News

bout 2.1 million people selected a 2021 health plan through the federally facilitated marketplace between Feb. 15 and Aug. 15 during the special enrollment period created in response to the COVID-19 emergency, with an additional 738,000 enrolling through the 15 state-based marketplaces, the Department of Health and Human Services reported.

The National Institutes of Health awarded about $470 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to New York University Langone Health for a project to study the long-term effects of COVID-19.

The Northwell Health Nurse Choir will compete in the America’s Got Talent finals tonight at 8 p.m. ET. Viewers can vote for them to bring home the win when the season concludes Wednesday, Sept. 15, at 8 pm ET. 

The AHA has announced the hospital-community partnership teams participating in the 2021 Hospital Community Collaborative.

James Elrod, president and CEO of Willis-Knighton Health System in Shreveport, La., and the longest-tenured hospital administrator in the United States, plans to retire Sept. 30 after 56 years, the health system announced .

The Nevada Hospital Association named as its new president and CEO Pat Kelly, who previously served as chief financial officer and vice president of shared services for the West Virginia Hospital Association.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services awarded the 21 state-based health insurance marketplaces between $500,000 and $1.1 million each to update their systems, programs or technology to ease enrollment and comply with federal requirements, including the American Rescue Plan Act’s increased premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions for plan years 2021 and 2022. 

State and territorial health departments have resumed distributing monoclonal antibodies to clinical sites, the Department of Health and Human Services announced.

The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury and the Office of Personnel Management (“the departments”) released proposed rules implementing certain provisions of the No Surprises Act related to enforcement, air ambulance transparency, and agent and broker disclosures. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed repealing a final rule codifying how it defines “reasonable and necessary” coverage for items and services furnished under Medicare Parts A and B, which is scheduled to take effect Dec. 15.

The AHA Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. ET is hosting a webinar with HCA Healthcare leaders Edmund Jackson, M.D., and Jeffrey Guy, M.D., who will share oxygen conservation strategies as COVID-19 cases surge nationwide, leading to limitation in supplies.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services awarded four organizations an initial $2 million each to serve as lead organizations for the Community Transformation Track in the Community Health Access and Rural Transformation Model.

Health care providers should immediately stop using and discard all ultrasound gel and lotion products made by Eco-Med Pharmaceutical Inc. due to potential bacterial contamination with Burkholderia cepacia complex, the Food and Drug Administration said in an update.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance for health care personnel on preventing and controlling infections during the COVID-19 pandemic; managing health care personnel with SARS-CoV-2 infection or exposure; and preventing SARS-CoV-2 spread in nursing homes.

Commenting on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ physician fee schedule rule for calendar year 2022, the AHA expressed appreciation for the agency’s proposals that support care delivery and patient outcomes by extending the timeline for certain programs and continuing others beyond the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

More school-age children have returned to in-person learning during the last few weeks. More employees are returning to their workplaces. Sports stadiums are filling with spectators again, and theaters and concert venues are welcoming back audiences. 

The Department of Health and Human Services announced that it will distribute $25.5 billion in COVID-19 relief funds to health care providers.

The National Institutes of Health yesterday released a study revealing a 38% increase in the opioid overdose death rate for non-Hispanic Black people in four states during 2018-2019.

The AHA released a new episode of PowerPlay, the on-demand video series that connects AHA members to major players in policy, politics and science.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce will mark up its legislative recommendations for the Build Back Better Act, which will be considered under budget reconciliation.