News

Hospital emergency departments treated 4.3% more nonfatal overdoses in 2017 than in 2016, with the visit rate increasing for all drugs except benzodiazepines, including an increase of 32.9% for cocaine, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

President Trump today directed the Health and Human Services Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, to use Defense Production Act authorities to facilitate the supply of materials to produce ventilators.

The Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services announced they will distribute personal protective equipment seized from hoarders to those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response in New York and New Jersey.

In an effort to encourage more blood donations, the Food and Drug Administration said it is revisiting and updating several existing policies to help ensure an adequate-but-safe national blood supply.

To support federal public health authorities and agencies in need of COVID-19-related data, the Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights will not penalize health care providers or their business associates for violations of certain HIPAA provisions.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of two new diagnostic tests for COVID-19, including the first reported test to measure SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in blood collected from individuals with suspected COVID-19.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its infection prevention and control guidance for health care facilities, and posted a form for reporting patients under investigation for COVID-19 infection

The Department of Labor issued a temporary rule to enable new paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave requirements established under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

The AHA urged the Small Business Administration to ensure that small- and mid-size hospitals are allowed to apply for and receive loans under the SBA Paycheck Protection Program that was established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The AHA urged leaders from the nation's five largest private health insurance companies to "meet the historic challenge" caused by COVID-19 to "ensure that the health care system is there for anyone who needs care."

Some COVID-ID patients in Singapore likely transmitted the virus to others on the island before they were symptomatic, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The official guidelines for the new ICD-10-CM code go into effect April 1 through Sept. 30 and have been posted by the Centers for Disease Control.

Hospitals and health systems are encouraged to direct COVID-19 questions to a new Department of Health and Human Services email.

Responding to requests from hospitals and health systems, the AHA has compiled resources, tools and sample policies that hospital and clinical leaders may find helpful in developing their own organization’s approach to caring for patients with limited resources or under crisis circumstances.

The Department of Labor March 28 released a set of frequently asked questions, which included information on how it defines “health care provider” and “emergency responder” under policies established by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health issued guidance on decontaminating disposable filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) for reuse during times of contingency and crisis capacity.

The AHA, Association of American Medical Colleges and Catholic Health Association of the United States requested that the Internal Revenue Service provide a six-month automatic extension for filing Forms 990, 990-T, and 4720 to any Section 501(c)(3) organization that is required to file Form 990, Schedule H.

The AHA, American Medical Association, American Society of Anesthesiologists, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and Association for Clinical Oncology are urging the Drug Enforcement Agency to allow drug manufacturers and 503B outsourcing facilities to receive increased annual production quota controlled-substance allocations during the COVID-19 crisis.

Given the scarcity of the ventilators in the Strategic National Stockpile and the current capacity of the private sector to meet the demand, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has adopted a new process to manage federal ventilator resources to ensure the ventilators are shipped to the states in the amount needed to manage the immediate crisis.

The Food and Drug Administration announced it is requesting manufacturers immediately withdraw all prescription and over-the-counter ranitidine drugs (commonly known by the brand name Zantac) from the market.