Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) News

The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services vaccine mandate to go into effect nationwide while blocking the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccine requirements from taking effect. The Court ruled 5-4 in allowing the CMS vaccine mandate to go into effect and 6-3 in blocking the OSHA mandates. 

The AHA released a new issue of the COVID-19 Snapshot underscoring the persisting challenges facing hospitals and health systems during the ongoing public health emergency.

President Biden announced he will deploy over 120 military medical personnel to hospitals in six states hit hard by the new COVID-19 variant: Michigan, New Mexico, New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Rhode Island.

To ensure continuation of critical 1135 waivers and Medicaid coverage flexibilities, the AHA today urged Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to renew for at least another 90 days the

The National Institutes of Health last week released a pair of studies offering fresh insights into COVID-19’s long-term effect on pediatric groups.

The AHA released its latest edition of the COVID-19 Snapshot underscoring the persisting challenges facing hospitals and health systems during the ongoing public health emergency.

The AHA joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Medical Association in urging the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a district court decision that refused to allow a case involving the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2005 to proceed in federal court and sent it back to state court for further proceedings.  

Two new COVID-19 home tests are now available to consumers in the U.S. Tests from SD Biosensor and Siemens in December gained Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization, in part driven by the Department of Health and Human Services’ accelerated pathway to support FDA’s review of tests with potential for large-scale manufacturing. 

As we reach the end of year two confronting a hopefully once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, caregivers are understandably tired from giving their all to care for patients, comfort families, save lives and protect communities. 

The AHA released its latest edition of the COVID-19 Snapshot underscoring the persisting challenges facing hospitals and health systems during the ongoing public health emergency.

The Health Resources and Services Administration has reopened the Provider Relief Fund portal until Dec. 20 at 11:59 p.m. ET to allow certain health care providers who experienced technical or other problems reporting on funds received between April 30 and June 30, 2020, to comply with the original reporting requirements before the agency recoups the funds or takes other enforcement actions.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission updated its COVID-19 technical assistance to clarify when COVID-19 might qualify as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act.

After treating the first confirmed COVID-19 patient in the U.S., Providence health system was able to use its scale and scope to quickly ramp up and deploy resources in response to the unprecedented public health emergency, the organization writes in “Better Together: The Value of Scale.”

The Department of Health and Human Services announced that later this week it will distribute $9 billion of the $17 billion in Provider Relief Fund “Phase 4” payments to providers who have experienced revenue losses and expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a new report from the Society for Health Care Strategy & Market Development’s 2021 Thought Leader Forum, leaders from Novant Health, ProMedica and RWJBarnabas Health share their perspectives on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care transformation. SHSMD is an AHA professional membership group.

About four in 10 eligible U.S. adults aged 65 or older received a booster or additional primary dose of COVID-19 vaccine between Aug. 13 and Nov. 19, with lowest coverage among American Indian or Alaska Native (30%), Hispanic or Latino (34%), and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander persons (35%), CDC reported today.

The Food and Drug Administration announced the widely anticipated expansion of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorization to allow booster doses for 16- and 17-year-olds.

The AHA released a new issue of the COVID-19 Snapshot underscoring the persisting challenges facing hospitals and health systems during the ongoing public health emergency.

Tamiko Stanley, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Luminis Health, reflects on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and best practices moving forward.

With the calendar turning to December, Congress finds itself in a familiar position: a long to-do-list, impending deadlines and facing uncertainty over how things will play out.