Initiatives/Campaigns

Telling the Hospital Story

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Public

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Telling the Hospital Story: Member Resources

Nia Moyo CA — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 08:53:13 +0000

Telling the Hospital Story: Member Resources Nia Moyo CA Aug 10, 2022 - 03:53 AM

The goal of the Seizing the Conversation initiative is to balance the public narrative and better tell the hospital story. AHA is working to build a visible and consistent drumbeat of stories and examples that illustrate the crucial role hospitals and health systems play in their communities, as well as push back on biased research and commentary.

Telling the Hospital Story

AHA is working to collect and spotlight member examples that illustrate the many ways hospitals and health systems benefit the communities they serve.

Role of Hospitals
Workforce
Community Benefit
Hospitals Against Violence

Role of Hospitals

New Resources

Celebrate Hospitals and Health Care Workers this July 4
#WeAreHealthCare Digital Toolkit (April 2023)
AHA's #MyHospital Digital Toolkit (November 2022)
Talking Points: Quality and Safety
Telling the Hospital Story

AHA Member Advisory

Media Resources

Workforce

AHA Key Resources

Media Resources

Community Benefit

AHA Key Resources

Media Resources

Hospitals Against Violence

AHA Key Resources

Pushing Back on Motivated Adversaries

Motivated adversaries work to spread biased and often inaccurate information that devalues the crucial role hospitals play in serving communities. Seizing the Conversation offers balance, rebutts inaccurate or biased studies and turns up the volume in responding to vocal critics.

Costs of Caring
Price Transparency

Insurance Push Back

Value of Systems
Billing

Costs of Caring

AHA Key Resources

AHA Member Advisory

Media Resources

Price Transparency

AHA Key Resources

Insurance Push Back

AHA Key Resources

Value of Systems

AHA Key Resources

Billing

AHA Key Resources

Patient Billing Guidelines Affirmation

Matthew Diener — Sat, 23 Oct 2021 19:31:44 +0000

Patient Billing Guidelines Affirmation Matthew Diener Oct 23, 2021 - 02:31 PM

As trusted sources of health care in the community, America’s hospitals and health systems are committed to providing quality and safe care to all individuals, as well as delivering a care experience that meets patients’ needs and expectations from scheduling through payment.

With respect to financing care, the field is united in:

Treating all people equitably, with dignity, respect and compassion;
Serving the emergency health care needs of all, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay; and
Assisting patients who cannot pay for part or all of the care they receive.

The American Hospital Association’s voluntary Patient Billing Guidelines outline how hospitals and health systems can best serve their patients and communities, and underscore their commitment to ensuring that conversations about financial obligations do not impede care, while recognizing that determinations around financial assistance require mutual sharing of information by providers and patients.

By signing this affirmation, you pledge that your hospital(s) and/or health system will adopt the AHA Patient Billing Guidelines. Specifically, the organization:

To the best of its ability, assists individuals in accessing available coverage;
Communicates clearly and directly with patients about their financial obligations and assists those who qualify for financial assistance to obtain it;
Applies consistently and fairly its financial assistance policies; and
Assures leadership review and accountability for implementation of its billing policies.

For questions about your organization making the Patient Billing Guidelines Affirmation, contact our Survey Support Team at surveysupport@aha.org or call our hotline at 800-530-9092.

Resources

Hospitals and Health Systems Affirming the AHA Patient Billing Guidelines

Special Message: Affirmation of AHA’s Patient Billing Guidelines

Issue Brief on Improving the Patient Billing Experience

Frequently Asked Questions about the Affirmation

Members in Action Case Study: Implement Operational Solutions – ChristianaCare, Wilmington, Del.

Members in Action Case Study: Implement Operational Solutions – Froedtert, Milwaukee, Wis.

HFMA Resources

The Healthcare Financial Management Association, an industry leader in health care finance, offers tools and resources for improving the patient financial experience.

