The newsroom includes access to CHA News, which provides timely information to members every Thursday and is at the core of CHA benefits. In addition, it is also home to resources such as toolkits and talking points designed to help member hospitals and health systems communicate with internal and external audiences on a range of current health care-related issues. Links to CHA media statements and press releases can also be found here.
Newsroom
Covered California Will Hold Next Town Hall Meeting in Sacramento
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
Covered California will hold its next regional town hall meeting Aug. 30 in Sacramento, co-hosted by U.S. Reps. Doris Matsui, John Garamendi and Ami Bera; California Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Sen. Lois Wolk; and Assemblymembers Roger Dickinson, Ken Cooley, Mariko Yamada and Richard Pan. Covered California board members and Executive Director Peter Lee will lead discussions, including an update on the exchange’s progress and current plans; outreach and community education strategies; and stakeholder feedback, questions and comments.
CMS Will Post Hospital-Specific Reports for HACs and PSI-11
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
In response to stakeholder requests, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced it will make hospital-level results for hospital acquired conditions (HACs) and PSI-11 available to the public in late September. Hospitals should expect to receive a preview of their reports by Aug. 26, in order to review the information prior to its public release. Hospitals can review their confidential reports via My QualityNet. If hospitals have problems accessing their reports, they should contact the QualityNet help desk at qnetsupport@sdps.org. Because the HACs are not included in the hospital inpatient quality reporting program, they will not be posted on Hospital Compare, but will instead be posted to data.cms.gov.
Noridian Begins Processing Medicare Part A Fee-For-Service Claims Today
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
Today marks the official transition from Palmetto to Noridian Administrative Services for Medicare Part A fee-for-service claims in California; Part B implementation will begin Sept. 16. It was announced earlier this year that Noridian received the Medicare Administrative Contractor award for processing Part A and Part B fee-for-service claims in Jurisdiction E, which includes California. To assist with the transition, hospitals may want to attend one of Noridian’s online training opportunities, including its Ask the Contractor teleconference series. For more information about training events, visit https://med.noridianmedicare.com/web/jea/education/act.
Disaster Planning Conference Now Includes Asiana Plane Crash Response Panel
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
Representatives from San Mateo County EMS Agency and San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center will speak about the Asiana plane crash and response at the closing session of CHA’s upcoming Disaster Planning Conference, to be held Sept. 23-25 in Sacramento. Participants will gain critical insight into the operational and logistical coordination required during a mass casualty incident response, from first responder triage and treatment to patient care at area hospitals. Other general session presentations include the Boston Marathon bombing response and recovery; the Hurricane Sandy evacuation; updates from the Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, the California Department of Public Health and the California Emergency Medical Services Authority; and thought-provoking presentations on understanding legal issues and the role of leadership after a disaster. In addition, the program features 16 different breakout sessions, an update on the 2013 statewide medical and health exercise, and a half-day pre-conference workshop titled “Utilities Management: Preserving Critical Systems.”
New Survey Results Show Increase in RAC Reviews
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
According to results from the American Hospital Association’s quarterly RACTrac survey, recovery audit contractor (RAC) reviews continue to increase for hospitals. AHA reports that medical record requests have increased by 47 percent, while complex audit denials have increased by 58 percent since the fourth quarter of 2012. In addition, 45 percent of hospitals that participated in the survey experienced overturned denials through use of the discussion period. AHA will host a webinar on Sept. 19 to review the RACTrac survey results as well as recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regulations that impact the RAC program. For more information, visit www.aha.org/ractrac. A copy of the survey report is attached.
CHA Details Policies Finalized in FFY 2014 SNF Rule
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
CHA has prepared a detailed summary of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) skilled-nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) final rule for federal fiscal year (FFY) 2014. In addition to payment updates for SNFs, CMS finalizes proposals to revise and update the SNF market basket to reflect 2010 costs and institutes a new reporting item — “distinct calendar days of therapy” — for the minimum data set. CMS also continues its discussion and review of a study on alternative approaches to paying for SNF therapy services and continues to seek input on this issue. Attached is CHA’s detailed summary of the final rule. The final rule is available at www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-08-06/pdf/2013-18776.pdf.
SB 289 Becomes 2-Year Bill
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
CHA-sponsored seismic legislation, SB 289 (Ducheny, D-San Diego), has become a two-year bill. Proponents and other key players are willing to move the bill early next year.
CMS Releases ICD-10 Fact Sheet
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a fact sheet on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition (ICD-10). Hospitals must comply with the new coding system by Oct. 1, 2013. The new classification system provides significant improvements over the 30-year-old ICD-9 system, according to CMS.
CHA DataSuite Issues Quality Reports
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
CHA member hospitals have received four individualized CHA DataSuite reports with information compiled from the hospital quality measure database provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The reports provide hospitals with quality-performance benchmark measures in relation to all California and U.S. hospitals.
H1N1 Session Expanded for Disaster Conference
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
An update on the H1N1 influenza virus will be presented at CHA’s Disaster Planning for California Hospitals conference Sept. 14-16 in Sacramento. An expanded panel presentation led by Gilberto Chavez, M.D., state epidemiologist and chief of the Center for Infectious Disease, California Department of Public Health (CDPH), will be held Sept. 15.
