About Laws & Regulations
Navigating the vast network of health care laws and regulations is difficult. To help hospitals, CHA produces manuals and guidebooks, including the Consent Manual, a one-stop resource for all legal requirements related to patient consent for medical treatment, release of medical information, reporting requirements and more; the Model Medical Staff Bylaws and Rules, which outline the framework for working relationships among medical staff, hospital administrators and governing bodies; and the California Hospital Compliance Manual, which covers high-risk compliance issues. CHA also represents California hospitals’ interests in court on issues, including reimbursement, labor and employment, and more.
2024 Consent Law Seminar
CHA’s 2024 Consent Law Seminar is your opportunity to gain insights on new laws and regulatory updates affecting risk managers, privacy officers, and sensitive patient-care situations. The seminar will focus on legal gray areas, provide updates on recent case law outcomes, and offer frontline perspectives on challenging consent situations.
CHA Summary: Final Federal Independent Dispute Resolution Fees
What’s happening: CHA has issued a final rule summary of the finalized federal independent dispute resolution (IDR) administrative fee and entity fee ranges.
What else to know: The fees are effective Jan. 22.
CHA Comments on Proposed Changes to Medicare Advantage Plans
What’s happening: CHA submitted comments on the proposed technical changes to Medicare Advantage plans for contract year 2025.
What else to know: Comments were due to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Jan. 5.
CHA Comments on Proposed Financial Penalties for Information Blocking
What’s happening: CHA submitted comments in response to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) proposed provider disincentives for information blocking.
What else to know: Comments were due Jan. 2.
New Patient Medicare Appeals Processes Proposed
What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that would establish an appeals process for Medicare beneficiaries who were admitted as an inpatient but whose status changed to outpatient during their hospital stay.
What else to know: Policies are being established in response to a court order following a class action case filed in 2011.
Provisions of Prescription Error Legislation to Take Effect
What’s happening: Certain provisions in Assembly Bill (AB) 1286 (Haney, D-San Francisco) become effective Jan. 1, 2024. The California State Board of Pharmacy encourages licensees to immediately take steps for compliance.
What else to know: The new law establishes a requirement for the reporting of medication errors that occur in the outpatient setting to an entity that will be approved by the board. The Enforcement and Compounding Committee (ECC) will begin its evaluation of entities in the coming months.
Federal Independent Dispute Resolution Fees Finalized
What’s happening: The departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury issued a final rule setting the No Surprises Act independent dispute resolution (IDR) fees.
What else to know: This was in response to an earlier court ruling that found the departments’ approach to setting the administrative fee was impermissible.
Requirements Expanded for Hospital Supplier Diversity Program
What’s happening: Assembly Bill (AB) 1392 expands the existing requirements for the Hospital Supplier Diversity Program for 2025.
What else to know: Beginning with the July 2025 report, hospitals must include their plans for increasing procurement from diverse suppliers, contact information for interested businesses, and descriptions of the procurement processes.
Independent Dispute Resolution Portal Reopened for All Disputes
What’s happening: On Dec. 15, the departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury reopened the federal independent dispute resolution (IDR) portal for all dispute types.
What else to know: Dispute types include previously initiated batched disputes, new batched disputes, and new single disputes involving air ambulance services.
Deadline Approaching to Submit Medicare Physician Attestation Statements
What’s happening: As a condition of participation, Medicare-certified hospitals must complete attestation and acknowledgment of physicians with newly granted admitting privileges in the previous calendar year.
What else to know: Attestation statements for 2022 should be submitted by Dec. 29.