News

The South Carolina measles outbreak has grown to 950 cases, the state’s Department of Public Health reported Feb. 13.

As we prepare for the 2026 midterm elections and the campaign season begins to heat up, it’s important for all health care providers to speak up, ask hard questions of candidates and evaluate their thinking on the issues that affect our field.

A bipartisan letter supported by the AHA was sent by members of Congress Feb. 11 to the Department of Homeland Security, urging the agency to grant health care workers an exemption from the $100,000 filing fee for H-1B visas.

The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response has launched a $100 million competition to support the development of antiviral drug therapies targeting viruses in the Togaviridae and Flaviviridae families, such as dengue, Zika, West Nile and Chikungunya.

The AHA will host a webinar Feb. 13 at noon ET on the unique funding challenges and opportunities for rural health organizations. Participants will learn about the AHA’s support services for grant planning, prospecting and proposal writing. 

The Maine Hospital Association recently announced that longtime President Steven Michaud is retiring and will be succeeded by Jeffrey Austin, MHA vice president of government affairs and communications, effective March 1.

The Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing Feb. 11 on issues impacting physician burnout.

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health today hosted a hearing titled “Lowering Health Care Costs for All Americans: An Examination of the Prescription Drug Supply Chain.”

John Riggi, AHA national advisor for cybersecurity and risk, talks with Brett Leatherman, FBI assistant director, Cyber Division, and Gretchen Burrier, FBI assistant director, Office of Private Sector, about how nation-state actors are leveraging cybercriminals and artificial intelligence to disrupt health care.

There are 933 cases in the South Carolina measles outbreak, the state’s Department of Public Health reported Feb. 10.

Health care experts and leaders from across the country presented sessions that offered conference attendees practical and adaptable solutions to issues such as workforce development and retention, community partnerships, cybersecurity, and maternal and child health.

Michelle Hood, AHA executive vice president and COO, and Bill Gassen, president and CEO of Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, S.D., and chair-elect designate of the AHA Board of Trustees, led a fireside chat on the realities of shepherding rural hospitals through disruption and driving meaningful transformation in times of rapid evolution.

Capitol Hill was the focus of the second morning of the AHA 2026 Rural Health Care Leadership Conference, taking place through tomorrow in San Antonio.

The AHA Feb. 10 released its 2026 Rural Advocacy Agenda, laying out the association's key priorities for Congress, the administration, regulatory agencies and courts.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released a new link for its webinar on Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. ET on updated hospital price transparency requirements that were finalized in the hospital outpatient prospective payment system final rule for calendar year 2026.

The AHA’s Committee on Clinical Leadership has announced its 2026 officers and new members.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Feb. 9 released its 2027 proposed standards for the health insurance marketplaces, including the issuers and brokers who assist marketplace enrollees.

Rural hospital and health system leaders gathered at the 39th annual AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference this week in San Antonio. Experts, practitioners and providers are sharing strategies, resources and innovative approaches to thrive in the changing landscape of rural health care.

AHA Board of Trustees Chair Marc Boom, M.D., today presented the team from WVU Medicine Potomac Valley Hospital of Keyser, W.Va., with the 2026 Rural Hospital 

Over 1,300 rural leaders are gathered at the 2026 AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference in San Antonio this week.