helping others. 

The AHA has posted updated guidance to help hospitals and clinicians use ICD-10-CM “Z codes” to capture data on the social needs of patient populations, including non-medical factors that may influence a patient’s health status.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky, M.D., recommended 12-15 year olds receive a single booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least five months after the initial two-dose series, expanding the agency’s recommendation for 16 and 17 year olds to younger adolescents. 

The AHA released its latest edition of the COVID-19 Snapshot underscoring the persisting challenges facing hospitals and health systems during the ongoing public health emergency.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hold oral arguments on whether to allow the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ and Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccine mandates to go into effect while appeals are heard in the courts of appeals.

Million Hearts, a national initiative co-led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, recently named the Missouri Hospital Association a 2021 Hypertension Control Exemplar for its outstanding efforts to prioritize hypertension control during the COVID-19 pandemic.

John Riggi, AHA’s national advisor for cybersecurity and risk, discusses insights and lessons learned from hospital leaders from Dickinson County Healthcare System in Iron Mountain, Mich, and Sky Lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls, Ore., after becoming victims of major ransomware attacks in the fall of 2020.

The Department of Health and Human Services amended its declaration providing liability protection under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to expand the category of “qualified persons” who are protected under the Act.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended a single booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 12-17 year olds at least five months after receiving a second dose.