• Industry Voices—How prior authorization can disrupt medically necessary care (Fierce Health)

• What impact has the coronavirus pandemic had on health employment? (Petterson-KFF)

• Healthcare spending increased by 9.7% in 2020 largely because of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, CMS reports (RevCycle)

• Washington Governor and Legislative Leaders Announce Delay in Long-Term Care Fund (National Law Review)

• 2021 Employer-Sponsored Health Plan Spending Growth Hit 6.3% (HealthPayer)

• Considering the Future of Price Transparency Initiatives—Information Alone Is Not Sufficient (JAMA Editorial)

• Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs (KFF)

• Report: Ensuring an Effective Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise (National Academies)

• Highlights of Study (PDF)

• Flurry of doctor group buyouts helps fuel 'extraordinary' surge in health M&A (HealthCareDive)

• Hospital rebrands: 80 name changes in 2021 (Beckers)

• Urban-Rural Medical Initiatives Can Help Communities Thrive (MSN/USNEWS)

• CDC’s COVID vaccination rates appear inflated, say health experts (TampaBayNews)

• Decline in heart disease death rate slowed from 2011 to 2019 (Medical Xpress)

• Scientists identify malfunctioning brain cells as potential target for Alzheimer’s treatment (EurekaAlert!)

• Advocates are urging CMS to reinstate mandatory federal training requirements for nursing home aides (Beckers)

• State rep (Missouri) looks to end state application process for health care facilities (News-Press)

• New Hampshire officials note high rate of cancer in Merrimack as investigators look into drinking water (WMUR)

• Initial Funding Approved for State Mental Health Monitor to collect and analyze data on how Mississippi's mental health system is working to prevent unnecessary hospitalizations (Jackson Free Press)

• Health Experts Worry CDC’s Covid Vaccination Rates Appear Inflated (KHN)

• Virginia lawmakers endorse staffing requirements for nursing homes (Fauquier Times)

• States with strong antitrust laws challenge more hospital mergers but still fall short on addressing consolidation (Fierce Health)

• How Nursing Homes’ Worst Offenses Are Hidden From the Public (NYT)

• Senate passes legislation to avoid Medicare cuts in year-end sprint (HealthCareDive)

• Study:Trends in US Surgical Procedures and Health Care System Response to Policies Curtailing Elective Surgical Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic (JAMA Network)

• Nearly 13M in U.S. skip, delay meds due to cost (UPI)

• Study Brief:In the Years Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, Nearly 13 Million Adults Delayed or Did Not Get Needed Prescription Drugs Because of Costs (RWJ/Urban Institute)

• Record-Breaking Autism Rates Reported With New CDC Criteria (Medscape)

• Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years — Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2018 (MMWR,Dec 3 2021)

• Private-equity-acquired nursing homes have worse resident outcomes, higher Medicare costs, study finds (Fierce Health)

• Sickle cell disease may impact a small portion of the Medicaid population, but this community of beneficiaries has high Medicaid spending and emergency care utilization (HealthPayer)

• Major psychiatric disorders may worsen COVID-19 outcomes (Healio)

• Study: Variation in COVID-19 Mortality in the US by Race and Ethnicity and Educational Attainment
• Study: Analysis of COVID-19 Infection and Mortality Among Patients With Psychiatric Disorders, 2020

• Ground ambulances, excluded from surprise billing ban, to get scrutiny from federal committee (HealthCareDive)

• Private equity-owned air ambulances receive bigger payments, issue more surprise bills (Beckers)

• Hospital Ransomware Attacks Go Beyond Health Care Data (SecurityIntel)

• Millions of Patients Receive Healthcare Data Breach Notifications (HealthIT)

• Pandemic drove less care, fewer medical bills for Minnesota patients in 2020 (Star Tribune)

• How Rural Communities Are Losing Their Pharmacies (KHN)

• How COVID-19 Impacted The Individual Health Insurance Marketplace (Health Payer)

• Medicare Part B Premium Jumps Dramatically for 2022 (Kiplinger/MSN)

• ACA coverage less affordable over time for middle-class families, study finds (Biznews)

• Analysis of health insurance data shows possible long-term health implications of COVID-19 (MedicalXpress)

• Medicare Punishes 2,499 Hospitals for High Readmissions (KHN)

• UnitedHealth lawsuit claims TeamHealth upcoded claims for $100M in fraud (FierceHealth)

In the News

Blogs We Follow

Popular Site Destinations

Job Bank

No current postings at AHPA

Federal Agency Blogs

COVID-19 Information

Starting Points:

• U. S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

• Cases, Data & Surveillance
• Covide Science Updates (Weekly)

• State Health Departments
• NACCHO Directory Local Health Departments
• CMS Nursing Home Covid Data (1st report 5/24/2020)

• Related GAO Report: Infection Control Deficiencies Were Widespread and Persistent in Nursing Homes Prior to COVID-19 Pandemic

Guides & Resources for Reopening Workspaces:

• Kaiser Permanente Releases COVID-19 Playbook: Planning For The Next Normal At Work
• CDC Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers Responding to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

• CDC Workplace Decision Tree
• Summary of CDC guidelines on reopening businesses after the pandemic (Tech Republic)

Additional Resources:

• Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform (CHQPR) Report Summary on Pandemic and Rural Hospital Closure Risk
• Four COVID Vaccines Compared (Medscape)
• CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdiction Operations
• The Costs of Coronavirus (JAMA Network)
• Largest COVID-19 contact tracing study to date finds children key to spread, evidence of superspreaders (Princeton)
• Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (National Acadamies 2020)
• National Insitutes of Health
• John Hopkins ABX Guide: Coronavirus COVID-19
• The Covid Tracking Project:
• Oxford Martin School’s Our World Data -Covid 19
• University Of Minnesotta CIDRAP Covid Resources
• JAMA Sponsored Live Stream Q & A with CDC
• Kaiser Family Foundation COVID-19 News and Reports
• NEJM : A collection of articles and other resources on the Coronavirus (Covid-19)
• Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME): COVID-19 Resources
• Penn Center for Research on Coronavirus and Other Emerging Pathogens Webinars (You Tube Channel)

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