/ en Fri, 25 Apr 2025 19:24:09 -0500 Mon, 07 Apr 25 18:20:15 -0500 /2017-12-15-aha-today <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-8"><img alt="AHA Today News logo" class="align-center" src="/sites/default/files/2023-02/aha-today-logo-900.jpg" /> <p>Thank you for your interest in AHA Today, the ���������� Association’s six-day-a-week email newsletter. Each weekday you’ll get the day’s top news stories, with the context and analysis that hospital and health systems leaders need to lead their organization. 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Payments to MA plans are projected to result in an increase of 5.06%, or more than $25 billion. This is an increase of 2.83% since the CY 2026 Advance Notice, which CMS attributes to an increase in the effective growth rate. The AHA is continuing to review the rate announcement and recent <a href="/news/headline/2025-04-04-cms-releases-final-rule-2026-medicare-advantage-prescription-drug-plans" target="_blank">policy rule</a> and will provide members with more information soon.</p> Mon, 07 Apr 2025 18:20:15 -0500 News /news/news/2025-04-02-graham-releases-senate-amendment-house-budget-resolution <p>Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., April 2 released the Senate's <a href="https://www.budget.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/senate_amendment_h_con_res_14.pdf" target="_blank">amendment</a> to the House budget resolution for fiscal year 2025. This marks the next step towards reaching a common budget resolution that will allow Congress to move forward with the <a href="/issue-landing-page/2025-02-07-budget-reconciliation-process-resource-page" target="_blank">reconciliation process</a>.</p><p>Of note, the Senate amendment leaves unchanged the instruction for the House Energy and Commerce Committee to cut a minimum of $880 billion in spending. The Energy and Commerce Committee has primary jurisdiction over Medicaid and other health care programs. The Senate budget resolution also would increase the debt limit by $5 trillion, which is $1 trillion more than what was in the House budget resolution.</p><p>The Senate could vote as soon as April 2 or April 3 on whether to advance the budget resolution, which would kick off a marathon session known as “vote-a-rama” before a final vote. If the revised resolution passes the Senate, it would move to the House for consideration.</p><p>“With the passage of this budget resolution, we unlock the ability for the appropriate Senate committees to fully fund our border needs for four years, provide much-needed financial relief to our military at a time of great danger, make the 2017 tax cuts permanent to energize the economy, and do what has been promised for decades: go through every line item of the budget to cut wasteful and unnecessary spending — hopefully by the trillions,” Graham said in a <a href="https://www.budget.senate.gov/chairman/newsroom/press/chairman-graham-i-am-confident-we-will-rise-to-the-occasion" target="_blank">statement</a>.</p> Wed, 02 Apr 2025 18:07:17 -0500 News /news/news/2025-04-02-trump-administration-announces-new-tariff-plan <p>The Trump administration April 2 <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-declares-national-emergency-to-increase-our-competitive-edge-protect-our-sovereignty-and-strengthen-our-national-and-economic-security/?mkt_tok=NzEwLVpMTC02NTEAAAGZl4zx_N4esU_QqL0hfJMSMXdiA6suha2b_3JKvvGap-WR_MKKOj045zDBFN6XB-EhXoqQSwW1KJytJ-EmeLs" target="_blank">announced</a> the implementation of a new tariff plan that will impose a 10% universal tariff on imported goods from all countries beginning April 5. In addition, beginning April 9, the administration will implement reciprocal tariffs on certain countries with which the U.S. has high trade deficits that will be added onto the universal tariff. Certain goods — including pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and copper — will not be subject to reciprocal tariffs. In addition, the administration’s previously announced tariffs for <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-imposes-tariffs-on-imports-from-canada-mexico-and-china/" target="_blank">Canada and Mexico</a> are not affected by this new order. AHA members will receive additional information soon.</p> Wed, 02 Apr 2025 18:00:37 -0500 News /news/news/2024-10-03-rural-hospital-uses-simulation-training-learn-and-practice-emergency-preparedness-skills <p>The increasing number of public health emergencies in the U.S., including mass violence incidents and natural disasters, highlight the need for enhanced medical surge management and emergency preparedness programs at hospitals and health systems.</p><p>Simulation training stands out as a proactive approach to strengthening emergency preparedness, offering critical support for health care professionals to manage high-stress scenarios effectively.</p><p>Helen Newberry Joy Hospital, in Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula, partnered with the <a href="https://camls-us.org/" target="_blank" title="Visit The Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation">Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation</a> (CAMLS) at USF Health in Tampa to strengthen the hospital’s trauma unit surge capabilities. The hospital’s remote geographic location, limited resources and increased probability for severe weather pose challenges if a medical surge incident occurs. CAMLS trains health care professionals through realistic simulation experience. Individuals and teams learn and practice the necessary skills to respond efficiently to medical surge scenarios.