Understanding Healthcare Prices: A Consumer Guide (Spanish language version). This resource helps consumers understand their health insurance coverage and identifies questions consumers can ask to get information needed for decision making. It includes information for uninsured patients as well. Designed for hospitals and health systems to post online as a consumer resource. Available in English and Spanish.

Avoiding Surprises in Your Medical Bills: A Guide for Consumers (Spanish language version). The AHA, HFMA and America’s Health Insurance Plans partnered on this guide to help patients understand the questions they can ask to help avoid paying more than expected for health care services. Designed for hospitals and health systems to post online as a consumer resource. Available in English and Spanish.

HFMA’s Healthcare Dollars & Sense initiative provides industry-consensus recommendations and best practices for meeting consumers’ rising expectations, helping consumers make better health care decisions, and improving the patient financial experience. Healthcare Dollars & Sense resource include:

Price Transparency in Health Care. Guiding principles and recommendations for improving price transparency for consumers are presented in this report developed by a blue ribbon task force. Roles and responsibilities for hospitals and health systems, physicians and other care providers, and health plans are addressed.
Patient Financial Communications Best Practices. Designed to bring consistency, clarity and transparency to financial interactions with patients, these best practices outline steps to help patients understand the price of services they receive, their insurance coverage and their individual responsibility.
Best Practices for Resolution of Medical Accounts. This report offers concrete, detailed guidance for managing patient financial responsibility, encompassing all phases of the medical accounts receivable resolution process.

Maturity Model Measurement Tools for Consumerism in Healthcare. This comprehensive model of the patient financial experience enables hospitals and health systems to assess their consumerism efforts and identify areas for improvement. The model explores the world of health care from the consumer’s viewpoint and the activities consumers commonly encounter when seeking and receiving health care services.

Other AHA Related Resources

Price Transparency Action Items

Price Transparency Self-assessment

Price Transparency Shopper Exercise

Patient Cost Estimator Toolkit

Download the Patient Billing Guidelines PDF

Surprise Medical Billing

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Patient Billing Guidelines PDF

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Get Involved

Matthew Diener — Thu, 27 May 2021 13:11:49 +0000

Get Involved Matthew Diener May 27, 2021 - 08:11 AM

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Urge Your Senators, Representatives to Include Resources to Support Hospitals and Health Systems in Upcoming Infrastructure Legislative Package (May 27, 2021)

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Infrastructure Advocacy: Seeking Congress’ Support for Hospitals and Health Systems in Upcoming Legislation

Matthew Diener — Thu, 27 May 2021 12:24:00 +0000

Infrastructure Advocacy: Seeking Congress’ Support for Hospitals and Health Systems in Upcoming Legislation Matthew Diener May 27, 2021 - 07:24 AM

Congress and the Biden Administration are discussing proposals for a significant legislative package to address the nation’s infrastructure. While negotiations about the size and scope of the package, as well as whether there will be a bipartisan agreement on some pieces of the package or if Democrats will pursue it through reconciliation are still being considered, it is important that hospitals and health systems make the case that provisions to support hospitals’ and health systems’ infrastructure are included.

While your senators and representatives are in their home districts and states for the Memorial Day recess, please contact your lawmakers and urge them to prioritize hospitals and health systems in the infrastructure discussions. These priorities include:

Investing in Hospital Physical Infrastructure
Strengthening the Health Care Workforce
Building Capacity for Emergency Preparedness and Response
Expanding the Digital and Data Infrastructure for Health Care
Securing the Health Care Supply Chain

In addition, please urge your legislators to include provisions that support the behavioral health needs of the country, as well as rural hospitals and the communities they serve.

Take Action

Call, Tweet, or Send an Email to Your Members of Congress

We’ve made it easy for you to send messages – via email, phone and Twitter – to your representatives and senators. View our sample messages that you can personalize for your lawmakers.

Advocate via Social Media

AHA crafted messages and graphics for you to use across your organization’s social media platforms. Remember to tag your members of Congress and @AHAadvocacy and use #SupportHospitals in all your messages.

