News

As required by a judge's ruling in a lawsuit brought by the AHA and its member hospital plaintiffs, the Department of Health and Human Services recently provided an update on its progress reducing the backlog of Medicare appeals at the Administrative Law Judge level.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services today approved a Section 1115 waiver for Michigan that will require able-bodied adults aged 19 to 62 to work or participate in training or community service an average 80 hours per month to continue qualifying for Medicaid under the Healthy Michigan Plan beginning in 2020.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today issued a rule finalizing changes to the Medicare Shared Savings Program, including to the structure of payments made to accountable care organizations and other aspects of participation in the MSSP.

The AHA and Federation of American Hospitals “strongly believe that any public policy solution to resolve surprise bills must protect patients by prohibiting balance billing and by limiting patients’ cost-sharing to an in-network amount,” the organizations today told members of Congress.

The House of Representatives Wednesday approved a legislative package (H.R. 7328) that includes the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday announced proposed changes to the risk adjustment model for aged and disabled beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage Part C plans beginning in calendar year 2020, as required by the 21st Century Cures Act.

Commenting today on proposed policy changes for Medicare Advantage plan years 2020 and 2021, AHA expressed strong support for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ flexible approach to expanding MA telehealth benefits, as authorized by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.

AHA today urged the departments of Health and Human Services and Treasury to revise their updated guidance governing waivers under Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act to ensure that patients are protected from inadequate or unaffordable coverage.

The AHA today voiced support for a proposed rule that would allow employers to use health reimbursement arrangements to pay a portion of the premiums for individual market coverage for employees and their allowable dependents if the coverage complies with all individual market rules.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will host a Jan. 22 call for clinical diagnostic laboratories, including hospital outreach laboratories, on collecting and reporting data for the Clinical Diagnostic Test Payment System.

The AHA's Hospitals Against Violence initiative, the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center, and HEAL Trafficking Jan. 22 at 2 p.m. ET will host a webinar offering resources for health care professionals to combat human trafficking.

The AHA today released a new educational resource to help hospital and health system leaders with their efforts to reduce health disparities in their communities.

As this year winds down, on behalf of the entire AHA Board of Trustees and our staff team, I want to thank you for all you do. I also want to express our appreciation for turning to us as your trusted partner as you focus on serving your patients and communities.

The AHA, Federation of American Hospitals, and Association of American Medical Colleges today urged the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a D.C. Circuit Court decision that the Department of Health and Human Services violated the Medicare Act when it changed Medicare’s reimbursement adjustment formula for disproportionate share hospitals without providing notice and opportunity to comment.

The House and Senate Committees on Veterans’ Affairs yesterday held a joint hearing on progress to implement the VA MISSION Act of 2018, AHA-supported legislation that will consolidate the Department of Veterans Affairs' community care programs into a single permanent program.

A recent Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General audit report on 2013 inpatient rehabilitation facility stays “is a prime example” of the AHA’s ongoing concerns with OIG audit reports targeting potential Medicare overpayments to hospitals.

The Department of Health and Human Services this week issued a statement confirming that the agency will continue administering and enforcing all aspects of the Affordable Care Act.

About 71 percent of hospitals participated in at least one national health information network in 2017, according to a new report on electronic health information exchange by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

In a column published yesterday in Modern Healthcare, AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack and Atrium Health CEO Eugene A. Woods, who served as AHA Chairman in 2017, write about the potential ramifications of a federal judge’s recent ruling that the entire Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.

More than 182,000 Virginia adults have enrolled in coverage effective Jan. 1 under the state’s Medicaid expansion and thousands more are eligible, Gov. Ralph Northam announced yesterday.