</p><p>Leaders at HNJH say the simulation-based training improved teams’ abilities to manage an influx of trauma patients, particularly in high-stress, low-resource situations common in a rural setting. The realistic scenario-based exercises allowed clinicians to practice and refine their response techniques, while interprofessional team training enhanced collaboration and communication.</p><p>In addition, CAMLS training emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement through debriefing sessions, which has helped the hospital identify areas for improvement and integrate lessons learned into future practices.</p><p>Haru Okuda, M.D., CEO and executive director of USF Health’s CAMLS, and Steven A. Vix, M.D., medical director of the trauma program at HNJH, discussed the simulation training experience during a session at the 2024 AHA Rural Health Care Leadership conference.</p><div></div><p>For more information and resources on how hospitals and health systems can better prepare for, respond to and recover from public health emergencies, visit the <a href="/aha-clear" title="VIsit Convening Leaders for Emergency and Response (CLEAR) hub on AHA">Convening Leaders for Emergency and Response</a> (CLEAR) hub.</p><p><em>Chandler Carter is a program manager at the ���������� Association.</em></p><p><em>Presented as part of Cooperative Agreement 5 HITEP210047-03-00, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR). The Health Research & Educational Trust, an ���������� Association 501(c)(3) nonprofit subsidiary, is a proud partner of this Cooperative Agreement. The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the Health Research & Educational Trust and its partners and do not necessarily represent the official policies or views of the Department of Health and Human Services or of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. Further, any mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.</em></p> Thu, 03 Oct 2024 09:39:06 -0500 News /news/news/2024-06-20-judge-rules-favor-aha-vacating-hhs-online-tracking-bulletin-unlawful-and-beyond-agency-authority <p>A United States District Court Judge in Texas today <a href="/system/files/media/file/2024/06/opinion-order-in-aha-et-al-v-xavier-becerra-et-al-6-20-2024.pdf">ruled</a> in favor of the AHA, Texas Hospital Association, and hospital plaintiffs, agreeing that Department of Health and Human Services “bulletins” that restrict health care providers from using standard third-party web technologies that capture IP addresses on portions of their public-facing webpages were unlawful final rules and vacating the March 2024 Revised Bulletin.</p><p>“It’s easy for eyes to glaze over at a thirty-page opinion discussing the administrative esoterica accordant with HIPAA compliance,” United States District Court Judge Mark Pittman wrote today. “But this case isn’t really about HIPAA, the Proscribed Combination, or the proper nomenclature for PHI in the Digital Age. Rather, this is a case about power.…  While the Proscribed Combination may be trivial to HHS, it isn’t for covered entities diligently attempting to comply with HIPAA’s requirements.…  The Court <strong>GRANTS </strong>the Hospitals’ request for declaratory judgment and <strong>DECLARES </strong>that the Proscribed Combination, as set forth in the HHS Bulletin of March 18, 2024, is <strong>UNLAWFUL</strong>, as it was promulgated in clear excess of HHS’s authority under HIPAA.”</p><p>The AHA, joined by the Texas Hospital Association, Texas Health Resources, and United Regional Health Care System, last November <a href="/legal-documents/2023-11-02-case-complaint-aha-tha-thr-united-health-care-system-v-rainer">sued</a> the federal government to bar enforcement of an unlawful rule, masquerading as guidance, that has upended hospitals’ and health systems’ ability to share health care information with the communities they serve and analyze their own website traffic to enhance access to care and public health. In response to the lawsuit, HHS OCR in March issued updated guidance for HIPAA-covered entities and business associates on using online tracking technologies. The AHA contended the revised bulletin was still unlawful, and Judge Pittman agreed in today’s ruling.</p><p>AHA General Counsel Chad Golder stated, “For more than a year, the AHA has been telling the Office for Civil Rights that its ‘Online Tracking Bulletin’ was both unlawful and harmful to patients and communities. We regret that we were forced to sue OCR, but we are pleased that the Court today agreed with the AHA and held that OCR does not have ‘interpretive carte blanche to justify whatever it wants irrespective of violence to HIPAA’s text.’ As a result of today’s decision, hospitals and health systems will again be able to rely on these important technologies to provide their communities with reliable, accurate health care information.”</p><p>Seventeen state hospital associations and 30 hospitals and health systems filed friend-of-the-court briefs supporting AHA and its co-plaintiffs in this lawsuit.