CMS on Monday announced it has increased the Medicare reimbursement rate for administering Covid-19 vaccines from about $28 to $40 for single-dose vaccines and from about $45 to $80 for two-dose vaccines, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from California, Maryland, and Mississippi.

• California: The University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) last week named Lin Zhan as the new dean of the UCLA School of Nursing, effective Aug. 1. Zhan currently serves as dean of the University of Memphis Loewenberg College of Nursing and previously worked as professor and dean of the School of Nursing at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (Carbajal, Becker's Hospital Review, 3/12; UCLA release; 3/11).

• Maryland: CMS on Monday announced it has increased the Medicare reimbursement rate for administering Covid-19 vaccines from about $28 to $40 for single-dose vaccines and from about $45 to $80 for two-dose vaccines. However, CMS noted that the exact payment rate "will depend on the type of entity that furnishes the services and will be geographically adjusted based on where the service is furnished." CMS said the higher payment rate is intended to encourage providers to vaccinate more people, hire new staff, and conduct more patient outreach and education (King, Fierce Healthcare, 3/15; Brady, Modern Healthcare, 3/15; CMS release, 3/15).

• Mississippi: Mississippi on Tuesday became the second state to expand Covid-19 vaccine eligibility to all its adult residents. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) announced the change in the state's vaccine eligibility policy on Monday. The move comes after Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) last week announced all individuals ages 16 and older who live or work in Alaska are now eligible for Covid-19 vaccines, and President Biden called on states to make all American adults eligible for Covid-19 vaccines by May 1 (Wright/Gold, New York Times, 3/15; Lonas, The Hill, 3/16).