Digital Toolkit

Latest Action Alert

AHA Resources

Other Materials

Take Action and Contact Your Senators and Representatives

Infrastructure

Type

Population/Community Health

Get Inspired to Improve Community Health | Center

Keith Hand CA — Wed, 26 May 2021 19:25:46 +0000

Get Inspired to Improve Community Health | Center Keith Hand CA May 26, 2021 - 02:25 PM

Get Inspired to Improve Community Health

Inspiration matters.

It awakens us to new possibilities. It encourages us to never give up. It turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. It improves lives. AHA invites you to share the words, ideas, images, events and activities that inspire you to make a positive difference in your community.

video

Social Determinants of Health

Community Partnerships

Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19)

AHA Center for Health Innovation

Senate Medicare Sequestration Moratorium Advocacy

Matthew Diener — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 15:16:53 +0000

Senate Medicare Sequestration Moratorium Advocacy Matthew Diener Mar 23, 2021 - 10:16 AM

The Senate is expect to soon consider bipartisan legislation introduced last week by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, that would prevent the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, from taking effect during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The AHA is asking its members to immediately help muster support in the Senate — particularly among Republicans — for the Medicare Sequester Relief Act (S. 748). New analysis prepared by Kaufman, Hall & Associates, LLC and released March 23 reinforces why additional support is necessary as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten hospitals’ and healthy systems’ financial stability and their ability to continue to provide essential services to their patients and communities. Sixty votes will be needed to pass the bill in the Senate. Please let your senators know now is not the time for Medicare cuts to hospitals and health systems.

Take Action

Call, tweet, or send an email to your members of Congress

We’ve made it easy for you to send messages – via email, phone and Twitter – to your senators. View our sample messages that you can personalize for your lawmakers.

Urge Your Senators to Provide Financial Relief for Hospitals & Health Systems Before April 1

Advocate via social media

Digital toolkit

Latest Action Alert

Contact Your Senators and Urge Them to Support Bill to Extend Moratorium on Medicare Sequester Cuts

Resources

FACT SHEET: Accelerated Payment Relief for All Hospitals
FACT SHEET: Medicare Sequester Relief Needed for Health Providers During COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
FACT SHEET: Hospitals Face Continued Financial Challenges One Year into the COVID-19 Pandemic
LETTER: AHA, Other Health Care Provider Groups Urge Senate to Extend Relief From Medicare Sequester
SPECIAL BULLETIN: House Passes Bill that Would Extend Moratorium on 2% Medicare Sequester Cuts Through End of 2021
SPECIAL BULLETIN: Bill Introduced that Would Extend Moratorium on 2% Medicare Sequester Cuts

Medicare Sequestration Payment Reductions

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Urge Your Lawmakers to Support Bills to Extend Moratorium on 2% Medicare Sequester Cuts

Medicare Sequestration Moratorium Advocacy

Matthew Diener — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 14:57:35 +0000

Medicare Sequestration Moratorium Advocacy Matthew Diener Mar 16, 2021 - 09:57 AM

Congress is expected to consider as soon as this week legislation that would extend the moratorium on the 2% Medicare sequester cuts. These cuts are expected to resume on April 1 without additional congressional action.

To spur lawmakers’ action on this issue, AHA is asking its members to urge their elected officials to support bills in the House and Senate that would extend the moratorium beyond April 1. It is critical that we gain bipartisan support for this effort, as it will require at least 60 votes to pass in the Senate.

Take Action

Send letters and tweets to your members of Congress

AHA is making it easy to send a letter to your elected lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives using our VoterVoice tool.

