News

A total of 939,575 people selected a 2021 health plan through the federally facilitated marketplace between Feb. 15 and April 30 during the special enrollment period created in response to the COVID-19 emergency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported today. The total includes selections in the 36 states that use the federally facilitated marketplace.

Moderna Inc. told investors today that is intends to soon file for full Food and Drug Administration approval for its COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna, whose vaccine was authorized for emergency use in December for individuals age 18 and older, said its trial data shows that its vaccine is 96% effective in 12 to 17 year-olds who received at least one injection.  

The AHA today released a new episode of the on-demand video series, PowerPlay.

AHA yesterday urged the Department of Health and Human Services to extend the deadline for hospitals and other health care providers to use their COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund payments until the en

During the pandemic, there has been a dramatic increase in cyberattacks targeting hospitals and health systems, including disruptive ransomware attacks that have interrupted patient care and risked patient safety.

As part of Maternal Mental Health Week and Maternal Mental Health Day, AHA speaks with St. Peter’s Health and Montana Coalition officials about Taking Care of You, a rural Montana-based parental support approach to treating perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

The AHA and its American Organization for Nursing Leadership affiliate have developed numerous resources, including a customizable video and digital toolkit, to assist hospitals and health systems in celebrating National Nurses Week, May 6-12, and National Hospital Week, May 9-15.

The AHA donated to UNICEF to help hospitals and communities fight a devastating surge in COVID-19 cases in India. UNICEF is rushing urgently needed supplies and equipment to health facilities in India.  

While certain health care supply chain pressures remain, there are notable improvements, particularly in the area of collaboration, writes Mike Schiller, senior director of supply chain for the AHA’s Association for Health Care Resource and Materials Management.

The American Medical Association announced Current Procedural Terminology codes for reporting the two-dose Novavax COVID-19 vaccine and its administration on medical claims if the Food and Drug Administration approves the candidate vaccine or authorizes it for emergency use.

The Health Resources and Services Administration will provide nearly $1 billion to small rural hospitals, critical access hospitals and rural health clinics to expand COVID-19 testing and help mitigate the virus in their communities, the Department of Health and Human Services announced.

AHA voiced support for the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (H.R. 2255/S. 1024), bipartisan legislation that would expedite the visa authorization process for qualified international nurses to support hospitals facing staffing shortages. 

The Government Accountability Office named five new members to the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, which advises Congress on issues affecting Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. 

With the country in the grips of an opioid epidemic, Norton Healthcare in 2015 launched the Maternal Opiate and Substance Treatment program, which makes it easy and non-stigmatizing for pregnant women with substance use disorder to access addiction treatment during obstetrical care, dramatically reducing admissions for neonatal abstinence syndrome.

As part of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Week of Action May 3-7, the Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with the AHA and other national organizations to inform this population through social media about the special enrollment period available through Aug. 15 at the federally-facilitated health insurance marketplace.

On this AHA Advancing Health podcast, Akin Demehin and Caitlin Gillooley, who lead AHA’s work on policy regarding quality measurement, and Anthony Weiss, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer of Beth Israel-Deaconness Medical Center in Boston, Mass., discuss the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ updates to the hospital star ratings methodology, including what changed, what didn’t and what still needs to.

Eleven organizations representing physicians and hospitals, including the AHA, urged Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to reconsider certain quality reporting changes to the Medicare Shared Savings Program, which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services finalized in the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. 

The COVID-19 pandemic’s disproportionate impact on Black Americans, Native American tribes and tribal populations, Latino Americans and other communities of color is generating a renewed focus on advancing health equity.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health today revoked its public health certificate of approval for Plastikon Industries’ PLASMA N95-01 filtering facepiece respirator for failure to meet filter efficiency requirements in a product audit.

Pfizer Inc. said during its quarterly earnings call that it will file by the end of May for full Food and Drug Administration approval for its COVID-19 vaccine. More than 131 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been administered in the U.S. since it was authorized for emergency use in December.