What’s happening: On April 11, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2026 inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule — which falls short of what hospitals need to keep up with rising costs and health care needs.
What’s happening: At its April 22 board meeting, the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) board will review stakeholder feedback on staff’s recommended hospital sector spending targets and could adopt the proposal in its current, or a modified, form. CHA urges hospital representatives to submit letters in opposition by April 18 and attend the meeting, either in person or virtually, to provide public comment asking the board reject the proposed hospital sector target recommendations.
What’s happening: On April 7, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas vacated key portions of the minimum staffing requirements for skilled-nursing facilities (SNFs) mandated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
What’s happening: The Hospital Quality Institute’s (HQI’s) fourth and final webinar on reporting hospital equity measures to the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) under Assembly Bill 1204 (2021) will take place April 23 from 10-11 a.m. (PT).
What’s happening: At the inaugural Proposition (Prop) 35 “Protect Access to Health Care Act” Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting, held April 14, CHA and other stakeholders urged the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to move forward quickly with a payment methodology that meets two primary goals.
What’s happening: On April 14, the Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) released a withdrawal notice for its proposed Assembly Bill (AB) 40 (2023) emergency regulations.
What’s happening: Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA-7) lead a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer and U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on concerns about the effect tariffs would have on supply chains for medical supplies, generic drugs, and medical devices.
What’s happening: On April 11, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its proposed payment policies for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), skilled-nursing facilities (SNFs), and long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) for federal fiscal year (FFY) 2026.
What else to know: Comments on the proposed rules are due to CMS by June 10.
What’s happening: The first round of expanded Hospital Supplier Diversity Reports required under Assembly Bill (AB) 1392 (2023) are due to the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) on July 1.
What else to know: In 2024, the Office of Administrative Law approved HCAI’s regulations to implement AB 1392. This year, the new reporting requirements are fully in effect — and HCAI has developed a new template to support and inform this updated reporting.
What’s happening: The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has updated service definitions for four of the 14 community supports that Medi-Cal managed care plans (MCPs) may offer as part of the state’s Medi-Cal reform effort, California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM). The four updated service definitions go into effect July 1.