American Hospital Association Statement on President Biden's Executive Orders

American Hospital Association Statement on President Biden's Executive Orders | site |



(Information contained in American Hospital Association [AHA] press release dated: January 21, 2021)

AHA Statement on President Biden’s Executive Orders


Rick Pollack
President and CEO
American Hospital Association

January 21, 2021

America’s hospitals and health systems commend President Biden and his Administration for acting swiftly to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Ending this virus and returning to normal life are among the highest priorities we share with the Administration. In particular, we are pleased that the Administration will use all the tools at their disposal, including increased use of the Defense Production Act (DPA), to accelerate the availability of the supplies and equipment needed to fight COVID-19. This includes PPE for our heroic front-line caregivers ...

American Hospital Association names new Trustee to the Board | site |


(Information contained in American Hospital Association [AHA] press release: January 15, 2021)

Washington (January 15 , 2021) – The American Hospital Association (AHA) has elected Russ Gronewold to fill a vacancy on its Board of Trustees, effective January 2021; he will also serve as chair of Regional Policy Board 6. The Board of Trustees is the highest policymaking body of the AHA and has ultimate authority for the governance and management of its direction and finances. Gronewold is CEO of Bryan Health, a five hospital health system headquartered in Lincoln, Neb., a position he has held since 2020. He previously had been the system’s chief financial officer since 2010. Prior to joining Bryan Health, he served as vice president for business development for Alegent Health in Omaha, Neb. Gronewold is the immediate past chair of the Nebraska Hospital Association and is an active member...

American Hospital Association Statement on President-elect Biden’s COVID Relief Plan | site |




(Information contained in American Hospital Association [AHA] press release dated: January 14, 2021)

AHA Statement on President-elect Biden’s COVID Relief Plan


Rick Pollack
President and CEO
American Hospital Association

January 14, 2021

America’s hospitals and health systems, and our heroic front-line caregivers, applaud President-elect Biden’s focus and broad approach in bringing the COVID-19 pandemic to an end. We both share this as among the highest priorities for the nation. We continue to call for increased federal leadership, support and resources to combat this virus that has devastated countless families and communities and this plan makes important strides in these directions. In particular, we are pleased that it includes much-needed additional funding to ...

Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades Highlight Safety Fundamentals Needed to Cope with the Pandemic | site |



(Information contained in Leapfrog Group press release dated: December 14, 2020)

Washington D.C. - - The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization of employers and other purchasers focused on health care safety and quality, today released the fall 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. Assigning “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” and “F” letter grades to general acute-care hospitals in the U.S., the Safety Grade is the only rating focused entirely on how well hospitals protect patients from preventable errors, accidents, injuries, and infections. “We see in the news every day the extraordinary courage of clinicians and staff caring for patients stricken by COVID-19. What’s less apparent—yet equally laudable—are the untold efforts behind the scenes to protect patients. Hospitals’ commitment to the fundamentals have saved ...

American Hospital Association Statement on Court Delay of Most Favored Nation Model Interim Final Rule | site |



(Information contained in American Hospital Association [AHA] press release: December 23, 2020)

American Hospital Association Statement on Court Delay of Most Favored Nation Model Interim Final Rule

Tom Nickels
Executive Vice President
American Hospital Association

December 23, 2020

The AHA is pleased that Judge Blake has granted a temporary restraining order to prevent the Most Favored Nation (MFN) Model interim final rule from taking effect on January 1. Hospitals and health systems have very deep concerns about the substance and legality of this model, and the AHA filed a Declaration with this lawsuit expressing how the model could negatively impact hospitals, health systems and the patients they care for. Instead of holding drug companies...

HHS says Office for Civil Rights Facilitates Safe Clergy Access for Patients at Mt. Sinai Hospital During COVID-19 | site |



(Information contained in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press release: December 16, 2020) Today, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the resolution of a religious discrimination complaint, thus ensuring clergy access to patients for religious purposes during the COVID-19 pandemic for the entire Mt. Sinai Health System in New York (Mt. Sinai). On August 5, 2020, a Jewish community advocacy organization filed a complaint with OCR alleging that several hospitals in various hospital systems in New York, including Mt. Sinai in Manhattan, were denying Jewish patients access to clergy in both COVID and non-COVID units. In one instance at Mt. Sinai, the complaint alleged that a Jewish patient was unable to obtain access to Kosher food; after asking for his ra...

