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The spending bill passed today is a welcome step forward. Allocations in the bill will strengthen public health and research efforts during the year ahead and will provide critical support for important goals. At the same time, the legislation in its final form also brings inadequate responses to current and urgent challenges with the potential for long-term and costly consequences.

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While young people today need college more than ever, college attendance across the country has dropped in each of the last nine years. As enrollment declines threaten the survival of more than a third of our nation’s colleges, and as communities face economic decline because they’re short on college-educated workers, a solution lies within our grasp.

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The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today took bold steps in two proposed rules to increase the availability of organs for the 113,000 Americans waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant – 20 of whom die each day – and to strengthen support for Americans who choose to be living donors. Both proposed rules advance policy changes the American Society of Nephrology has long been advocating for and is strongly supportive of.

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KidneyX received $5,000,000 in the government spending package announced late Monday, December 16. Included as part of two “omnibus” spending packages, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill includes first-time funding for KidneyX for Fiscal Year 2020.

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In response to a new Health Affairs article “Out-Of-Network Billing And Negotiated Payments For Hospital-Based Physicians,” the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) released the following statement reaffirming its commitment to protecting patients from surprise medical bills.

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U.S. Representative Charlie Crist (D-FL), along with Representatives Steven Palazzo (R-MS), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), and Chris Smith (R-NJ), introduced the Regional Ocean Partnership Act (H.R. 5390). The bill would authorize Regional Ocean Partnerships as partners with the federal government to address ocean and coastal concerns. It will provide with more consistent funding to help perform the critical mission of supporting ocean and coastal health, sustainability, and resiliency.

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H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act passed by the House of Representatives today introduces critically needed and significant steps to reduce costs and improve access to life-saving therapies for conditions including HIV and hepatitis C. Importantly, the legislation also brings essential resources to combat antibiotic resistance, find and develop new infection fighting drugs and bring them to market. The balanced approach of this legislation will serve patients and public health.

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The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) applauded the U.S. Senate for voting today to confirm radiation oncologist Stephen Hahn, MD, FASTRO, as the next Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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Today, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) on behalf of its 54,000 members thanked the House Ways and Means Committee for its framework to address surprise medical bills.

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HFES Government Relations Committee Chair, Dr. Mica Endsley, testified yesterday on behalf of the Society during a U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearing entitled “The Boeing 737 MAX: Examining the Federal Aviation Administration’s Oversight of the Aircraft’s Certification.”

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NCCN hosted an annual NCCN Patient Advocacy Summit: Delivering Value for Patients across the Oncology Ecosystem in Washington, DC, bringing together patients, advocates, clinicians, policy-makers, and others to share diverse perspectives on the meaning of value in cancer care.

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Today, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), representing more than 54,000 members, expressed its strong opposition to the surprise medical bill provisions included in the Alexander-Pallone-Walden Lower Health Care Costs proposal.

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Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) Government Relations Committee Chair, Dr. Mica Endsley, will testify tomorrow on behalf of the Society during a U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearing The Boeing 737 MAX: Examining the Federal Aviation Administration’s Oversight of the Aircraft’s Certification.

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The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) expressed its support after the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted today to approve the nomination of radiation oncologist Stephen Hahn, MD, FASTRO, as the next Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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This World AIDS Day marks a promising and unprecedented point in a quest begun nearly four decades ago to end the global public health threat of HIV through science and solidarity. Increasingly, effective and essential technologies, medicines and measures to effectively treat the virus and prevent transmissions are finding their way to where they are needed most and are demonstrating that we have what is needed to end this pandemic. For the first time, the United States has developed a plan aiming to end the American epidemic. And in keeping with hard-earned knowledge as well as with the theme of this World AIDS Day, communities are at the center of ambitious responses. Still, this World AIDS Day finds progress stalled by policies and politics that threaten the momentum we have gathered.

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Furthering its goal to advance the best patient care, the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) distilled its white papers on competency and treatment standards into executive summaries that provide key recommendations and directives to guide the insurance industry, state boards, and other communities of interest to support appropriate endodontic care.

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“We believe Beaumont has a duty to raise awareness and help change attitudes about antibiotics and behaviors that cause antibiotic resistance,” said Dr. Sam Flanders, senior vice president and chief quality and safety officer of Beaumont Health. “Antibiotics save lives. But when they’re used too much, they can lead to antibiotic resistance.”

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The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) commends the New Hampshire Board of Medicine’s unanimous vote to prohibit the use of the term “anesthesiologist” unless licensed by the board of medicine.

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With the nationwide outbreak of vaping-related lung injuries, now is the time to learn the facts about e-cigarette use among kids and young adults.

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The University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine is the first in the nation to establish opioid-free pain management guidelines for the vast majority of procedures performed in all of its clinics.

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The Sustainable Chemistry R&D Act directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy to organize an interagency entity that is responsible for coordinating federal programs and activities in support of sustainable chemistry.

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In this short piece, race politics specialist Teresa Cosby explains what black voters are looking for in a candidate.

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Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle issued a series of oversight letters to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in recent months to urge the Agency to adjust its proposed radiation oncology advanced alternative payment model (RO Model). CMS is expected to issue its final determination before the end of 2019.

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Research by Christopher L. Peterson, a professor at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, is at the foundation of the Veterans and Consumers Fair Credit Act, which aims to cap interest rates on consumer loans to all Americans, especially veterans and Gold Star families.

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More than 160 members of the chiropractic, physical therapy and osteopathic professions forged a new spirit of cooperation and understanding during the Interprofessional Collaborative Spine Conference (ICSC), which took place Nov. 8-9 in Pittsburgh, Pa.

