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
Governor Signs Hospital Fee Appropriations Bill
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
The Governor signed AB 188 (Jones, D-Sacramento/Alquist, D-Santa Clara/Steinberg, D-Sacramento) on Nov. 5. Co-sponsored by CHA, the bill provides the necessary appropriations for the state to seek federal approval to implement AB 1383 (Jones, D-Sacramento/Alquist, D-Santa Clara).
CHA Requests Postponement of New Medi-Cal Institutional Provider Agreement
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
More than 300 hospitals enrolled in Medi-Cal have received a letter from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to secure provider agreements or updates from hospitals. The targeted mailing was in response to a recent finding in the single state audit indicating that CDPH did not have complete provider information on file. The provider agreement is a requirement of federal and state laws for participation as a provider in the Medi-Cal program.
CHA Files Ballot Initiative – Hospital Fee Program Protections
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
CHA filed a ballot initiative with the attorney general on Nov. 4. The initiative (No. 09-0073) language would create amendments to the California Constitution that incorporate protections for hospitals for any future hospital provider fee program.
Ninth Circuit Denies Rehearing of Medi-Cal Lawsuit
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
On August 24, 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied the state’s request for rehearing en banc of the April 6 order stopping rate reductions to hospitals for certain Medi-Cal services (see April 10 CHA News).
FTC Enforcement of Red Flag Rule to Begin November 1, 2009
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
After several delays over the last year, the Federal Trade Commission will begin enforcement of the ‘red flag’ rule on November 1, 2009.
FTC Enforcement of Red Flag Rule Delayed Again
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
In response to requests from Members of Congress, the Federal Trade Commission once again delayed enforcement of the ‘red flag’ rule until June 1, 2010. The FTC announced the delay on October 30, 2009, one day before the rule was to have taken effect.
Governor Signs Hospital Fee Appropriations Bill
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
The Governor signed AB 188 (Jones, D-Sacramento/Alquist, D-Santa Clara/Steinberg, D-Sacramento) on Nov. 5. Co-sponsored by CHA, the bill provides the necessary appropriations for the state to seek federal approval to implement AB 1383 (Jones, D-Sacramento/Alquist, D-Santa Clara). AB 1383 assesses a fee on hospitals for the purpose of securing matching federal funds to make supplemental Medi-Cal payments to hospitals and to provide the state with $320 million in annual funding for children’s health care coverage.
CHA Files Lawsuit Challenging 2009 Medi-Cal Rate Reductions
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
CHA filed a lawsuit Nov. 24 against the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) challenging provisions enacted in budget trailer bill ABX4 5, which purports to perpetually freeze reimbursement rates to hospitals for distinct-part skilled-nursing and subacute services to the rates in effect for the 2008-09 rate year.
New California Hospital Compliance Manual
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
Orders are now being accepted for the new California Hospital Compliance Manual. This highly anticipated manual is the only publication written for hospital compliance officers that integrates California law with federal law on high-risk compliance areas.
GAO Report Recommends Consistency in Medicare Contractors to Reduce Administrative Burden
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a report that found the many varying requirements of the four types of contractors Medicare uses to conduct post-payment reviews imposes an administrative burden on providers. GAO reviewed the different requirements for post-payment review for Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), Zone Program Integrity Contractors (ZPICs), Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) and Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERTs) to assess how the differences between the programs impede efficiency and effectiveness. GAO also found that RACs, who are paid fees contingent on the amount of claims recouped or adjusted, conducted almost five times as many reviews as the other three contractors combined, whose reimbursement is not dependent on the amount of their claims reviews. The GAO recommended that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services review the differences between programs to determine those that can be made more consistent and take actions to reduce those differences within an established and publicized timeline. The report is available at www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-522. The report’s findings echo the concerns California’s hospitals have expressed about the administrative burden associated with the RAC program. CHA continues to advocate for H.R. 1250, the Medicare Audit Improvement Act, and urges members to contact their representatives to co-sponsor the bill. More information is available at www.calhospital.org/advocacy-alert/urge-representatives-support-changes-rac-program-delay-cuts-medicare.
