News

Nearly 1,500 hospital and health system leaders are in San Diego for the 2019 AHA Leadership Summit, where they are examining strategies for enhancing the affordability and value of health care; opportunities for advancing quality, patient safety and community health improvement; models for creating cultures of innovation that drive delivery system transformation; leadership competencies and workforce strategies for positive change; and governance excellence.

The Senate Finance Committee today voted 19-9 to pass the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act, legislation to reduce drug costs.

Reps. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., Tom Cole, R-Okla., Jim McGovern, D-Mass., and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., today introduced AHA-supported legislation that would provide planning grants and technical assistance to help states and communities address the social determinants of health for high-need Medicaid patients.

Rep. Derek Kilmer, D- Wash., today urged support for his legislation – the Protecting Local Access to Care for Everyone Act (H.R. 2552) – which would prevent payment reductions for hospital outpatient clinic visit services furnished in off-campus provider-based departments that are grandfathered under Section 603 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015.

The patient experience survey required by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for all U.S. hospitals needs modernizing, according to a paper released today by the AHA and other national hospital associations, citing falling response rates after 10 years in the field and incomplete topic coverage.

The AHA Board of Trustees has selected as its chair-elect designate Rod Hochman, M.D., president and CEO of Providence St. Joseph Health in Renton, Wash. He will become AHA chair in 2021.

AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack opened today's AHA Leadership Summit talking about the theme of this year's meeting, "Lead – Connect – Transform."

Health care leaders strategized ways to improve the patient experience by crowdsourcing consumers' biggest health care challenges at the AHA Solvathon, an interactive event hosted by the AHA Center for Health Innovation.

Atrium Health's Carolinas Rehabilitation, Charlotte, N.C., received the 2019 AHA Quest for Quality Prize for its exemplary achievements in engaging with community partners to address social determinants of health, empowering its workforce to excel and innovate, and improving access for patients.

Anne Arundel Medical Center of Annapolis, Md., received the 2019 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award for its efforts to provide equitable care and reduce health inequalities.

The AHA's Center for Health Innovation, joined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Hospital Improvement Innovation Network and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Safety Program for ICUs, recognized seven state and allied associations for their accomplishments in performance improvement projects.

The House of Representatives today passed 284-149 a two-year budget agreement (H.R. 3877) that increases discretionary funding limits and suspends the debt limit for two years, through July 31, 2021.

The National Governors Association yesterday issued a report on state strategies to protect consumers from surprise medical bills.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday issued updated recommendations to prevent measles transmission in health care settings.

The Department of Health and Human Services yesterday sent Congress its plan to help states develop and expand innovative strategies to provide housing-related services and support to Medicaid beneficiaries with substance use disorders, as required by the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act of 2018.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is accepting comments through Aug. 5 to inform the development of a national research strategy to prevent veteran suicide. 

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded the University of Alabama at Birmingham about $10 million over five years to study acute flaccid myelitis, a rare but serious condition that causes muscle weakness and paralysis.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released a description of the chairman’s mark, the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019.

President Trump has reached a bipartisan compromise with congressional leadership on a two-year budget and debt ceiling deal, the White House announced yesterday.

Qualified nonprofits and government agencies may submit through Aug. 25 letters of intent to apply for funding from the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts to improve access to opioid use disorder treatment and recovery services.