AHA Press Releases

The AHA commends CMS for taking important steps to increase oversight of 2026 Medicare Advantage plans to help ensure enrollees have equal access to medically necessary health care services. The AHA has previously raised concerns about the negative effects of certain Medicare Advantage practices and policies that have the potential to directly harm patients through unnecessary care delays or outright denial of covered services.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) named Claire M. Zangerle, DNP, R.N., as senior vice president and chief nurse executive of AHA and chief executive officer of its American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL).

The AHA and America’s hospitals and health systems congratulate President-elect Trump and look forward to working with him and his incoming Administration to make progress on the many critical issues facing the health care field and the patients and communities we proudly serve. We also extend our congratulations to the new and returning Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle.

Medicare's sustained and substantial underpayment of hospitals has stretched for almost two decades, and today's final outpatient rule only worsens this chronic problem. The agency's final increase of less than 3% for outpatient hospital services will make the provision of care, investments in the health care workforce, and addressing new challenges, such as cybersecurity threats, more difficult. These inadequate payments will have a negative impact on patient access to care, especially in rural and underserved communities nationwide.

Simply put, this framework from Senators Hassan and Cassidy will limit and eliminate critical hospital-based care, resulting in increased wait times and decreased access to care for patients. It is irresponsible to think that clawing back up to $140 billion of Medicare spending for seniors won’t destabilize access to care.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) today announced it has been awarded nearly $1.5 million in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of its National Partners Cooperative Agreement. This funding will support hospitals and health systems in their efforts to address opioid use disorder (OUD) and stimulant use disorder (StUD) and infection prevention and control.

The AHA is pleased that Johnson & Johnson has decided to cease implementation of its 340B rebate proposal, which would have harmed patients and 340B providers. We are especially appreciative of HRSA’s efforts to convince J&J to put an end to this unlawful proposal and those members of Congress who demonstrated their firm support of the 340B program.

A new analysis by the international accounting firm EY (also known as Ernst and Young) for the AHA shows that tax-exempt hospitals and health systems delivered $10 in benefits to their communities for every dollar’s worth of federal tax exemption in 2020, the most recent year for which comprehensive data is available. This represents an increase from $9 in benefits the prior year despite serving on the front lines of a once-in-a-century pandemic.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) today released a new report finding that hospital and health system performance on key patient safety and quality measures was better in the first quarter of 2024 than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, and that hospitals made these improvements while caring for patients with more significant health care needs.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) today named James “Scott” Gee, deputy national advisor for cybersecurity and risk. In his new role, Gee will work with John Riggi, AHA’s national advisor for cybersecurity and risk, to develop strategies and operating priorities to support and advance the cybersecurity and physical risk mitigation practices of the nation’s hospitals and health systems.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) has elected eight members to its Board of Trustees for terms beginning Jan. 1, 2025. The Board of Trustees is the highest policymaking body of the AHA and has ultimate authority for the governance and management of its directions and finances. In addition, Michael Ugwueke, president and CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis, Tenn., will join the AHA Board immediately filling an unexpired term that extends through 2026.

CMS’ payment updates for hospitals will exacerbate the already unsustainable negative or break-even margins many hospitals are already operating under as they care for their patients. The AHA is deeply concerned about the impact these inadequate payments will have on patient access to care, especially in rural and underserved communities.

The American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Next Generation Leaders Fellowship, focused on empowering leaders to bring about real and lasting change in health care, announced its latest class of fellows consisting of 36 individuals, including 12 Age-Friendly Fellows supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) Board of Trustees has elected Marc L. Boom, M.D., president and CEO of Houston Methodist, based in Houston, Texas, as its Chair-elect Designate.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) announced today that Boston Medical Center (BMC) is the 2024 winner of the AHA’s Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service. BMC is a private, not-for-profit, equity-led academic medical center located in the South End neighborhood of Boston.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) today announced that WellSpan Health in York, Pa., is the 2024 recipient of the AHA Quest for Quality Prize. In addition, three finalists have been named: Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, Va.; Jefferson Health in Philadelphia; and MUSC Health in Charleston, S.C. All winners will receive this prestigious recognition during the AHA’s Leadership Summit in San Diego, July 21-23 when a video highlighting these accomplishments will be shared with attendees.

CMS has yet again proposed an inadequate update to hospital payments. This proposed increase for outpatient hospital services of only 2.6% comes despite the fact that many hospitals across the country continue to operate on negative or very thin margins that make providing care and investing in their workforce very challenging.

While we are pleased that the Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss these cases as improvidently granted will restore the temporary stay on Idaho’s law, we are disappointed that physicians, nurses, and other clinicians across the country still do not have needed clarity. Caregivers must be able to exercise their professional judgment about a patient’s care as federal law requires under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) without the fear of criminal prosecution. We continue to urge courts to protect clinicians as they seek to provide emergency care to their patients.

The AHA greatly appreciates the leadership from this bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives by reintroducing vital legislation to streamline the broken prior authorization process in the Medicare Advantage program. By removing unnecessary barriers that create delays in treatment, this meaningful bill will improve access to care for seniors and allow caregivers to spend more valuable time at the bedside with patients and less time on burdensome paperwork.

The American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Institute for Diversity and Health Equity (IFDHE) today announced that Main Line Health in Radnor, Pa., Augusta Health in Fishersville, Va., and AnMed in Anderson, S.C., will receive the 2024 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care (EOC) Award. The awards will be presented during the AHA’s Leadership Summit in San Diego, July 21-23.