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
Key Bills Advance; Some Left Behind as Legislature Rounds Major Turn
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
Last week, the California Senate and Assembly took action on several bills of importance to hospitals — moving or holding critical pieces of legislation. It is the midpoint of the 2024 legislative session when bills must move to the second house according to legislative deadlines.
OHCA Board Approves Advisory Committee Appointments and Deliberates Over Efforts to Expand Preventive Care
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
What’s happening: At its May 22 meeting, the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) board discussed OHCA’s proposals to refocus the state’s health care system on prevention and encourage the use of payment arrangements aligned with that goal. What else to know: CHA submitted a letter to the OHCA board responding to the finalized spending...
CHA-Sponsored Seismic Relief Legislation Passes in the Senate
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
What’s happening: Senate Bill (SB) 1432 would provide a time extension to hospitals from California’s 2030 seismic construction mandates. It passed the state Senate on Wednesday on a 37-0 vote.
What else to know: The bill now moves on to the Assembly Health Committee.
CMS Proposes New Payment Model to Expand Kidney Transplant Access
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed the new Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model to improve access to kidney transplants.
What else to know: The IOTA Model would be mandatory for six years beginning Jan. 1, 2025.
CHA Issues Draft Comments in Response to IRF, IPF Payment Proposed Rules
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
What’s happening: CHA submitted comments in response to the federal fiscal year 2025 inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF) and inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPF) prospective payment system proposed rules.
What else to know: Comments were due to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services by 2 p.m. (PT) on May 28.
Summary: Finalized Skilled-Nursing Facility Staffing Standards
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
What’s happening: A summary is available of finalized new staffing standards for long-term care facilities, including skilled-nursing facilities (SNFs) and SNFs operated as distinct-part units of acute care hospitals.
What else to know: The regulations are effective June 21, with compliance with overall ratios required beginning May 2026.
Summary: Final Rule Expands Health Care Access to DACA Recipients
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
What’s happening: A summary is available of the final rule recently issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to expand access to health care for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.
What else to know: All provisions of the final rule are effective on Nov. 1.
HHS Launches New Program to Enhance Cybersecurity for Health Care Facilities
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
What’s happening: The Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health launched a new program to enhance and automate cybersecurity for health care facilities. What else to know: The Universal PatchinG and Remediation for Autonomous DEfense (UPGRADE) program will invest more than $50 million to create tools for information technology teams...
CHA to Host Seismic Legislation Webinar
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
What’s happening: CHA will host a members-only webinar on May 29 at 8:30 a.m. (PT) to discuss seismic legislation updates.
What else to know: Registration is open.
Effort to Strengthen Medi-Cal Scores Major Political Party Endorsements
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
Earlier this week, both the California Democratic and California Republican parties — at their respective conventions — endorsed an upcoming ballot measure to strengthen Medi-Cal. This underscores two important facts: First, that health care access is critical to all, regardless of political affiliation, and second, that there is universal recognition that reliability and predictability are essential to support a strong health care delivery system in California.
