Applications open until Oct. 1 for AHA's 2025 Equity of Care Awards  hnesich_drupal Jul 26, 2024 - 04:03 PM The AHA is now accepting applications through Oct. 1 for the 2025 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Awards, which will recognize the efforts of member hospitals and health systems in advancing health equity, diversity and inclusion across three categories. LEARN MORE   Health Equity Recognition and Awards Headline ..read more

AHA comments on 340B ACCESS Act, shares new 340B infographic  hnesich_drupal Jul 26, 2024 - 04:02 PM The AHA July 26 submitted a letter expressing concerns in response to the recently introduced 340B Affording Care for Communities and Ensuring a Strong Safety-Net (340B ACCESS) Act. The bill, which purports to “establish critical oversight and transparency of the 340B program,” would dramatically diminish the program through an extremely narrow patient definition, severely limited eligibility and child site requirements, and the promise of harsh civil monetary penalties for violations ..read more

North Korean hacker indicted for allegedly extorting U.S. hospitals, agencies issue cyberthreat advisory  hnesich_drupal Jul 26, 2024 - 04:01 PM The Department of Justice July 25 announced the indictment of North Korean national Rim Jong Hyok for allegedly conspiring to hack and extort U.S. hospitals and health care providers. The department said the proceeds were to be laundered and used to fund additional hackings into defense, technology and government entities globally. Rim and his co-conspirators worked for North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau in a cyber group known as “Anda ..read more

Speaking Up for Priorities That Will Help Hospitals Advance Health for Patients and Communities Matthew Diener Jul 26, 2024 - 08:57 AM It’s an understatement to say everything on the national political scene is both unprecedented and unpredictable these days. To state the obvious, there will be an election in about 100 days. And regardless of the outcome, it will be followed by a lame-duck session of Congress where there will be several must-do items — including funding the government — which becomes the legislative platform for a variety of issues, including critical ones impacting hospital ..read more

AHA announces 2025 Next Gen Fellows  kpage_drupal Jul 25, 2024 - 03:13 PM The AHA's Next Generation Leaders Fellowship July 25 announced its 36 fellows for 2025, who will each work with mentors to address a specific challenge to their hospital or health system, and present a solution at the 2025 AHA Leadership Summit. The new fellows come from hospitals and health systems in 21 states, serving in roles including quality, medicine, operations, nursing, market intelligence, business development and geriatrics.    “The 2025 class will discover new approaches and solutions to deli ..read more

CrowdStrike posts preliminary post-incident report on recent global IT outage kpage_drupal Jul 25, 2024 - 03:10 PM The cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike July 24 posted online a preliminary post-incident report  following a non-malicious global technology outage which began July 19 and affected many industries, including health care. The outage, which was caused by an undetected error in a rapid response content configuration update to CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform, impacted millions of Microsoft computers and had varying effects on hospitals and health systems across the country. The Crowd ..read more

In advance of IPPS final rule, AHA urges CMS not to cut DSH payments  kpage_drupal Jul 25, 2024 - 03:07 PM The AHA July 25 urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to maintain the uninsured rate at 8.7% under the inpatient prospective payment system final rule for fiscal year 2025, which would help provide stability for Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH). In comments to CMS, the AHA expressed concerns about the agency's lack of transparency regarding how it and the Office of the Actuary calculate DSH payments.    "The agency continues to withhold relevant inf ..read more

Continuing a Legacy of Innovation Nia Moyo CA Jul 25, 2024 - 09:31 AM Alicia Gresham CEO, Pennsylvania Hospital University of Pennsylvania Health System Pennsylvania Hospital is the first hospital in the nation, founded in 1751 by Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond. The hospital has a legacy of innovation: the first surgical amphitheater which served as an operating room from 1804-1868. The first medical library is still housed in our historic Pine Building with over 13,000 volumes — some printed before 1501. In 1765, Pennsylvania Hospital was the first U.S. hospital to deliver ..read more

AHA podcast: Fighting back against cybercriminals who know your vulnerabilities  kpage_drupal Jul 24, 2024 - 03:25 PM There has been a sharp uptick this year in ruthless tactics by cybercriminals, who are now directly threatening patients with the release of sensitive information, photos and medical records. John Riggi, AHA national advisor for cybersecurity and risk, talks with two experts about the rise in these tactics and what’s needed to fight back and prepare against these threat-to-life crimes. LISTEN NOW  Audio/Podcasts Cybersecurity Headline ..read more

AHA shares new resources and offerings from partners to help bolster cybersecurity efforts kpage_drupal Jul 24, 2024 - 03:24 PM The AHA July 24 shared information and new offerings from some of its private sector partners that can help hospitals and health systems strengthen their cybersecurity efforts and defend against and deflect cyberattacks.  One of the ways the AHA supports hospitals and health systems is through its Preferred Cybersecurity Provider program, which includes vetted, highly reputable and accomplished cybersecurity providers that have developed dedicated resources an ..read more