Urge Congress to Provide Financial Relief for Hospitals and Health Systems Before Upcoming Easter Recess

Advocate via social media

Digital toolkit

Latest Action Alert

Resources

FACT SHEET: Medicare Sequester Relief Needed for Health Providers During COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
FACT SHEET: Hospitals Face Continued Financial Challenges One Year into the COVID-19 Pandemic
LETTER: AHA, Other Health Care Provider Groups Urge Senate to Extend Relief From Medicare Sequester
SPECIAL BULLETIN: Bill Introduced that Would Extend Moratorium on 2% Medicare Sequester Cuts

AHA Members Only: Video from AHA Virtual Advocacy Day March 16, 2021

Medicare Sequestration Payment Reductions

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Urge Your Lawmakers to Support Hospitals as Congress Moves Forward on COVID-19 Relief Legislation

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Member Non-Fed

COVID-19 Reconciliation Advocacy

Matthew Diener — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 22:14:33 +0000

COVID-19 Reconciliation Advocacy Matthew Diener Feb 22, 2021 - 04:14 PM

Congress is currently fast-tracking legislation to advance with a simple majority in the U.S. Senate a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package proposed by President Biden. In this relief package, it is imperative that Congress address the critical needs of hospitals and health systems—and their front-line caregivers—as we continue to navigate public health and financial challenges due to COVID-19.

TAKE ACTION:

Send a letter to Congress
AHA is making it easy to send a letter to your elected lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives using our VoterVoice tool.

Urge Congress to Support Hospitals and Health Systems With COVID-19 Relief

Advocate via social media
AHA crafted messages and graphics for you to use across your organization’s social media platforms. Remember to tag your members of Congress and @AHAadvocacy and use #SupportHospitals in all your messages.

Digital Toolkit

Latest Action Alert

Advocacy Resources and Factsheets

What is reconciliation? Learn more about this process in the Feb. 5 AHA Special Bulleti n.
FACT SHEET: More funding needed for the Provider Relief Fund allocations
FACT SHEET: Forgiveness for Medicare accelerated payments for hospitals
LETTER: Extending the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts
FACT SHEET: Support Health Care Heroes
FACT SHEET: Preserving and building on private sector health care coverag
RESOURCE: Additional Actions Needed in the Next COVID-19 Relief Package to Support Hospitals and Health Systems (Updated Feb. 8, 2021)

Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE: AHA report on hospitals’ and health systems’ deepening financial losses

Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19)

AHA.org Advocacy Homepage Block

Type

Urge Your Senators to Add Provisions to Support Hospitals and Health Systems in COVID-19 Relief Legislation

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Member Non-Fed

COVID-19 Relief Reconciliation Advocacy

Matthew Diener — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 21:43:56 +0000

COVID-19 Relief Reconciliation Advocacy Matthew Diener Feb 08, 2021 - 03:43 PM

TAKE ACTION:

Send a letter to Congress
AHA is making it easy to send a letter to your elected lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives using our VoterVoice tool.

Urge Congress to Support Hospitals and Health Systems With COVID-19 Relief

Digital Toolkit

Latest Action Alert

Advocacy Resources and Factsheets

What is reconciliation? Learn more about this process in the Feb. 5 AHA Special Bulleti n.
FACT SHEET: More funding needed for the Provider Relief Fund allocations
FACT SHEET: Forgiveness for Medicare accelerated payments for hospitals
LETTER: Extending the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts
FACT SHEET: Support Health Care Heroes
FACT SHEET: Preserving and building on private sector health care coverage
RESOURCE: Additional Actions Needed in the Next COVID-19 Relief Package to Support Hospitals and Health Systems (Updated Feb. 8, 2021)
RESOURCE: Coalition to Protect America’s Health Care Multimedia Campaign The Coalition to Protect America’s Health Care, of which the AHA is founding member, launched a new multimedia campaign, including new TV and radio ads, and is activating its 2.4 million supporters to take action.

Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE: New Report on Financial Impact of COVID-19 in 2021 (February 2021) A new report forecasts that total hospital revenue in 2021 could be down between $53 billion and $122 billion from pre-pandemic levels, while COVID-19 expenses continue to increase.
PRESS RELEASE: AHA report on hospitals’ and health systems’ deepening financial losses

Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19)

COVID-19: Coverage and Reimbursement

COVID-19: Organizational Preparedness and Capacity Planning

COVID-19: Protecting Health Care Workers

COVID-19: Vaccines and Therapeutics

COVID-19: Caring for Patients and Communities

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