News

A study released last week by Rand on prices paid by private health plans to hospitals “relied on severely limited data and questionable assumptions to draw far-reaching conclusions about the way hospitals are paid for patient care,” writes Aaron Wesolowski, AHA vice president for policy research, analytics and strategy, in an AHA Stat Blog post today.

The Centers for Disease Control and the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association this week released updated recommendations for TB screening and testing for U.S. health care personnel.

U.S. birth rates declined for the fourth consecutive year with only 3.78 million babies born in 2018, the fewest in over three decades, according to a report released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When the many vulnerable members of society need care, they often turn to their local hospital or health system.

Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Todd Young, R-Ind., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Tom Carper, D-Del., today introduced legislation to address surprise medical bills.

The House Ways and Means Committee today held a hearing examining the impact of racial disparities and social determinants of health on maternal mortality.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ yesterday issued guidance regarding the calculation of a plan’s Medical Loss Ratio, which represents the percent of premium revenue that goes toward claims and activities that improve health care quality.

The AHA Physician Alliance today released a resource to help hospital and health system leaders address burnout in their organizations.

The AHA has elected to fill a vacancy on its Board of Trustees Sylvia Young, president and CEO of HCA Healthcare’s Continental Division.

A new AHA issue brief describes how hospitals are investing in affordable housing, based on initial findings from the Accelerating Investments for Healthy Communities initiative.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released an online form for submitting letters of intent to participate in the professional or global direct contracting options under its new Primary Cares Initiative.

The AHA May 16 at 11 a.m. ET will host a Twitter chat as part of National Hospital Week to honor and discuss the many ways that hospital employees provide hope and healing to their patients and communities.

The National Center for Healthcare Leadership is accepting nominations through June 7 for the 2019 Gail L. Warden Leadership Excellence Award.

Missouri hospitals support nearly 310,000 jobs and generate more than $27 billion for the state’s economy.

House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders today released a discussion draft of bipartisan legislation to address surprise medical bills.

Three hundred two members of the House of Representatives yesterday urged House leadership to delay for at least two years the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital cuts scheduled to take effect Oct. 1.

Eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals that did not qualify as meaningful users of certified electronic health record technology for the 2019 Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program may apply for a hardship exception to avoid the associated payment penalty.

The largest U.S. pharmaceutical and biotech companies spend just 22 cents out of every dollar on research and development, according to an analysis released today by the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing.

The Health Resources and Services Administration yesterday awarded 120 organizations, including hospitals, $200,000 each to develop community partnerships and plans to prevent and reduce opioid use disorder in high-risk rural counties.

As part of its efforts to promote behavioral health strategies, the AHA today released a TrendWatch report outlining the opportunities, barriers and solutions to increase access to behavioral health care.