News

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today updated the number of people with confirmed or probable lung injuries associated with electronic cigarette use or vaping products to 530 in 38 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, including seven deaths.

Rep. Roger Marshall, M.D., R-Kan., today hosted at the Library of Congress a briefing and expert panel on human trafficking and how health care providers can help trafficking victims.

According to a committee summary, the draft bill would provide $93.4 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Health and Human Services, an increase of $2.9 billion over FY 2019.

“In just the first half of 2019, we have seen multi-billion dollar acquisitions announced by Pfizer and Roche in addition to the proposed AbbVie and Bristol-Myers deals,” they wrote.

The state of Tennessee yesterday released for public comment a proposal to convert the bulk of federal funding for its Medicaid program to a block grant.

For the fourth consecutive year, AHA sponsored the Annual Congressional Black Caucus Spouses’ Community Breakfast and Health Fair for disadvantaged men and women.

A federal judge yesterday ruled in favor of the AHA and hospital organizations saying that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services exceeded its statutory authority when it reduced payments for hospital outpatient services provided in off-campus provider-based departments grandfathered under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. 

The AHA today commented on provisions related to surprise medical billing legislation that the House Education and Labor Committee could consider soon.

A bipartisan group of 92 members of Congress yesterday urged the Food and Drug Administration to prioritize the release of an interagency task force report on the root causes of drug shortages and recommendations to address them.

The Alliance for Addiction Payment Reform, of which the AHA is a member, is partnering with health care providers and payers to test an alternative payment model for addiction treatment and recovery in Connecticut, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C.

Sens. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., today introduced legislation that would prohibit using federal funds to implement, administer or enforce the Department of Homeland Security’s public charge rule.

Based on guidelines used by the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to assess market competition, 75% of U.S. commercial health insurance markets were highly concentrated in 2018, up from 71% in 2014.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today activated its Emergency Operations Center to enhance the inter-agency response to the outbreak of lung injuries associated with e-cigarette use.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should make its proposed Medicare bundled payment model for radiation oncology voluntary, delay the start date and “balance the risk versus reward equation much more appropriately,” AHA told the agency.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao last week named a committee to advise Congress and the departments of Health and Human Services and Transportation on issues relating to air ambulance services and patient billing.

Rebates reduced the growth in Medicare Part D spending for brand-name drugs between 2011 and 2015, but spending for brand-name drugs with rebates still grew by $2 billion or over the five-year period

As health care in our nation transforms, one thing remains constant for America’s hospitals and health systems: our unwavering commitment to providing safe, high-quality, patient-centric care.

The AHA and five other hospital groups today filed a friend-of-the c

The Drug Enforcement Administration this week proposed reducing aggregate production quotas for five opioid controlled substances in 2020.

NASEM will hold a public workshop Sept. 19 on population health improvement models.