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The Department of Health and Human Services May 1 released a final rule bolstering discrimination protections for people with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

The AHA May 2 released a new report highlighting how hospitals and health systems continue to experience significant financial pressures that challenge their ability to provide 24/7 care for patients and communities. 

Mounting pressures on the health care workforce have created a crisis with short-term staffing shortages and a long-range picture of an unfulfilled talent pipeline, and significant projected shortages of physicians and allied health and behavioral health care providers will likely be felt even more strongly in underserved communities, AHA told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in a statement submitted for a hearing May 2.

The AHA May 1 announced five winners of the AHA Dick Davidson NOVA Award for their hospital-led collaborative efforts to improve community health.

Two behavioral health experts from Illinois-based Ascension Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital share how its intensive outpatient perinatal care program accommodates new moms who need an elevated level of support.

As part of AHA’s recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, Rebecca Chickey, AHA’s senior director for behavioral health services, writes about the “People Matter, Words Matter” series of posters and the importance of using “person-first” language in behavioral health care settings.

AHA released ready-to-use resources for National Hospital Week, May 12-18, including a digital toolkit and social media graphics.

Herbert Pardes, M.D., 89, former president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian, died this week following an illness. Pardes was a longstanding and influential figure within health care, and an outspoken proponent for academic medicine, medical research and children’s health education, among other areas.

The Nebraska Hospital Association has established a relief fund following a tornado outbreak April 26.

The top three large-group insurers control an average of 82.2% of the market share in each state, nearly twice the combined average market share of each state’s largest health systems, according to a study about consolidation in health care released May 1 by the Association of American Medical Colleges. 

Senate and House lawmakers May 1 grilled UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty about the continued fallout from the Feb. 22 cyberattack on Change Healthcare — the most significant and consequential cyberattack on the U.S. health care system in American history. 

AHA’s Better Health for Mothers and Babies initiative April 29 released a resource highlighting strategies hospitals are implementing to raise awareness and detect heart health needs early, during and after pregnancy.

Eleven organizations representing health care providers, including the AHA, April 29 urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services not to hold accountable care organizations responsible for anomalous Medicare spending beyond their control.

“If you are asking yourself how a cyberattack on a single company could cause such massive damage, you are asking the right question,” an AHA advertorial in April 30's Washington Post, states. “The answer, however, is stunningly simple. Over the past several years, Change Healthcare’s corporate owner, UnitedHealth Group, has acquired so many companies and spread its tentacles so far throughout the healthcare system that it has become ‘too big to fail.’”

AHA submitted a statement to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health for a hearing April 30 on proposed legislation to address Medicaid access and program integrity.

The Food and Drug Administration April 29 issued a final rule that would phase out its general enforcement discretion approach for most laboratory developed tests over four years, citing concern that some of the tests may not provide accurate results or perform as well as FDA-approved in vitro diagnostic products.

The International Hospital Federation has extended the nomination deadline to May 3 for its 2024 awards honoring excellence in hospitals and health care organizations around the world.

The Department of Labor April 29 rescinded a 2018 final rule that modified the definition of “employer” under federal law such that more individuals, including sole proprietors, were eligible to participate in association health plans based on geography or industry.

The Department of Health and Human Services April 26 released a final rule reinstating certain regulatory protections against discrimination in health care programs and activities under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which were removed by the prior Administration in 2020.

The AHA April 29 provided the Senate Committee on Finance and House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations an update regarding outstanding issues continuing to impact patients and hospitals following the Change Healthcare cyberattack, as well as additional actions for Congress and the Administration to consider related to the cybersecurity of the health care sector.