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The latest stories from AHA Today.
The departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury yesterday released the final template, glossary and other materials that health plans will use to provide a Summary of Benefits and Coverage to applicants and enrollees effective April 1, 2017.
Based on a review of case studies and published literature, a new report from the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine identifies six practices that show promise for improving care for socially at-risk populations: commitment to health鈥
Many white medical students and residents hold false beliefs about biological differences between black and white people that may contribute to racial disparities in pain assessment and treatment, according to two related studies reported this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of鈥
A new paper by two respected economists 鈥渢hrows cold water鈥 on an untested theory that claims competition falls and prices rise when hospitals in distant geographies combine, writes Melinda Reid Hatton, AHA general counsel and senior vice president, in an AHASTAT blog post.
The AHA today launched a web resource offering comprehensive information on telehealth, available at www.aha.org/telehealth. The site includes information on federal and state telehealth initiatives, research documenting telehealth value, AHA-member case studies showing telehealth in action and AHA鈥
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today approved the last five in a package of bipartisan bills expected to serve as a companion to the House-passed 21st Century Cures Act.
As House and Senate appropriators begin to consider fiscal year 2017 funding for health care programs, AHA today urged them to give 鈥渟trong and favorable鈥 funding consideration to health care programs shown to improve access to quality health care.
The nation faces a shortage of between 61,700 and 94,700 physicians by 2025, according to updated projections by the Association of American Medical Colleges. The projected shortfalls range from 14,900-35,600 for primary care physicians and 37,400-60,300 for physicians in non-primary care鈥
The AHA encourages all hospitals to submit data to the quarterly RACTrac survey by April 22. The free web-based survey helps AHA gauge the impact of Medicare's Recovery Audit Contractor program on hospitals and advocate for needed changes. For more information on the RACTrac initiative, visit www.鈥
The AHA yesterday urged the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission not to unfairly penalize hospitals or physicians as it considers Medicare payment policies for Part B drugs. 鈥淥ur members have expressed deep concerns over their ability to provide the highest quality care to patients due to the鈥