News

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission today voted to recommend Congress adopt additional site-neutral payment policies for certain outpatient services; reduce add-on payments and adopt other policies to address high Medicare Part B drug costs; and repeal the existing Medicare wage index system and phase in a new system that attempts to address current flaws.

The latest threat brief from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Information Security and Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) reviews the top cyber threats to electronic medical records and best practices to help health care organizations prevent, detect and respond to this growing threat.

The Department of Health & Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights today released a proposed rule that would prohibit entities regulated by the HIPAA Privacy Rule from using or disclosing protected health information to investigate or prosecute patients, providers or others involved in providing legal reproductive health services.

Health care providers and consumers should not use certain N95 respirators made by O&M Halyard because they do not meet quality and performance expectations, and should not use certain surgical masks and pediatric face masks made by the company for fluid barrier protection, the Food and Drug Administration announced today.

Two experts from Seattle’s Swedish Hospital explain the role that doulas serve in prenatal and postpartum care, and how physicians and doulas can work together to reduce maternal and infant health disparities

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday reported a 32% increase in syphilis among newborns in 2021, as well as a 32% increase in syphilis and 4% increase in gonorrhea and chlamydia in other Americans

The Lown Institute’s latest report on hospital community benefits, like the previous one, is wrong and cannot be taken seriously as it once again relies on obvious biases and suffers from serious methodological flaws, AHA said in a blog published today. 

The Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology today released a proposed rule that would update certification requirements for health information technology developers under its Health IT Certification Program.

The Environmental Protection Agency today proposed requiring commercial sterilization facilities to comply within 18 months with stricter emission and control standards for ethylene oxide (EtO), a type of gas used to sterilize certain medical devices that cannot be sterilized using alternative methods.

HIPAA enforcement discretion implemented for the COVID-19 public health emergency will expire with the end of the PHE on May 11, but covered health care providers will have until Aug. 9 to comply with the HIPAA rules with respect to telehealth, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights announced today. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today issued a proposed rule for the long-term care hospital prospective payment system for fiscal year 2024. CMS estimates its proposals would decrease aggregate payments to LTCHs by approximately $24 million relative to FY 2023.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today issued a proposed rule that would increase Medicare inpatient prospective payment system rates by a net 2.8% in fiscal year 2024, compared with FY 2023, for hospitals that are meaningful users of electronic health records and submit quality measure data.

The AHA today voiced support for the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2023 (H.R.2389), legislation that would add 14,000 Medicare-funded residency positions to help alleviate physician shortages that threaten patients’ access to care.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Friday approved state plan amendments allowing Arizona to extend postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months after pregnancy for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollees under the American Rescue Plan Act.

Hospital and health system board members make decisions that affect their health care organization as well as their communities.

Health care leaders can develop “specific competencies and skills that can contribute to effective crisis management,” write Helena Bonfitto and Benjamin Wise, senior program managers for AHA Funded Partnerships.

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a tightening of standards regulating the manufacturing of several toxic chemicals, including ethylene oxide, which is widely used for sterilizing PPE and other medical equipment.

Three rural health care policy experts talk about the challenges, goals and opportunities in the context of AHA’s 2023 rural agenda.

A new Senate bill has won AHA’s backing due to the way it would provide rural hospitals with a much-needed financial lifeline

Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program are facing the most significant coverage challenge since the passage of the Affordable Care Act 13 years ago.