American Hospital Association Statement on FDA Emergency Use Authorization of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine | site |



(Information contained in American Hospital Association [AHA] press release: December 11, 2020)

AHA Statement on FDA Emergency Use Authorization of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine

Rick Pollack
President and CEO
American Hospital Association

December 11, 2020

America’s hospitals and health systems believe the announcement by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is an important step forward in ending this pandemic. This authorization was made on advice after a careful review by scientific and clinical experts through a thoughtful process. We will continue to be guided by science and follow the evidence that the FDA lays out on the safety and efficacy of the various vaccines in development. In addition to playing ...

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Publishes COVID-19 Hospital Facility-Level Data | site |




(Information contained in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press release: December 7, 2020)

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is releasing new hospital COVID-19 capacity data at the facility level. Previously released data about hospital capacity that had been released was aggregated at the state level. This new, more granular, data release aggregates daily hospital reports into a "week at a time" picture to protect patient privacy, while providing a view of how COVID-19 is impacting hospitals and local communities across the country. With this data release, how hospitals are impacted by COVID-19 will be shown on a per-hospital basis, allowing researchers, policy makers, and others to have greater insights into local COVID-19 response efforts. This time series data will update weekly, going back to Aug...

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Announces Comprehensive Strategy to Enhance Hospital Capacity Amid COVID-19 Surge | site |




(Information contained in Centers for Medicare and Medicaid press release dated: November 25, 2020) Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) outlined unprecedented comprehensive steps to increase the capacity of the American health care system to provide care to patients outside a traditional hospital setting amid a rising number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalizations across the country. These flexibilities include allowances for safe hospital care for eligible patients in their homes and updated staffing flexibility designed to allow ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) to provide greater inpatient care when needed. Building on CMS’s previous actions to expand the availability of telehealth across the nation, these actions are aimed at allowing health care services to be provided outside a h...

American Hospital Association Statement on Most Favored Nation Model Interim Final Rule | site |


(Information contained in American Hospital Association [AHA] press release: November 20, 2020)

AHA Statement on Most Favored Nation Model Interim Final Rule

Tom Nickels
Executive Vice President
American Hospital Association

November 20, 2020

America’s hospitals and health systems have very deep concerns about the substance and legality of today’s Most Favored Nation Model interim final rule. Instead of holding drug companies accountable for drug prices, it slashes reimbursement to hospitals for drugs. In addition to the continued concerns we have expressed about the impact this model has on the 340B drug pricing program, we strongly question whether attempting to institute such a sweeping and controversial policy in an interim final rule is legally permissible. B...

American Hospital Association says Project Firstline brings Flex, Easy-access COVID-19 Training to the Health Care Front-lines| site |


American Hospital Association is proud to partner with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reach and engage all health care personnel with this vital online curriculum


(October 28, 2020) - - On October 28, 2020 the American Hospital Association published the following information: CHICAGO (October 28, 2020) — In a time when health care personnel are working tirelessly on the front lines in the battle against COVID-19, bringing them quick and easy access to critical infection prevention and control training is essential. Project Firstline, a national training collaborative between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and some of the nation’s leading health care organizations, including the American Hospital Association (AHA), is designed to help health care workers increase their ...

Massachusetts General Hospital-led Team Identifies Gene Mutations Behind Lack of a Nose

Alterations in same gene previously associated with rare form of muscular dystrophy



February 27, 2017


Boston, MA - - (February 10, 2017) - - Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) led a large, international research team that has identified gene mutations associated with a rare congenital condition involving the absence of a nose and often accompanied by defects involving the eye and reproductive systems. Surprisingly, mutations in the same gene, SMCHD1, have previously been associated with a form of muscular dystrophy. The findings are described in a report published in Nature Genetics.

“Fascinating genetic studies had been done on SMCHD1 that linked the gene to FSHD2, a rare muscular dystrophy involving the interaction of multiple genetic sites, but it had never been connected to craniofacial abnormalities,”...