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
HCAI Hosts Upcoming Webinar on Seismic Nonstructural Performance Category Requirements
What’s happening: On March 18, the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) is conducting a free webinar on seismic nonstructural performance category (NPC) requirements.
What else to know: Registration is open.
AHA Annual Survey Responses Due by May 5
What’s happening: The American Hospital Association (AHA) is asking hospitals to complete the AHA Annual Survey, which will help health care leaders, policymakers, and researchers describe and understand hospital operations.
What else to know: Last year, only 60.7% of California’s hospitals completed this survey. It is crucial that this year, information from all California hospitals is included in this critical national data set, as California has the second largest number of hospitals in the country — along with high labor costs, added regulations, seismic standards, and more. The deadline for completing the survey is May 5.
CHA Argues OHCA’s Proposed Hospital Sector ‘Strains Credibility,’ Encourages Hospitals to Weigh In
What’s happening: On March 6, CHA sent a letter to the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) calling attention to the office’s flawed, prejudicial approach to creating a hospital sector.
What else to know: Over the coming weeks, hospitals must engage at every opportunity to ensure the OHCA board understands the devastating impact its actions will have on patient care. See CHA’s March 13 alert for details.
CHA Comments on Proposed Changes to HIPAA Rule
What’s happening: On March 7, CHA submitted comments on proposed modifications to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) security rule.
What else to know: CHA urged the Office of Civil Rights to rescind the proposed rule and instead focus policymaking on coordinated federal efforts to prevent and deter cyberattacks in the broader health care sector.
CDPH Seeks Input on Reporting Unusual Occurrences
What’s happening: The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Center for Health Care Quality (CHCQ) is seeking public comment from long-term care facilities, including skilled-nursing facilities, on regulations for reporting unusual occurrences. For more information, refer to All Facilities Letter 25-11.
What else to know: CHCQ seeks input on several topics, including definitions, reporting processes, and requirements for documentation. Comments are due by April 7 and can be submitted to the CHCQ Regulation Development Section at CHCQRegulations@cdph.ca.gov
March 12 Webinar Will Detail New HQI Program to Support Mandatory Health Equity Reporting
What’s happening: The Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) has released a new reporting service, as part of its Hospital Quality Improvement Platform (HQIP), that includes 95% of the information hospitals are required to report by Sept. 30.
What else to know: More information about the requirements — created under Assembly Bill 1204 (Statutes of 2021) — and HQI’s solution will be shared at a webinar on March 12. This webinar is the first of a four-part series; more information can be found on HQI’s website.
2025 HR Conference Wraps, Planning for 2026 Begins
What’s happening: On Feb. 19-20, more than 100 human resources (HR) professionals gathered in Long Beach for the 2025 HR Conference — where experts offered sage advice, answered questions, and provided best practices on recruitment and retention, artificial intelligence (AI), and more.
What else to know: Co-hosted by CHA and the Hospital Association of Southern California, this was the first in-person HR Conference since 2019 — and planning for the 2026 HR Conference has already begun.
CMS Publishes Progress Report on Review Choice Demonstration for Inpatient Rehabilitation Services, Shares ‘Helpful Hints’
What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted to its website a report on the ongoing Review Choice Demonstration for Inpatient Rehabilitation Services (IRF RCD) — a program currently in Alabama and Pennsylvania that will expand to California in the future, though a specific time frame has not yet been established.
What else to know: Based on IRF RCD results to date, CMS has released a Helpful Hints document that could assist California providers, as it includes reasons a claim might not be affirmed, as well as best practices that may help avoid non-affirmations.
CDPH Issues Guidance on Skilled-Nursing Facility Reporting for Resident Payer Source
What’s happening: The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued All Facilities Letter (AFL) 25-10, which implements new requirements for skilled-nursing facilities (SNFs) and strengthens the prohibition against facility discrimination based on a resident’s payment source, as enacted in Senate Bill 1354.
New CDPH All Facilities Letters Provide Additional Guidance for General Acute Care, Psychiatric Hospitals
What’s happening: On Feb. 24, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released four new All Facilities Letters (AFLs) on laws that became effective Jan. 1. These AFLs affect general acute care and acute psychiatric hospitals, and other health care facilities.
What else to know: For more information, visit the CDPH’s web page https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHCQ/LCP/Pages/LNCAFL25.aspx.
