News

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today posted the final incentive payment adjustment factors for the fiscal year 2019 Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program, which are being used to adjust base operating Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Group payments to eligible hospitals for discharges this year.

Inpatient and outpatient prospective payment system hospitals, inpatient psychiatric facilities and PPS-exempt cancer hospitals can preview their data for the February update to Hospital Compare through Dec. 30 at the QualityNet Secure Portal.

Rural hospitals and other eligible providers can apply through March 4 for a portion of $21 million in Health Resources and Services Administration grants to develop new rural residency programs or training tracks in family medicine, internal medicine and psychiatry to expand the physician workforce in rural areas

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has updated its tool to help clinicians determine if they must participate in the 2018 Merit-based Incentive Payment System, one of two payment pathways for clinicians under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015.

Three years ago, the AHA launched the #123forEquity pledge campaign to accelerate progress toward improving health equity, asking hospitals and health systems to take action in three areas: increasing the collection and use of race, ethnicity, language preference and other socio-demographic data; increasing cultural competency training; and increasing diversity in leadership and governance. A fourth area – improving and strengthening community partnerships – was added last year. 

The Food and Drug Administration today issued draft guidance describing the premarket studies that manufacturers should conduct for blood glucose monitoring systems intended for use in professional health care settings.

As urged by the AHA, the Health Resources and Services Administration today announced that it expects to publish online by April 1 drug ceiling prices under the 340B Drug Pricing Program.

AHA today urged the United States Pharmacopeial Convention to delay by at least 18 months the effective dates for its general chapter pharmaceutical compounding and general chapter hazardous drug handling in health care settings, as well as proposed revisions to general chapter .

he National Quality Forum Measure Applications Partnership today published a list of 39 measures that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is considering adopting in Medicare public reporting and payment programs.

The number of uninsured U.S. children rose by 276,000 in 2017, the first increase since comparable data became available in 2008, according to a new analysis by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families

Earlier this month, voters in exit poll after exit poll made it clear that health care is an important issue to them. And near the top of their list of concerns was the affordability of health care services. 

The Department of Health and Human Services today issued a final rule making Jan. 1 the effective date of its final regulations on drug ceiling prices and civil monetary penalties for manufacturers under the 340B Drug Pricing Program. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced four concepts that states can use to promote health coverage options under Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act: account-based subsidies; state-specific premium assistance; adjusted plan options; and risk stabilization strategies.

Four in 10 acute care hospitals could electronically send, receive, find and integrate patient health information from outside providers or sources in 2017, up from three in 10 in 2016, according to a report released this week by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

A federal grand jury yesterday charged two Iranian men with developing and deploying the SamSam

U.S. life expectancy at birth continued to decline in 2017, from 78.7 years to 78.6, largely due to increase deaths from unintentional injuries, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CVS Health yesterday announced it has completed its $69 billion acquisition of Aetna.

The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing, of which the AHA is a founding member, yesterday released a new ad urging Congress to keep its commitment to lower drug prices.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today held the fifth<

The Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT today released for comment a draft strategy on reducing regulatory and administrative burden related to the use of health information technology and electronic health records.