</p> Thu, 20 Jun 2024 17:36:18 -0500 News /news/news/2024-04-10-cms-issues-hospital-ipps-proposed-rule-fy-2025 <p>The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today issued a <a href="https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2024-07567.pdf">proposed rule</a> that would increase Medicare inpatient prospective payment system rates by a net 2.6% in fiscal year 2025, compared with FY 2024, for hospitals that are meaningful users of electronic health records and submit quality measure data. <br> <br>This 2.6% payment update reflects a hospital market basket increase of 3.0% as well as a productivity cut of 0.4%. It would increase hospital payments by $2.9 billion, plus a proposed $560 million increase in disproportionate share hospital payments and proposed $94 million increase in new medical technology payments. <br> <br>In a <a href="/press-releases/2024-04-10-aha-statement-fy-2025-proposed-ipps-ltch-payment-rule">statement</a> shared with the media today, Ashley Thompson, AHA’s senior vice president for public policy analysis and development, said, “CMS’ proposed inpatient hospital payment update of 2.6% is woefully inadequate, especially following years of high inflation and rising costs for labor, drugs, and equipment. Many hospitals across the country, especially those in rural and underserved communities, continue to operate under unsustainable negative or break-even margins. We urge CMS to reconsider their policy in the final rule so that all hospitals can provide high-quality, around the clock, essential care to their communities.  <br> <br>“The AHA has long supported flexible and widespread adoption of value-based and alternative payment models to deliver high quality care at lower costs. That said, we are very concerned that the agency has proposed a mandatory model for five clinical episodes which expands substantially on the current Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement model and Bundled Payment for Care Improvement model– neither of which have yielded significant net savings. We continue to encourage CMS to ensure that episode-based payment models are voluntary. Many organizations are not of an adequate size or in a financial position to support the investments necessary to transition to mandatory bundled payment models. Requiring them to take on risk for large, diverse bundles may require more financial risk than they can bear.” <br> <br>Among other provisions, the proposed rule would: <br>* Continue the low wage index hospital policy for FY 2025. <br>* Establish a separate IPPS payment for establishing and maintaining access to essential medicines. <br>* Establish a new mandatory CMS Innovation Center model that would provide bundled payment for certain surgical procedures. <br>* Distribute new graduate medical education slots under section 4122 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. <br>* Seek public comments on the use of Medicare IPPS payments for maternity care by other payers. <br> <br>In addition, CMS proposes a number of changes to its quality reporting and value programs. CMS would add seven new measures to the inpatient quality reporting program that are largely focused on hospital patient safety-related practices and outcomes and would remove four IQR measures. CMS also proposes to modify the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey, resulting in updates to the HCAHPS sub-measures used in the IQR and the Hospital Value-based Purchasing Program. CMS proposes to increase the number of mandatory electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) that hospitals must report for both the IQR and the Promoting Interoperability programs.   <br> <br>Lastly, CMS proposes to modify and make permanent its Condition of Participation requiring hospitals and critical access hospitals to report certain data on acute respiratory illnesses. Beginning on Oct. 1, CMS would require hospitals and CAHs to report data once per week on confirmed infections of COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syntactical virus among hospitalized patients, hospital capacity and limited patient demographic information, including age. <br> <br>CMS will accept comments on the proposed rule through June 10. AHA members will receive a Special Bulletin with further details on the rule. </p> Wed, 10 Apr 2024 18:55:50 -0500 News /news/news/2024-04-10-cms-releases-fy-2025-proposed-rule-long-term-care-hospitals <p>The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today <a href="https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2024-07567.pdf">proposed</a> increasing long-term care hospital standard rate payments by 1.2% in fiscal year 2025 relative to FY 2024. This includes a 3.2% market basket update, reduced by a 0.4% productivity adjustment. In addition, CMS proposes to raise the fixed-loss amount for high-cost outlier payments to $90,921, which would reduce overall standard rate payments by 1.3%. CMS also proposes to rebase the LTCH market basket using a 2022 base year.  <br> <br>In a <a href="/press-releases/2024-04-10-aha-statement-fy-2025-proposed-ipps-ltch-payment-rule">statement</a> shared with the media, Ashley Thompson, AHA’s senior vice president for public policy analysis and development, said AHA is “disappointed that CMS has proposed to increase the long-term care hospital outlier threshold, once again, by an extraordinary amount. Expecting LTCHs to absorb an additional $31,048 loss per patient would greatly exacerbate the resource challenges these hospitals face. Long-term care hospitals care for complex patients who require extended hospitalization – a population they provide care for already at a considerable financial loss. As such, we continue to call on CMS to modernize its high-cost outlier policy to ensure access to these essential services for some of Medicare’s most severely ill beneficiaries. Any loss of access would affect not only long-term care hospitals and patients, but also would have ripple effects across the care continuum, such as placing additional burdens on short-term acute care hospitals and their intensive care units (ICUs).” <br> <br>While CMS does not propose to adopt or remove any quality measures from the LTCH Quality Reporting Program, the agency proposes to adopt and modify certain patient assessment items related to health-related social needs; LTCHs would be required to collect and report specific data elements related to living situation, food and utilities beginning with the FY 2028 LTCH QRP. CMS also proposes to extend the window in which patient assessments must be done from three to four days after admission. Finally, CMS issues two Requests for Information, one related to future measure concepts and another on a potential star rating system for LTCHs. <br> <br>CMS will accept comments on the proposed rule through June 10. AHA members will receive a Special Bulletin with further details on the rule. </p> Wed, 10 Apr 2024 18:50:29 -0500 News /news/news/2024-03-15-aha-survey-change-healthcare-cyberattack-having-significant-disruptions-patient-care-hospitals-finances <p>Ninety-four percent of hospitals are experiencing a financial impact from the Change Healthcare cyberattack with more than half reporting “significant or serious” impact, according to <a href="/2024-03-15-aha-survey-change-healthcare-cyberattack-significantly-disrupts-patient-care-hospitals-finances">results from an AHA survey</a> released today. The survey included responses from about 1,000 hospitals from March 9-12. More than 80% of hospitals said the cyberattack has affected their cash flow, and of those nearly 60% report that the impact to revenue is $1 million per day or more. In addition, the survey found that 74% of hospitals reported impacts to direct patient care as a result of the cyberattack. While hospitals are implementing workarounds to mitigate the patient impact and address the affected Change Healthcare systems, most hospitals are reporting that these workarounds are very labor intensive and costly.</p><p>“These survey findings are another irrefutable reminder that the impact of this cyberattack is far reaching and far from over,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “When nearly every hospital says they are experiencing a financial loss and half of those say it’s ‘significant or serious,’ with no immediate end in sight, then the debate about whether we need to help them should be over. We continue to call on Congress and the Administration to take additional actions now to support providers as they deal with significant fallout from this historic attack. We also need UnitedHealth Group and commercial payers to step up and support patients and providers on the front lines by waiving prior authorization and timely filing requirements, as well as advancing payments that will allow providers to continue providing 24/7 care to communities.”</p> Fri, 15 Mar 2024 12:19:48 -0500 News /news/news/2023-10-27-cms-releases-proposed-rule-improve-no-surprises-act-idr-process <p>The departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury Oct. 27 issued a <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/10/27/biden-harris-administration-advances-efforts-improve-surprise-billing-payment-dispute-process.html">proposed rule</a> intended to improve how the No Surprises Act independent dispute resolution process functions in response to feedback and challenges shared by stakeholders. The public will have 60 days to submit comments. The rule would require plans to include claim adjustment reason codes and remittance advice remark codes, among other new information, with the initial payment or notice of payment denial for certain items and services subject to the NSA protections. The rule proposes changes to the batching requirements so that Items and services could be batched in the same payment determination if they are: furnished to a single patient on one or more consecutive dates of service and billed on the same claim form (a single patient encounter); billed under the same service code or a comparable code under a different procedural code system; or anesthesiology, radiology, pathology and laboratory items and services billed under service codes belonging to the same Category I CPT code section, as specified in the agencies’ guidance. Batched items would be limited to 25 items or services in a single dispute. Lastly, the proposed rule would amend certain requirements related to the open negotiation period preceding the IDR process, the initiation of the process, the dispute eligibility review, and the payment and collection of administrative fees and certified IDR entity fees. <br />  </p> Fri, 27 Oct 2023 16:57:10 -0500 News