Editor's Note On Thursday, September 29, the House of Representatives voted 220-205 to pass legislation to impose new fines on insures that do not follow federal mental health pay parity requirements, in order to "hold employer-based health plans more accountable for improper denials of mental health and substance use benefits,"…

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Editor's Note According to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, 85% of pregnancy-related deaths in 36 states between 2017 and 2019 were preventable based on data from interdisciplinary committees that review deaths during and up to one year after pregnancy, American Hospital Association September 19 reports.…

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Editor's Note According to a September 14 FBI report, cyber criminals are increasingly targeting healthcare payment processors to redirect payments intended for healthcare providers to accounts they control, the American Hospital Association (AHA) September 16 reports. At least 68 attacks have occurred since June 2018, in which unknown cyber criminals…

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Editor's Note A new report was released by the American Hospital Association (AHA) highlighting numerous causes that resulted in 136 rural hospitals closing from 2010 to 2021, including 19 closures in 2020, AHA September 8 reports. These closures can be attributed to longstanding pressures, including low reimbursement, staffing shortages, low…

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Editor's Note The American Hospital Association (AHA) on September 7 released part three of a three-part series of its workforce guide focused on strategies, resources, and case studies from hospitals and other health systems. The AHA Board of Trustees’ Task Force on Workforce provided guidance for the series with input…

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Editor's Note The American Heart Association (AHA) released a statement outlining symptoms of common cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including acute coronary syndromes, heart failure, valvular disorders, stroke, rhythm disorders, and peripheral vascular disease, Medscape August 18 reports. Symptoms often overlap and may vary over time and by sex. Corrine Y. Jurgens, PhD,…

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Editor's Note The American Hospital Association (AHA) released part two of a three-part series of its workforce guide focused on strategies, resources, and case studies from hospitals and other health systems, Becker’s Hospital Review July 29 reports. The report, released July 27, is intended to help hospitals and health system…

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Editor's Note The American Hospital Association (AHA) will present this year’s Quest for Quality Prize to University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (UH) on July 18 at the AHA Leadership Summit in San Diego. UH is receiving the award because of its data-driven quality and safety improvements and innovative strategies to…

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Editor's Note According to a report from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), economic activity in the hospital subsector grew in June for the 25th consecutive month, Healthcare Purchasing News July 7 reports. Following are some observations, according to Nancy LeMaster, MBA, ISM chair for the Hospital Business Survey Committee:…

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Editor's Note On Friday, June 24, the American Hospital Association (AHA) voiced support for the Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act (PATCH Act)—legislation that would “require medical device manufacturers to meet certain cybersecurity requirements when seeking approval for devices that are internet connected or include software” in order to…

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