The AHA, American Medical Association, American Health Care Association, National Association for Home Care & Hospice, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, and Association for Clinical Oncology urged Senate leaders to extend the moratorium on the Medicare sequester cuts beyond March 31.
Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) News
Below are links to AHA Today stories on novel coronavirus (COVID-19). For all coronavirus resources and news updates, visit our COVID-19 page.
Latest
The Food and Drug Administration granted an emergency use authorization for Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine.
The House of Representatives voted 219-212 to approve a modified version of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, legislation to provide reconciliation protection for a roughly $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, which includes a number of provisions that affect hospitals and health systems.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released guidance clarifying federal requirements for health plans to cover certain items and services related to diagnostic testing for COVID-19 without cost-sharing, prior authorization or other medical management requirements.
The Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee recommended the approval of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will host a March 3 roundtable discussion on the academic, social and emotional impacts of distance learning on children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Israeli patients aged 70 and older were much less likely to require mechanical ventilation for COVID-19 after most people in their age group had received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
AHA released a one-stop web hub for hospitals and health systems to find communication resources related to COVID-19 vaccines.
The Food and Drug Administration will allow undiluted frozen vials of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to be transported and stored at conventional pharmaceutical freezer temperatures (-13°F to 5°F) for up to two weeks as an alternative to its preferred storage at -112 F to -76ºF, the agency announced.
For the last few weeks, we’ve used this space to highlight the need for the next COVID-19 relief package to provide hospitals and health systems with additional resources and support so they can continue to care for patients and protect communities.
President Biden continued the national emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic beyond March 1.
The AHA and eight other hospital organizations urged Senate leaders to include additional COVID-19 relief funding for health care providers in the current reconciliation package.
The Food and Drug Administration's Office of Minority Health and Health Equity released two videos on COVID-19 vaccines and the importance of communities of color who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 getting vaccinated to protect themselves and loved ones from the virus.
The AHA has received $6 million in grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to promote clinician and public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines, and help train current and future health care personnel to prevent and control infectious disease.
Data submitted to the Food and Drug Administration confirms that Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate is safe and effective.
Judy Rich, president and CEO of Tucson Medical Center in Arizona, said on a call with media that on top of nursing costs, which in some instances have jumped from $48 per hour to $150 per hour, her hospital is even funding a kindergarten-through-sixth grade school so staff can come to work.
The Coalition to Protect America’s Health Care, of which the AHA is a founding member, has launched a new TV ad urging Congress to provide critical resources to help hospitals and health systems as they continue the battle against COVID-19.
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Community Care Network now offers COVID-19 vaccinations to eligible veterans nationwide at its urgent care and retail pharmacy locations, the agency reports.
Johnson & Johnson plans to deliver 20 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate to the United States by the end of March if the Food and Drug Administration authorizes emergency use of the single-dose vaccine, a company executive told a House subcommittee at a hearing on expanding vaccine availability.
At a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on his nomination to serve as Health and Human Services Secretary, Xavier Becerra said he supports additional COVID-19 funding for health care providers.