News

In a letter March 10 to health care providers, the departments of Health and Human Services and Labor called on UnitedHealth Group to expedite payments and provide greater transparency to health care providers impacted by the recent cyberattack on its Change Healthcare unit.

President Biden March 11 submitted to Congress his budget request for fiscal year 2025.

A federal court March 8 vacated the National Labor Relations Board’s 2023 rule for determining joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act and reinstated the 2020 rule, agreeing with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other plaintiffs that the new rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act.

This week is Patient Safety Awareness Week.

UnitedHealth Group March 7 announced a series of updates on its response to the unprecedented cyberattack against its subsidiary Change Healthcare.

Hospital and health system leaders March 7 received an email from the AHA and its Institute for Diversity and Health Equity reminding them to participate in AHA's 2024 DEI Benchmark Survey, which remains available until March 29.

Jill Howard, R.N., senior consultant, Sheppard Pratt Solutions, is the 2024 chair of AHA’s Committee on Behavioral Health. Zelia Baugh, executive vice president, behavioral health, JPS Health Network (Texas), will serve as the 2024 chair-elect; and Arpan Waghray, M.D., CEO, Well-Being Trust | Providence (Washington) will serve as the 2024 past-chair.

The International Hospital Federation is accepting nominations through April 19 for its 2024 awards honoring excellence in hospitals and health care organizations around the world.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services March 7 invited drug makers in the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program that make federally approved gene therapies for sickle cell disease to apply through May 1 to participate in the Cell and Gene Therapy Access Model.

Deborah Brown, senior vice president of external and regulatory affairs at NYC Health + Hospitals, discusses common challenges for metropolitan anchor hospitals and why these hospitals need more federal recognition and support.

The House March 5 voted 382-12 to pass the AHA-supported Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3838), bipartisan legislation that would reauthorize federal support for state-based committees that review pregnancy-related deaths to identify causes and make recommendations to prevent future mortalities.

The House Ways and Means Committee March 6 voted 26-17 to advance as amended to the full House the Protecting America’s Seniors’ Access to Care (H.R. 7513), AHA-supported legislation that would prohibit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from finalizing a proposed rule on minimum staffing for long-term care facilities.

The House March 6 voted 339-85 to pass a package of six appropriations bills that would fund certain federal agencies through fiscal year 2024 and contains certain health care provisions of interest to hospitals. The Senate is expected to consider the legislation later this week.

We continue to press Congress, the Administration and UnitedHealth Group to step up their efforts to respond to this unprecedented incident.

The Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services March 5 announced flexibilities intended to help providers continue to serve patients in the wake of the cyberattack on Change Healthcare.

The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, Federal Trade Commission and Department of Health and Human Services seek public input through May 6 on increasing private-equity and other corporate ownership in health care, which will inform their future enforcement priorities and efforts to promote competition in health care markets.

The Food and Drug Administration recently granted emergency use authorization for the first over-the-counter home antigen test to detect both flu and COVID-19.

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees March 3 released a package of six appropriations bills that would fund certain federal agencies through fiscal year 2024 and contains certain health care provisions of interest to hospitals.

UnitedHealth Group’s Temporary Funding Assistance Program “is not even a band-aid on the payment problems you identify,” AHA wrote March 4 in a message to UHG in response to a program the company unveiled March 1 following a cyberattack on UHG’s subsidiary Change Healthcare.

The AHA March 4 urged Congress to consider a number of actions to support hospitals’ efforts to care for patients as the entire health care system continues to navigate the effects of the ongoing cyberattack against Change Healthcare.