CHA News

CHA Posts Legislative Update

As CHA continues to work on its legislative agenda, an update on bills currently being tracked on behalf of hospitals is available in our Legislative Update.

OSHPD Reports to Legislature on Health Care Payment Database

On Monday, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development submitted a report to the Legislature with recommendations on how to establish and maintain a health care payment database in California. The report was submitted in advance of the July 1 deadline required by Assembly Bill 1810 (statutes of 2018) and includes 36 recommendations that were unanimously approved by a review committee of health care stakeholders. Per the statutes, the database must be substantially completed no later than July 1, 2023.

CHA DataSuite Releases Medicare Margins Analysis

CHA DataSuite has released hospital-specific analyses showing the trends in Medicare margins over the most recent 10-year period (federal fiscal years 2009-18). The margins are shown graphically for hospitals and various comparison groups.

HQI Conference Registration Now Open

Registration is now open for the sixth annual Hospital Quality Institute Patient Safety Conference. This year’s conference will be held in both Northern and Southern California — with a Long Beach conference set for Sept. 29-30 and a Napa event to be held Nov. 15-16.

Long-Awaited Interoperability Final Rules Issued

The Department of Health and Human Services has issued two long-awaited final rules — one from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the other from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) — intended to improve the interoperability of health information. The final rules include provisions for hospitals and other providers, health plans, and health information technology vendors.

CHA DataSuite Releases Quality Program Measure Trends Analysis

CHA DataSuite has released hospital-specific quality program measure trends analysis for the fourth quarter of 2019. This analysis is designed to provide hospitals with a comparative review over time of the quality data collected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and published on the Hospital Compare website.

Updates for the Week of March 2

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released the following information:

Submit Q4 2019 HCAHPS Data by April 1, 2020
VA Fee Schedule Available on the VHA Office of Community Care Website
April 2020 Public Reporting Preview Data Available Through March 10
Standard Elements for Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Order, and Master List of DMEPOS Items Potentially Subject to a Face-to-Face Encounter and Written Orders Prior to Delivery and, or Prior Authorization Requirement.

DHCS to Reduce Disproportionate Share Hospital Payments

The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has announced it will reduce disproportionate share hospital (DSH) funding, which has been delayed since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. DSH cuts are currently scheduled to take effect for federal fiscal year (FFY) 2020 after May 23.