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In support of World Pneumonia Day, Nov. 12, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), of which the American Thoracic Society is a member, calls for an end to preventable pneumonia deaths, ensuring equitable access to interventions for prevention and control of pneumonia.

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The ADA’s recent updates were developed with expert panel representation from the AAE and provide guidance on when antibiotics should be used in dental treatment.

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Educators from across the country left the CFES Brilliant Pathways National Conference invigorated by the announcement that newly trained College and Career Readiness Advisors will play a major role in helping increase postsecondary success and help offsett a national counselor-student ratio of 455-to-1.

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APHA denounces U.S. action to withdraw from Paris agreement

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The Academy is pleased to share that the Independence at Home (IAH) Demonstration Year 5 practice expenditures were $33.5 million below Medicare spending targets. Over the 5 years of the demonstration, the IAHC practices have generated a total of about $100 million in savings and high-quality care for Medicare.

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On October 29, the inter-agency Drug Shortages Task Force led by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a report titled “Drug Shortages: Root Causes and Potential Solutions” at the request of Congress. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) commends the FDA for its analysis of the underlying causes of drug shortages and its recommendations to solve them, many of which align with recommendations offered by ASA and other health care stakeholders last year.

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ARN applauds the Senate HELP Committee for advancing the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2019.

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The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) today expressed strong support for the nomination of radiation oncologist Stephen Hahn, MD, FASTRO, as Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. Hahn served on the ASTRO Board of Directors from 2014 to 2018.

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The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions today passed a major health-promotion bill supported by the American College of Sports Medicine. Senate Bill 1608 would require updating the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans every 10 years.

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The AHA, ASA, ASCO, ASHP, and ISMP announced their strong support for the Mitigating Emergency Drug Shortages (MEDS) Act, introduced today by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tina Smith (D-MN).

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The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) commends the U.S. House of Representatives for unanimously passing H.R. 728, the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2019. This overwhelming support represents an important step towards reauthorizing vital programs that bolster nursing education, prepare the next generation of nurses, and support communities across the country.

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A custody case in Texas has sparked heated debate and embroiled state policymakers in public discussions about the diagnosis and appropriate medical treatment of transgender children, with many making inaccurate claims.

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American Society of Nephrology President Mark E. Rosenberg, MD, FASN, has issued the following statement regarding the new Kidney Care Choices Model: “The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) welcomes the introduction of the voluntary Kidney Care Choices (KCC) Model, and its four kidney care payment options, addressing key aspects of the Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health (AAKH). This voluntary model will be a true game changer and brings desperately needed, sweeping changes to care for people with kidney diseases. ASN has long advocated for key elements of this model, and I thank HHS Secretary Azar and his entire team for putting forward such a visionary approach for the future of kidney care.

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The American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT) has released a position statement opposing "degenerative disc disease" as a diagnostic term for the cause of neck and back pain. AAOMPT publicly announced its position during the organization's annual conference in Orlando, Florida, on Oct. 25.

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the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) proposal to dramatically revise the Fair Housing Act. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has proposed new legislation that would absolve landlords and lenders from any legal responsibility for discrimination that results from a third-party computer algorithm.

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In recent weeks, presidential candidates pledged billions of dollars to bring broadband and internet access to rural America. That’s a good start, but the issue that the candidates need to address goes far beyond technology. It’s troubling that no candidate has begun to identify a strategy to concentrate on a more sweeping problem: More and more young people in our nation’s rural communities look at their hometowns and realize those places simply can’t support their dreams.

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Today, hundreds of thousands of physicians unified under the Out of the Middle Coalition applaud Representatives Raul Ruiz, MD, (D-Calif.) and Phil Roe, MD, (R-Tenn.), for reaching 100 cosponsors on their bipartisan solution to address surprise medical bills.

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Following today’s release of the World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2019, the American Thoracic Society joins the WHO in calling for redoubled efforts to end the global TB pandemic by 2030, the goal set by the global community in the United Nations Political Declaration to End Tuberculosis on Sept. 26, 2018.

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Following is the statement of Rosie Phillips Davis, PhD, president of the American Psychological Association, marking World Poverty Day: “World Poverty Day represents an opportunity for us to examine our biases, move beyond our individual selves and identify the systemic, underlying mechanisms driving income insecurity. Psychological science can help address the structural barriers and cognitive processes that perpetuate poverty and generate solutions."

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I n anticipation of National Youth Sports Specialization Awareness Week (third full week in October) the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) released an official statement with health-focused recommendations to reduce the risk of injury due to youth sports specialization.

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As Congress looks at legislative proposals relating to federal marijuana policy, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) cautions legislators to avoid piecemeal solutions and to carefully consider the impact of any federal marijuana legislation on workplace safety.

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Reaction of University Hospitals in Northeast Ohio to proposal from HHS to reform the Physician Self-Referral Law and the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute.

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The continued steep increase in incidence of sexually transmitted diseases reported in the 2018 data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tuesday, is a cause for deep concern about dangerous gaps in our public health infrastructure.

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ASA today offered it medical expertise to the Trump Administration as it works to improve Medicare beneficiaries’ access to physician care, implement transparency and market-based reforms, while reducing cost and regulatory burdens as provided in President Trump’s Executive Order.

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Point-of-care testing is transforming healthcare: this type of testing helps patients get diagnosed and treated faster, and also makes it easier for patients in remote areas to have access to medical testing. Join AACC and leading experts in laboratory medicine for a discussion about what lies ahead for point-of-care testing and what needs to happen so that all patients can benefit from quality testing of this kind.