News

The AHA, Association of American Medical Colleges and America’s Essential Hospitals today said they expect to “refile promptly in district court” their lawsuit challenging a nearly 30% Medicare payment reduction for many hospitals in the 340B drug savings program.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today held the second in a series of hearings on how to reduce health care costs, which focused on preventing unnecessary spending and improving value.

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology today held a hearing examining challenges and solutions related to the issue of rural broadband.

Twenty-eight health care organizations, including the AHA, yesterday urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to reconsider its decision to suspend $10.4 billion in risk adjustment transfers to insurers for 2017 until certain litigation is resolved.

The AHA’s Hospitals Against Violence initiative, with Catholic Health Initiatives and Massachusetts General Hospital’s Human Trafficking Initiative and Freedom Clinic, recently secured diagnostic codes that will allow health and medical professionals to identify victims of human trafficking they encounter when they seek health care.

Five hospital-led partnerships to improve community health will receive AHA NOVA Awards July 28 at the AHA Leadership Summit in San Diego.

The AHA today submitted comments on the Department of Health and Human Services’ blueprint to lower drug prices and out-of-pocket costs.

John Riggi, AHA senior advisor for cybersecurity and risk, said hospitals and health systems take seriously the protection of highly-sensitive and valuable information.

The AHA Friday filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting hospitals’ efforts to remove from a municipal ballot in November a union-backed measure that would impose pricing caps on hospitals and other health care providers, calling the measure not just misguided health care policy but also legally flawed.

The Food and Drug Administration Friday approved the first drug intended to treat smallpox, which was eradicated in 1980 but could be used as a bioweapon.

The Members in Action series, part of AHA’s The Value Initiative, highlights how hospitals and health systems are implementing new value-based strategies to improve health care affordability, quality and outcomes.

Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria caused a combined $265 billion in damage and each ranked among the top five costliest hurricanes on record.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week alerted health care providers and others to a continued increase in opioid overdose deaths involving fentanyl and its analogs.

Robyn Begley, vice president of nursing and chief nursing officer for AtlantiCare, a member of Geisinger, will join the AHA in September as senior vice president and chief nursing officer and CEO of its American Organization of Nurse Executives subsidiary.

Bending the cost curve to make care more affordable is a complex challenge. But it is a challenge that hospitals and health systems are tackling head on.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today proposed to update physician fee schedule rates by 0.25% in calendar year 2019.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee today advanced legislation to reauthorize the Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education Program and federal workforce development programs for nurses and health professionals.

The House Ways and Means Committee has approved a number of bills intended to expand access to consumer-directed health plans and other health coverage.

The House Appropriations Committee late yesterday voted 30-22 to approve legislation that would provide $177.1 billion in discretionary funding for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education in fiscal year 2019.

The AHA appreciates the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s concerns about rising pharmaceutical costs and urged the Commission to continue to take action to achieve sustainable drug pricing.