As hospitals actively engage with community partners to comply with a new homeless patient discharge planning law, members of the Legislature heard from advocates last week about the need for a broad transformation in the way California addresses homelessness.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a new Part D Payment Modernization model, available through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, for Part D and Medicare Advantage (MA) drug plans beginning in January 2020.
Yesterday, CHA submitted comments on the Office of the National Coordinator’s (ONC) draft strategy to reduce regulatory and administrative burden related to health information technology and electronic health record (EHR) use.
A new health advisory from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shares information about an investigation of a penicillin-resistant strain of Brucella spreading across the U.S. Suspected to be linked to consumption of unpasteurized milk from a farm in Pennsylvania, cases have now been identified in 19 states — including California. More information on the infection and recommended treatment is available in the advisory.
The Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) has released three sets of proposed regulations for a 15-day comment period. The proposals are intended to establish standardized best practices for their respective systems.
Yesterday, CHA submitted comments on Covered California’s draft Options to Improve Affordability in California’s Health Insurance Market. In the letter, CHA reiterates its readiness to partner with Covered California and the Legislature to build upon the Affordable Care Act by implementing premium and cost-sharing subsidies, an individual mandate and penalty, and reinsurance.
Last week, Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) President & CEO Julie Morath was honored by the Patient Safety Movement Foundation with its Beau Biden Humanitarian Award. The award recognizes California hospitals’ participation in an effort, led by HQI, to provide consumers with easily accessible, meaningful information about hospital quality.
CHA has issued a summary, prepared by Health Policy Alternatives, of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) final rule that accelerates the timeline for accountable care organizations (ACOs) participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) to take on downside risk.
At the January meeting, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recommended that Congress increase the rate for hospital inpatient and outpatient prospective payment systems (PPS) by 2 percent in federal fiscal year (FFY) and calendar year (CY) 2020.
New resources are available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to help providers who care for children with serious emotional disturbances, including those caused by disasters. The resources define “serious emotional disturbance,” address emotional disturbances during disasters, highlight disasters’ emotional impact on children and teens, clarify complex trauma and how it can impact children, and explain causes of post-traumatic stress disorder in children and teens.
