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The latest stories from AHA Today.
Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) today introduced the Mental Health Reform Act. According to the sponsors, the bipartisan legislation would create an assistant secretary within the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate federal mental health services, a committee to…
The Food and Drug Administration today released guidance on supplemental reprocessing measures that may further reduce the risk of infection associated with the use of duodenoscopes. The measures, which emerged from an FDA-led expert panel meeting, are intended to supplement strict adherence to the…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today recommended that public health departments track and alert health care facilities to drug-resistant outbreaks in their area, and work with them to reduce the threat of germs transferring between facilities. Among other actions, the “Vital…
Hospitals are encouraged to review their hospital-specific reports for the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program and submit any corrections before the 30-day review and correction period ends Aug. 14. The reports include a summary of the hospital’s results on the program’s quality measures…
Eliminating the three-day stay requirement for Medicare Advantage enrollees does not increase hospital or skilled nursing facility admissions or SNF lengths of stay, according to a new study published in Health Affairs. While traditional Medicare requires beneficiaries to be hospital inpatients for…
While hospitals merge in order to build a better and more durable continuum of care for patients, the motivation behind insurer consolidation is quite different, writes Melinda Hatton, AHA senior vice president and general counsel, in an AHASTAT blog post. “Despite fears that hospital mergers…
The District of Columbia federal court today heard arguments on respective motions for summary judgment in consolidated cases challenging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ 0.2% offset related to the two-midnight requirements, including a case brought by the AHA, four…
The Food and Drug Administration has alerted health care facilities to cybersecurity vulnerabilities with an infusion pump used for continuous delivery of general infusion therapy.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today awarded about $110 million to help health departments track and respond to infectious diseases. In addition to states and territories, the funding went to Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Friday updated its guidance related to the recent announcement that Medicare audit contractors will not deny certain Part B physician fee schedule claims based solely on the specificity of the ICD-10 code for 12 months after ICD-10 implementation.