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The latest stories from AHA Today.
AHA yesterday provided feedback on a presidential commission鈥檚 draft recommendations to expand the federal response to the drug addiction and opioid crisis. 鈥淥f paramount importance in enabling this work is the need to preserve and protect health insurance coverage, including Medicaid,鈥
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price this week declared public health emergencies in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands due to Hurricane Maria, and waived or modified certain Medicare, Medicaid and Children鈥檚 Health Insurance Program requirements to ensure sufficient health care鈥
Inpatient rehabilitation facilities and long-term care hospitals have until Sept. 30 to review their 2016 quality data before it is publicly reported on the IRF Compare and LTCH Compare websites in December. Providers also have until Sept.
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices yesterday released a tool to help hospitals and outpatient facilities evaluate their safety practices for 鈥渉igh-alert鈥 medications, identify opportunities for improvement and track their experiences over time. Providers who submit their鈥
The AHA鈥檚 Sept. 25 Hospitals Against Violence webinar on 鈥淐aring for our Caregivers鈥 will be rescheduled for a later date. The AHA apologizes for any inconvenience and hopes those registered can participate when the event is rescheduled. For more information, contact Laura Castellanos at鈥
Medication-assisted treatment using buprenorphine and methadone should not be withheld from patients taking benzodiazepines or other drugs that suppress the central nervous system, the Food and Drug Administration advised today. While combining these drugs increases the risk of serious side effects鈥
The National Academy of Medicine today issued a guide to help clinicians counter the opioid epidemic. Developed by national experts on substance use disorders at the request of the National Governors Association, the paper calls for clinicians to prioritize non-opioid strategies when managing鈥
The Department of Health and Human Services will convene national leaders and experts to discuss the opioid epidemic and other addictions during a Sept. 27 webcast, from 1-2 p.m. ET. For more information and to access the live webcast, part of National Recovery Month, click here.
鈥淔ood is medicine,鈥 says Bill Monahan, a registered nurse and outreach coordinator for 19-bed Grace Cottage Hospital in Townsend, Vt. The hospital buys nearly 40% of its food from local sources to provide a more nutritious patient diet.
The AHA today urged the Health Resources and Services Administration to implement its final rule on 340B drug ceiling prices and civil monetary penalties for manufacturers without delay. 鈥淒elaying the implementation of the ceiling price and CMPs an additional nine months 鈥 from Oct. 1,鈥